© Beverley Paine

When I boldly inform people, who inquire why my children are not at school, that we home school, I am usually met with the response, especially from mothers, "I would never have the patience to teach my children at home!"

I usually reply by asking, "What patience does it need to look after the educational, physical and emotional needs of up to thirty children, all the same age with similar developmental needs and problems, clamouring for attention all at once!"

Have these parents given consideration to how much patience the teachers of their children have? How teachers manage to share their attention between thirty children? What type of behaviour management techniques are employed? How much of the actual teaching time these techniques consume? And what actually happens to thirty children's emotional, moral, intellectual and physical development when their teacher can no longer cope?!!

The patience needed to look after the needs of my three children, including their educational needs, and also my own and my partner's needs, are much more realistic by comparison, and I believe far more obtainable!

Sometimes I am questioned further by these well meaning parents - "But what about your children's socialisation?" To which I answer confidently, "In the absence of unnecessary pressure to conform and perform to other people's standards, bullying and examples of other generally unsociable behaviour, my children learn with their self confidence and self esteem intact. When they choose to socialise it is with a range of people from diverse age groups and backgrounds, and they do so with confidence and respect."

People generally leave me alone after that.