A few years ago a grandson who is having problems at school came to live with me. He had a short attention span and was loud in class. That, however, was only part of the problem. He also suffered from bowel incontinence and at the age of 6-8 this was difficult for teachers and students to tolerate. After they sent him home an hour after his arrival with various excuses, I decided to homeschool him.

Since my level of education was high and I had university degrees, the task was obviously not going to be that difficult. In fact, it was so easy and so enjoyable for both of us that he learned quite quickly. He was attentive and easy to handle. Explaining things to him one by one meant he easily absorbed the lessons.

There was also a lot of help available in the community. There were even get-togethers with other home school students. They could play and interact as they would on a playground or in a classroom. The parents also got along well.

If anyone finds themselves in a situation where the alternative to homeschooling is a bad situation, then feel free to take it on. Anyone who has gone to school and passed elementary school with no problems will have a great experience jogging their memory and exposing their knowledge.

The books are also available for parents to use to help students. They receive the same textbooks as in a classroom with the added advantage that lessons can continue once a topic has been introduced. It’s amazing how many questions pop up from time to time over dinner or relaxing that add to the knowledge bank.

Homeschooled children in Australia are often ahead of the pack when it comes to qualifying later in life. If anyone is thinking about it, my advice is to give it a try. After all, what do you have to lose?