However, he had not noticed a decrease and instead thought more families had in recent years pursued homeschooling after seeing the value of family time during Covid-19 lockdowns.
Whangārei mother Tonya Russell said choosing to homeschool her 9-year-old daughter Z was one of the best decisions she has ever made.
She said homeschooling enabled her to step back into her role as a mother while continuing to work on her business as well as lecture part-time.
Russell wondered what skills her young daughter needed in a post-modern society and questioned: “Can I trust that this teacher who’s teaching her is going to know any better than me?”
A university lecturer since 1997, yoga teacher of 18 years and businesswoman, Russell went into homeschooling well-educated but building a curriculum had been a daunting task.
Tonya Russell said homeschooling meant she could step back into her role as a mother. Photo / supplied
“I had so many doubts, honest to God,” Russell said.
“At one or three in the morning, I’d sit up and think ‘I can’t remember what I learned in high school! How can I possibly teach my daughter?!’ ”
But then she thought if she couldn’t remember what she learned in high school, why had she even learned it?
Z, who has never been to a mainstream school, learns practical skills as well as maths, reading and writing.
Tonya Russell and daughter, Z, who went on the 'Disney Wonder' cruise where they learned to draw with Disney artists. Photo / supplied
The classroom can be anything from observing the seasons changing, the way seeds work, counting cash at a local farmers market or a trip to the museum, Russell said.
“Sometimes I catch glimpses with my daughter and the other homeschoolers, and she’s running around or she’s bouncing or she’s climbing up a tree. And I literally say to myself in my head ‘or you could be sitting in a classroom’... and I know I’ve made the right decision,” she said.
Roughton believed that homeschooling allowed children to be seen as an individual more so than if they were in a typical classroom as teachers were more able to work one-on-one, which he said made a huge difference.
“Everyone in education is constrained by so much that’s on them,” he said.
Home Schooling New Zealand principal Todd Roughton had many inquiries after Covid-19 and parents realising the value of family time.
“In the homeschooling world, we’re not constrained by that.”
A Ministry of Education spokesperson told the Advocate that parents and caregivers must demonstrate to the ministry that their child will be taught regularly and as well as in a registered school.
This involves designing a “robust curriculum” and “regularly reflecting” on progress. Additional learning needs also need to be accounted for.
Home educating is not a short-term solution, and to home educate well, parents need to thoroughly research and plan their approach, the spokesperson said.
Brodie Stone is the education and general news reporter at the Advocate. Brodie has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
