This is why I homeschool my kids.

Why would you take your kids out of school? This mum of four explains.

For us, home schooling means freedom.

Freedom to chose where, when and how we learn. Children, people, all of us, are constantly learning. My kids never stop learning; giving them freedom within that process I feel is a basic human right.

I was good at school. I loved to learn and I was an information sponge. But I remember being continually confronted by the fact I had no choice but to go to school, 5 days a week, rain, hail or shine until I was ‘done’, Such a crushing weight of expectation.

I have photos from my graduation day with me beaming in every one. I was so happy, because I was finally free. To me, despite being a good student, school was a shackle I had to endure. Imagine a world where, when you went for a job, and were told you must stay in that job for the next 12 years, no matter what, and you couldn’t leave. No adult would accept that, but we impose it upon our children.

I have studied so much about home education and theories of learning I feel confident that this is the best way for our kids to learn.

Our freedom, in the day-to-day of home schooling, means we choose how we learn, when we learn and what we learn. My eldest daughter (13) is a reader, and she learns best through books and talking about what she has read. My second daughter (9) is visual and auditory, so she learns best with videos, songs and computer based information. My third daughter (6) loves book work and drawing and writing. My son (6) is an absolute information sponge, who is constantly asks questions and has to know everything. He taught himself to spell fire truck at 3 years of age, so he could Google it!

We can learn from any format we like, we can draw maps, or we can spend hours looking at Google earth. We can read books, or listen to audio books.

Each child is unique, and home schooling allows me to best teach each of my children in the way that best suits them. It is a learning environment of a 4:1 student teacher ratio on our home days and 4:100's in experiences, on the days we interact in our community.

We have the freedom to choose our social and learning activities outside of home. This week has been a busy one, with trips to the museum and science centre, the State Library for a local history workshop, a trip to a wetlands environmental centre and a local gathering at the park.

Each of these activities was with one of the numerous home schooling groups we are involved in. Home schooling numbers are growing all the time, and there is a huge, vibrant and active home school community in our city, with educational activities being organised constantly. We have to pick and choose what we will attend, or we' d never be home!

We do have moments when sending the kids to school seems like a good idea, to regain my 'freedom' as a mum, times when being together 24/7 can be overwhelming.

We have had both the older girls at school, my eldest went from Preschool through to the first term of 2nd class, until we started home schooling, as I had newborn twins, and couldn't physically get her to school.

My second eldest wanted to be like her sister, and went for most of 1st class. In the holidays between 3rd and 4th term, she asked if she could come back home again, and I was happy to say yes. There are pros and cons of both home schooling and traditional schooling, and having had experienced both, I would still choose home schooling, simply due to the flexibility and freedom inherent in it.

If I truly need a break, like every mum does, then I have an evening out with a great friend, or the kids spend time with one of their grandmas. I know this is just a short season of life, and this is the choice we have made for this season.

Would you consider home schooling your child?

Want more? Try this:

The stay-at-home kids who are being “unschooled”.

Why I took my son out of preschool.