Sample of 'documentation'
In New South Wales, Australia, parents of children who are not schooled en masse are expected to have their children - like cars, dogs and other potential dangers to the community - 'registered' and (if registered) are forced to produce, in their own time and at their own expense, 'documentation' for the New South Wales Board of Studies - documentation which caters for the unscientific and illogical beliefs held by those who understand only the forced, false methods of 'education' used in mass schooling institutions.
Many parents in this state begin 'home' educating their children by giving them 'schoolwork' at home and while some continue to use 'schoolwork at home' techniques, others discover the joy and wonder of learning why children flourish when they are free to learn as nature intended. For those many parents of children who learn 'naturally' the bureaucratic 'requirements' of the N.S.W. Board of Studies are designed, albeit through ignorance of 'natural' learning, to conflict with their knowledge of their children's educational needs. 'Programming' children and forcing them to 'participate' in 'courses of study' are mass schooling techniques and as such, have no place in the lives of those whose children are free to be the 'natural' learners all children are before they are sent to pre-school or school.
The following is an adaptation (the word 'child' has been used instead of the original 'son' or 'daughter') of an 'approved' 'APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION FOR, "HOME SCHOOLING," BY DOCUMENTATION' for a child who learns 'naturally' in New South Wales, Australia and is also gifted.
Have I taken too tough a stance? I believe that providing 'documentation' for the purpose of being seen to be 'conforming' to mass schooling indoctrinated ideas is even tougher! And with this application having been approved, a precedent has been set for those who would prefer to state that their children learn 'naturally' and that they do not inflict pre-designed 'programs' and 'courses of study' upon them.
It can easily be adapted to suit any child and is especially designed for those children who are free to follow:
APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION FOR 'HOME SCHOOLING' BY DOCUMENTATION.
Part B: Educational 'program':
No longer being subjected to an antiquated, educationally irrational schooling system which persists in maintaining the emotionally, psychologically and often physically abusive practice of forcing thirty or so children with diverse family backgrounds, intelligence quotients which range from around 70 to 160 and above, widely varying capabilities and conflicting developmental stages to all be present in the one 'class', in the 'care' of one teacher or, "Teacha," my gifted child who (like all children) has 'special needs' but has extra special needs which are created by his [or her] giftedness, no longer suffers from a system of schooling which, by ignoring the needs of gifted children, denies their existence and destroys their very essence.
Free from the oppression of a schooling system which (to enable 'testing' of vast numbers of children at a time) teaches that 'learning' can only take place by means of 'programs' and 'courses of study', my child spends over fourteen hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year, LEARNING and because he is at liberty to participate in self-selected learning which entails obtaining information on a one to one basis and developing his skills and knowledge at a pace suited to his needs, the methods used and the knowledge gained by my child (who has proven that he is capable of covering one school YEAR of a 'subject' in just eight HOURS) are as rich and varied as life itself.
Every day of the year, for the full fourteen plus hours he is awake, my child is LEARNING. He is not subjected to a system which separates learning into subjects and by so doing destroys the instinctive self-motivation for the gaining of knowledge with which all children are born and eradicates love of learning; he is not subjected to a system which attempts to program children's learning by forcing them to 'participate' in 'learning' designed for what is considered by school 'teachers' to be suited to the 'average' capabilities of children within set chronological age 'groups'; he is not subjected to a system which forces children to miss out on learning about things which interest them by denying the opportunity to ask questions about topics (subjects) which interest them; he is not subjected to a system which forces children to wait for 'knowledge' to be provided by what, in today's schools, is usually the, "Teacha." And he is not subjected to hours of 'learning' from other children. My child's learning is not disrupted by other children or by teachers who, shouting, verbally abuse not only those children who 'misbehave' but cause emotional and psychological damage to every child in their 'class' room.
Due to his profound giftedness, my child does not need to 'study' to learn and to force him to participate in, "Courses of study," would be intellectually, emotionally and psychologically abusive. My child learns in a whole manner (covering and absorbing many topics - subjects - at a time) and for over fourteen hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year engages himself in non-stop self-motivated learning which incorporates English, mathematics, science, human society and THE environment, technological and applied studies, creative and practical arts, personal development, health and physical education and some aspects of, "Languages other than English."
The following 'overview' does not cover a set period of time. Every 'subject' is covered, on an ongoing daily basis, every day of my child's life.
As my child learns via what are commonly known as 'natural' learning methods, 'themes/topics' will be covered as they occur.
The 'order or sequence', again, will be covered as 'themes/topics' occur.
Time is not 'allocated' to my child for each 'Key Learning Area'. He is free to learn at a depth appropriate to his intellect and developmental stages and to take as long as he wishes over each 'theme/topic' he covers. As my child learns for well over ninety-eight hours a week (or five thousand, one hundred and ten hours a year), he learns for well over four thousand, one hundred and ten more hours than the 'five hours daily or 200 days per year' claimed to be 'learning time' in mass schooling institutions.
'Assessment of student achievement in each Key Learning Area' will be carried out by observation and discussion and at times, by comparison with what is being 'taught' in local and nearby schools.
ENGLISH:-
The following 'overview' does not cover a set period of time. Every 'subject' is covered, on an ongoing basis, every day of my child's life.
As my child learns via what are commonly known as 'natural' learning methods, 'themes/topics' will be covered as they occur.
The 'order or sequence', again, will be covered as 'themes/topics' occur.
Time is not 'allocated' to my child for each 'Key Learning Area'. He is free to learn at a depth appropriate to his intellect and developmental stages and to take as long as he wishes over each 'theme/topic' he covers. As my child learns for well over ninety-eight hours a week (or five thousand, one hundred and ten hours a year), he learns for well over four thousand, one hundred and ten more hours than the 'five hours daily or 200 days per year' claimed to be 'learning time' in mass schooling institutions.
'Assessment of student achievement in each 'Key Learning Area' will be carried out by observation and discussion and at times, by comparison with what is being 'taught' in local and nearby schools.
All children (with the exception of the deaf) are born with 'listening skills'. The ability to hear and therefore to listen, together with active intelligence, enables them to TEACH THEMSELVES to talk. Some children, like my child, are capable of using clearly enunciated, well structured sentences at a very early age, while others are still struggling to use single words. However, by the time they reach the age of three or four, almost all children have easily recognisable 'listening' and 'talking skills' and the further development of these 'skills' is either delayed or enhanced by association. During his fourteen plus waking hours a day, for three hundred and sixty-five days a year, my child listens and talks in order to learn. He is not hampered by hordes of other children who, despite their having attended a mass schooling system which claims to be 'educational' for over seven years, use appalling grammar, pronunciation and enunciation or by, "Teachas," who, with their dire lack of ability in these areas, have been allowed to infiltrate the public schooling system and have caused countless children to become as deficient as they are in basic speaking skills.
By having the insane 'sight-reading' method inflicted upon him during his attendance at a public school, my child was taught to hate reading but through his own efforts and mine, he is now well on his way to becoming a proficient reader.
My child was taught, during his attendance at a public school, to detest writing. He now writes, as do adults, when necessary and his spelling skills are excellent.
Any person who reads properly and - like my child - uses a wide vocabulary during conversation understands what they are reading about. The public schooling system's damage of my child's 'enjoyment' of reading will continue to be repaired and encouraged by the provision of a wide range of reading materials.
As listening, speaking, reading and writing all enable communication in a variety of situations, as my child's writing and reading contine to improve, he will, as he has profound intellectual and verbal skills, be more than adequately equipped in this area.
My child always has been and will continue to be provided with a wide range of literature in his own home.
The provision of a wide range of literature does this.
My child is and will continue to be provided with opportunities to develop his diverse writing and speaking activities.
As children grow and develop, their range of 'language use' grows and develops with them, particularly when, like my child, they come from an intelligent and well educated family background and are not hampered by over one thousand, two hundred hours a year of forced association with children and with, "Teachas," whose 'range of language use' is inferior to theirs. (As is the language use on the front page and in Part A of this application form.) [That's where the N.S.W. Board of Studies has written, "Student's relationship to parent: (please tick) PARENT _____ RELATIVE _____ GUARDIAN_____ OTHER _____ .]
Having an intellect which is only found in five to one people in each one hundred, my child has already achieved these goals and as he continues to grow and develop, his abilities in these areas will continue to grow and develop with him.
MATHEMATICS:-
The following 'overview' does not cover a set period of time. Every 'subject' is covered, on an ongoing basis, every day of my child's life.
As my child learns via what are commonly known as 'natural' learning methods, 'themes/topics' will be covered as they occur.
The 'order or sequence', again, will be covered as 'themes/topics' occur.
Time is not 'allocated' to my child for each 'Key Learning Area'. He is free to learn at a depth appropriate to his intellect and developmental stages and to take as long as he wishes over each 'theme/topic' he covers. As my child learns for well over ninety-eight hours a week (or five thousand, one hundred and ten hours a year), he learns for well over four thousand, one hundred and ten more hours than the 'five hours daily or 200 days per year' claimed to be 'learning time' in mass schooling institutions.
'Assessment of student achievement in each 'Key Learning Area' will be carried out by observation and discussion and at times, by comparison with what is being 'taught' in local and nearby schools.
My child has already covered the 'basics' of the above and will continue to enhance his learning in these areas.
The intelligence quotient with which we are born cannot be increased, therefore students' 'mental skills' cannot be developed. However, as my child grows and develops, his knowledge of numbers and 'problems' and his mental calculations of same will continue to grow and develop as he does.
My child has unlimited and unrestricted access to both calculators and computers. He uses calculators when necessary and our computers, together with their wide range of software, are used by him on a regular basis.
My child's abilities in these areas will continue to grow and develop with him.
Children living real life, in the real world, are given the opportunity to use all of the above on a daily basis.
SCIENCE:-
The following 'overview' does not cover a set period of time. Every 'subject' is covered, on an ongoing basis, every day of my child's life.
As my child learns via what are commonly known as 'natural' learning methods, 'themes/topics' will be covered as they occur.
The 'order or sequence', again, will be covered as 'themes/topics' occur.
Time is not 'allocated' to my child for each 'Key Learning Area'. He is free to learn at a depth appropriate to his intellect and developmental stages and to take as long as he wishes over each 'theme/topic' he covers. As my child learns for well over ninety-eight hours a week (or five thousand, one hundred and ten hours a year), he learns for well over four thousand, one hundred and ten more hours than the 'five hours daily or 200 days per year' claimed to be 'learning time' in mass schooling institutions.
'Assessment of student achievement in each 'Key Learning Area' will be carried out by observation and discussion and at times, by comparison with what is being 'taught' in local and nearby schools.
This has already been done and my child's already extensive knowledge and understanding of the above will continue to increase.
My child has both the time and freedom to gather as much information about science and to conduct as many scientific experiments as he wishes. Because he is not force fed dreary facts which are claimed to be suited to his, "Age bracket," and which serve only to drain the mind of creativity, he, with my encouragement, continuously stimulates his own interest in science, learning about and questioning scientific, "Facts."
My child's understanding of the above is already greater than that of most adults.
My child already has advanced skills in these areas and these skills will continue to grow.
My child obtains knowledge from, including many other sources, practical experiences relating to not only science but to all other 'subjects'.
While my child's knowledge and understanding of 'accepted scientific and technological understandings' will continue to grow and expand, he will continue to be encouraged to question 'accepted' scientific and technological understandings.
My child has a well developed understanding of the above and this will continue to grow.
HUMAN SOCIETY AND THE ENVIRONMENT:
The following 'overview' does not cover a set period of time. Every 'subject' is covered, on an ongoing basis, every day of my child's life.
As my child learns via what are commonly known as 'natural' learning methods, 'themes/topics' will be covered as they occur.
The 'order or sequence', again, will be covered as 'themes/topics' occur.
Time is not 'allocated' to my child for each 'Key Learning Area'. He is free to learn at a depth appropriate to his intellect and developmental stages and to take as long as he wishes over each 'theme/topic' he covers. As my child learns for well over ninety-eight hours a week (or five thousand, one hundred and ten hours a year), he learns for well over four thousand, one hundred and ten more hours than the 'five hours daily or 200 days per year' claimed to be 'learning time' in mass schooling institutions.
'Assessment of student achievement in each 'Key Learning Area' will be carried out by observation and discussion and at times, by comparison with what is being 'taught' in local and nearby schools.
My child has both a wide knowledge and understanding of the above, including Aboriginal history and culture, which knowledge and understanding continue to grow.
As Aboriginal people are far from being separate from 'Australia's people', this is included in the above.
My child is already far more au fait with local government, state and federal laws than most adults.
As he communicates, gathers information, analyses and synthesises it, my child's knowledge and understanding of the above will continue to expand as it has (with the exception of his time at school) always done.
My child is free, if he wishes, to 'explore the religious beliefs of others'.
The human being, together with many other species, is born both tolerant and considerate. As the word 'respect' carries connotations of fear my child will not be encouraged to 'respect' others but will continue to value and appreciate all life.
As he gathers information, by communicating and by using modern technological equipment and as he analyses and synthesises it, my child's knowledge and understanding of the above will continue to expand as (with the exception of his time at school) it has always done.
LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH:-
The following 'overview' does not cover a set period of time. Every 'subject' is covered, on an ongoing basis, every day of my child's life.
As my child learns via what are commonly known as 'natural' learning methods, 'themes/topics' will be covered as they occur.
The 'order or sequence', again, will be covered as 'themes/topics' occur.
Time is not 'allocated' to my child for each 'Key Learning Area'. He is free to learn at a depth appropriate to his intellect and developmental stages and to take as long as he wishes over each 'theme/topic' he covers. As my child learns for well over ninety-eight hours a week (or five thousand, one hundred and ten hours a year), he learns for well over four thousand, one hundred and ten more hours than the 'five hours daily or 200 days per year' claimed to be 'learning time' in mass schooling institutions.
'Assessment of student achievement in each 'Key Learning Area' will be carried out by observation and discussion and at times, by comparison with what is being 'taught' in local and nearby schools.
Due to the profound damage the public schooling system caused my child, although he has both the talent and the opportunity to learn another language, at this stage he is uninterested in speaking, reading or writing anything other than English. The opportunity will remain open to him.
This is already covered by 'Human Society etc.. Again, my child has both a wide knowledge and understanding of the above.
My child already has more than a 'basic knowledge' about how language works.
My child understood the basics of the 'role and importance of language in society, in Australia when he was at pre-school and 'in the world context' when he was not much older.
Due to the profound damage the public schooling system caused my child, although he has both the talent and the opportunity to learn another language, at this stage he is uninterested in speaking, reading or writing anything other than English. The opportunity will remain open to him and if he decides to participate in other than listening to another language or languages he will, of course, use his intellect (which has a natural ability to analyse and synthesise) and - due to the fact that he can both hear and speak - also provides him with the ability to easily communicate and he will gather information (research) by asking questions and using, together with books, television and computers.
TECHNOLOGICAL AND APPLIED STUDIES:-
The following 'overview' does not cover a set period of time. Every 'subject' is covered, on an ongoing basis, every day of my son's life.
As my child learns via what are commonly known as 'natural' learning methods, 'themes/topics' will be covered as they occur.
The 'order or sequence', again, will be covered as 'themes/topics' occur.
Time is not 'allocated' to my child for each 'Key Learning Area'. He is free to learn at a depth appropriate to his intellect and developmental stages and to take as long as he wishes over each 'theme/topic' he covers. As my child learns for well over ninety-eight hours a week (or five thousand, one hundred and ten hours a year), he learns for well over four thousand, one hundred and ten more hours than the 'five hours daily or 200 days per year' claimed to be 'learning time' in mass schooling institutions.
'Assessment of student achievement in each 'Key Learning Area' will be carried out by observation and discussion and at times, by comparison with what is being 'taught' in local and nearby schools.
My child, already being more than merely 'competent' in the use of technological devices, is already confident in his skills and is not only well equipped for 'living in our increasingly technological world', he is living in it now.
My child's high intellect, together with his extensive vocabulary and his ever increasing knowledge of technological issues will enable him to easily perform the above, if necessary, in adulthood.
Even the fact that children who learn at home are the only children in this country to be denied government funding of their education (or - in the case of children who have attended institutions where children are schooled en masse - have funding stripped from them when they no longer attend a mass schooling institution) has not prevented my child from being provided with opportunities which will, if he wishes, enable him to 'move into' a scientific or technological career.
My child will continue to expand upon his existing knowledge and understanding of 'the interrelations between technology and society, past and present'.
Learning about, using and applying technology has (with the exception of his time in school) always been and will reman an everyday part of my child's life.
My child, being a creative genius and having profound natural skills in this area, is already knowledgeable regarding same.
My child already knows and understands same.
This is an everyday part of life for my child.
My child will continue to use the above in this area.
CREATIVE AND PRACTICAL ARTS:-
The following 'overview' does not cover a set period of time. Every 'subject' is covered, on an ongoing basis, every day of my child's life.
As my child learns via what are commonly known as 'natural' learning methods, 'themes/topics' will be covered as they occur.
The 'order or sequence', again, will be covered as 'themes/topics' occur.
Time is not 'allocated' to my child for each 'Key Learning Area'. He is free to learn at a depth appropriate to his intellect and developmental stages and to take as long as he wishes over each 'theme/topic' he covers. As my child learns for well over ninety-eight hours a week (or five thousand, one hundred and ten hours a year), he learns for well over four thousand, one hundred and ten more hours than the 'five hours daily or 200 days per year' claimed to be 'learning time' in mass schooling institutions.
'Assessment of student achievement in each 'Key Learning Area' will be carried out by observation and discussion and at times, by comparison with what is being 'taught' in local and nearby schools.
My child has always been and will continue to be provided with the above.
Due, in part, to ............'s [a N.S.W. Board of Studies 'Authorised Person'] two, "Inspections," my child, who had the potential to derive an income from music as an adult, no longer has formal instruction in this area. However, music is, like all other 'subjects', an everyday part of his life.
WE encourage all of the above.
As with all 'subjects' my child's needs and interests, regardless of ability (which develops and grows through needs and interests being catered for), are fulfilled by his being provided with opportunities including (tools and implements being one and the same) a variety of materials and tools.
My child's 'understanding of the place and importance of creative arts in Australian society and other societies and cultures' will continue to develop.
As with all 'subjects' my child will continue to use his brain (as do all living creatures) to gather information, analyse and synthesise it. Unless he loses the power of hearing and speech, he will continue to communicate. And he will research and use technology, including our computers and their vast and ever increasing range of software.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH and PHYSICAL EDUCATION:
The following 'overview' does not cover a set period of time. Every 'subject' is covered, on an ongoing basis, every day of my child's life.
As my child learns via what are commonly known as 'natural' learning methods, 'themes/topics' will be covered as they occur.
The 'order or sequence', again, will be covered as 'themes/topics' occur.
Time is not 'allocated' to my child for each 'Key Learning Area'. He is free to learn at a depth appropriate to his intellect and developmental stages and to take as long as he wishes over each 'theme/topic' he covers. As my child learns for well over ninety-eight hours a week (or five thousand, one hundred and ten hours a year), he learns for well over four thousand, one hundred and ten more hours than the 'five hours daily or 200 days per year' claimed to be 'learning time' in mass schooling institutions.
'Assessment of student achievement in each 'Key Learning Area' will be carried out by observation and discussion and at times, by comparison with what is being 'taught' in local and nearby schools.
My child already knows (and due to the fact that he knows, he understands) the 'importance of an active and healthy lifestyle'.
My children have an eleven by five metre swimming pool which was purchased for their use and both are free to choose to participate in any additional exercise at any time.
As above.
My child already knows the 'importance of nutrition and a balanced diet'.
My child was capable of doing this when at pre-school.
My child has advanced and detailed knowledge of the above.
As my child grows and develops, his knowledge and skills grow with him.
My gifted son/daughter started school [name of school provided] a confident and kind child, with a pleasant personality and a profound enjoyment of life and therefore of learning. While there he was deprived of learning suited to his intellect and developmental stages and was made to suffer feelings of worthlessness and insecurity. And the N.S.W. Board of Studies issues the above instructions to parents whose dedication to their own children's well being is displayed by the very fact that they keep their children out of abusive mass schooling institutions!
All of the above are an ongoing part of my child's everyday life.
Part C: 'Method by which a record of learning activities will be/are being kept':
Learning activities take place for well over fourteen hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days per year. I am (with the exception of the bi-yearly time wasted on N.S.W. Board of Studies' requirements) available to my children for every second of this time and more and to record even a smattering of their actual learning activities for the purpose of satisfying Board of Studies requirements would deprive them of their time with me and due to the manner in which they learn, be detrimental to their education. Therefore, the mimimum amount of time spent on each 'learning activity' is recorded by a tick for each half hour spent on each 'subject'. By this means I have displayed on two occasions (to ........ , during his, "Inspections,") that my children learn for well over the 'five hours daily or 200 days per year' claimed to be 'learning time' in mass schooling institutions.
As with all children who are free to use natural learning techniques, as my children grow older and bigger, their skills in all areas grow with them. They learn because learning is instinctive in the human race.
Part C: 'Method by which student's achievement and progress will be/are being recorded'':
Mr. ........ , during his, "Inspection," two years ago, said that it would be sufficient to simply write, for each 'Key Learning Area', "Getting better."
My child's achievements and progress are recorded by means of observation and discussion and by comparison with what is being 'taught' in local and other public schools, together with personal observation of the 'educational' standards of many schooled children and by means of the fact that during each day of living and growing in the real world, learning by means of using inherent learning techniques which are initialised by curiosity and interest, his skills and his knowledge grow with him and are not only seen to be, "Getting better," but are, in most areas, profoundly superior to those of schooled children.
The N.S.W. Board of Studies, having omitted to include the fact that they also 'require' samples of children's 'work' in their application form, then contacted me by telephone and 'requested' same.
Here are some extracts from the letter which accompanied the 'work' samples:
"Dear Sir,
Please find enclosed, as requested by ........ , copies of some of my children's 'work'.
During his telephone conversation with me ........ stated that I was to send the Board of Studies only a small amount of 'work'. As we have experienced extremely distressing lack of consistency re. this matter on the part of those B.O.S. 'inspectors' who previously invaded our home, privacy and sensibilities, I sincerely hope that you are of like mind.
Although having declined, I thank you for your offer to give six months registration (after which we would have had to undergo this violation of human rights all over again, in a much shorter space of time than usual). Unlike those who make money from children's misery - schoolteachers, we are on a low income and are likely to remain in a financially difficult situation for well over the next few months. Had the Office of the Board of Studies stated on its, "Application for registration/exemption from 'home schooling'," form that copies of children's 'work' are a B.O.S. requirement for registration by documentation:
As ........ comprehended, my children principally learn in the same manner as did Louisa May Alcott, whose schoolteacher father used what he called, "A conversational method of teaching." While learning from real life, in the real world, instead of in a system of schooling children en masse which, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, still bases its practices on ancient and insane philosophies created by men who lived in a time when it was thought that children were born blind, everything my children do encompasses the use of most 'subjects'. For example, the enclosed coloured copies are all of creations which incorporated the use of English, mathematics, science, human society and the environment, technology and its application, creative and practical arts and personal development.
The N.S.W. Board of Studies, in its 'Conditions', surprisingly accurately states, "Knowledge of computers, their impact on society and skills in their use can be developed in a variety of ways, including using computerised library catalogues, watching scanning devices at checkouts, using computers at museums, and so on." Perhaps the Board of Studies would care to also state how parents of children who are not schooled could provide them with 'samples' of this 'work' and of 'work' in other 'subjects' which, as is almost all 'natural' learning 'work', carried out in a similar manner; such as:
This was followed by a list of 'natural' learning activities in which my children had been involved including:
Participating in an 'excursion' to the beach and while walking along the beach, enhancing their knowledge of marine life and discussing same, discovering a magnificent jellyfish and a large crab only to find on their second walk along the beach that a group of poorly supervised and poorly educated schooled children from ........ high school had also discovered them and - presumably in an attempt to counteract the feelings of worthlessness schools inflict upon children - killed them. (This resulted in conversational 'work' which contained the 'subjects' - sociology and psychology.)
and:
Discussion about the emotional, psychological, moral and physical dangers to which they witnessed a schoolteacher at ........ school subjecting children by teaching them to bash at other children's heads with hockey sticks and other similar weapons while dodging the flailing sticks of others and then teaching the girls and boys in his 'class' to violently throw each other to the ground and wrestle with them. (Born to Learn and Abuse is an Everyday Part of School Life ... Not for my Children © Adele Carrall are held in the Legal Deposit Unit of the National Library, Canberra.)
As the N.S.W. Board of Studies has displayed to the public on its website - 'progressive' methods are, "Difficult," to document. Whereas 'progressive' methods, when used in schools, damage children by, among other things, causing them to derive most of their 'learning' from other children, these methods, which are closely related to what are commonly called 'natural' learning methods, have the opposite effect when used by children who don't go to school. Unlike children incarcerated in archaic mass schooling institutions, my children have free and unrestricted access to progressive learning tools such as television, computers and the internet both day and night. They also have access to information, both day and night, from an intelligent, well-educated adult who, unlike schoolteachers, loves them and knows and understands their needs and abilities. They no longer have their thinking skills and their love of learning damaged by having to document their knowledge for the purpose of having a school 'teacher' or, "Teacha," usually of intellect far lower than theirs and of 'socio' background which, in many cases, is also inferior to theirs, judge whether or not they have absorbed force-fed information which barely caters for the child of even 'average' intellect or by most of their 'learning' being obtained from schooled children.
And unlike children at ........ school, who have been set 'homework' assignments which involve obtaining information which is not available either at their school or - with the exception of our home - within this village, they have free and unrestricted access to a wealth of materials which, on many occasions, have assisted children who attend ........ school with their 'homework'.
This was followed by a list of resources ('work') available in our home (not mandatory at that time).
WORK SAMPLES
'Work' samples did not include any handwriting whatsoever. However a sample of typing was included - a copy of the first two paragraphs at http://www.geocities.com/adelecarrall/foreword.html
together with:
Today you heard a schoolteacher from ........ school shouting, over and over again, "Get down, get down!" When you looked to see what was happening you saw him forcing two boys to do pushups on the road in front of a group of around fifty other children.
He thought that he was 'punishing' (abusing) only two children. What percentage of the children in his 'care' was he actually abusing?
Typed answer - 100%
and:
After this, one boy in the teacher's 'care' went to run across the road in front of an oncoming vehicle. Fortunately, as the driver was distracted by the sudden appearance of the boy, there were no other vehicles on the road.
Had the driver been travelling at a speed of sixty kilometres and had a head-on collision with another vehicle, also travelling at sixty kilometres an hour, what would the speed on impact have been?
Typed answer - 120
and:
"If some Bifurs are Bofurs and all Gloins are Bofurs, then some Bifurs are definitely Gloins."
This statement is: TRUE - FALSE - NEITHER
Typed answer - false
and:
Three simple diagrams marked 'A', 'B' and 'C' with the question 'Which of the above diagrams is not symmetrical?' The answer to this was simply a typed 'B'.
and:
A shaded section with the words:
"Supposing I said there was a planet without schools or teachers, study was unknown, and yet the inhabitants - doing nothing but living and walking about - came to know all things ....
Well, just this, which seems to fanciful as to be nothing but the invention of a fertile imagination, is a reality. It is the child's way of learning.
Dr. Maria Montessori, M.D."
And the question:
'If you wanted to make a mitred frame for the above words in order to display their beauty and truth to others how much timber would you need to purchase if the background measured 70cm by 80cm and you wanted to allow for an extra 20cm of timber on all sides? You do not need to have your concentration interrupted and your inherent mental techniques damaged by displaying your methods of calculation'.
Typed answer - 380cm.
Colour prints of four 'projects' were also included and the 'subjects' incorporated in their production were listed. e.g.:
A painting of a ship was described as a 'self-motivated painting incorporating self-created tesselation techniques. 'Subjects' used during creation - English, mathematics, science, human society and the environment, languages other than English, technological and applied sciences, creative and practical arts and personal development. Year - 2000.
END of documentation.
The N.S.W. Board of Studies, in its 'Introduction' to its 'Guidelines for Registration for Home Schooling', states, "The registration for home schooling process should have a positive educational focus for families." Is this just meaningless gibberish - or has this jargon been included in acknowledgement of the fact that the entire registration process causes 'home' educating parents and their children to undergo some of the damaging 'educational' processes inflicted upon children in mass schooling institutions?:
Obtaining permission: Permission to perform the natural process of nurturing one's own children and permission for children to learn in the real world, instead of in a children's prison called a school. This is just as brutally insane as schooled children's having to ask for permission to go to the toilet or to have drink and is a violation of human rights.
Producing written work for assessment: Having to produce 'documentation' for the purpose of having it 'assessed' by a government official whose intellect is not necessarily any higher than theirs and may, indeed, be lower and who has their own set and often absolutely illogical ideas on what is 'correct' and what is 'incorrect'.
Suffering forced association: During 'inspections' parents and their children are, like mass schooled children, forced to associate with people with whom they have nothing in common - people whose ideas and personas are at such odds with theirs that, under normal circumstances, they would not even contemplate inviting them into their own homes. This alone causes emotional and psychological conflict and has the potential to create or exacerbate physical health problems.
Also included in the Board of Studies' 'guidelines' is that the 'ethos of the applicant and the needs of students and their parents' are taken into account by 'Board Inspectors' and 'Board Liason Officers'.
'Ethos', according to the 'Macquarie' dictionary, is one's, "Character or disposition," or (sociol.), "The fundamental spiritual characteristics of a culture." And, according to 'Funk & Wagnalls, "1. The characteristic spirit, disposition, or tendency of a people or community regarded as an endowment and as expressed in their customs, tastes etc.; also, the genius of an institution or a system. 2. Gr. Art & Rhet. The essential characteristics, or ideal attributes, of a work, or period in art or literature, or the type to which the art or period corresponds, as opposed to what is merely emotional, incidental, and transient. ... (Gr. ethos, character)"
So, does the Board of Studies consider that its 'inspectors' have the ability to decide, based upon one brief telephone 'conversation', conducted for the purpose of making an 'appointment' for a 'home' 'visit' - and the ensuing 'visit', any or all of the above? Question six of the, "Taylor Nelson Sofres - 'Home Educator Study'," not only confirms that the N.S.W. Board of Studies believes that it's 'inspectors' are capable of the amazing feat of rapidly assessing the character and disposition of strangers but that it would like 'home' educators to fit a uniform mould:
Question six, "Which, if any, of the following should the guidelines seek to additionally provide?" states, in pre-designed answer number three, "A broader definition of what a committed person would be like."
Even if, "Home," educators were as ignorant and poorly educated as the many, "Teachas," employed by the government to, "Ejacate," children in public schools:
Their children, unlike schooled children, would receive constantly available, individual attention, both day and night to all of their needs, including their educational needs, from an adult who, unlike schoolteachers and, "Teachas," loved them and knew their capabilities.
Their children would never be forced to learn almost solely from other children for well over eight hundred hours a year while waiting for their teacher or, "Teacha," to allocate them 'work' which, in 'today's' schools, is so far behind the capabilities of even the child with an 'average' I.Q. of around one hundred, that it is guaranteed to bore some children into underachieving and others into behaviour which leads to their being 'diagnosed' as having 'Attention deficit hyperactive disorder'.
Their children would not be confined to a 'class' which consists of thirty or so children with vastly differing family backgrounds, widely varying intellects, incompatible capabilities and one teacher or, "Teacha."
Unlike some schooled children, their children would not be forced to be part of a large group being 'educated' by a schoolteacher who teaches children to bash at each others heads with hockey sticks and other similar weapons while dodging the flailing sticks of others and to throw each other violently to the ground and wrestle.
Their children would not be 'rewarded' by being encouraged to eat jelly beans from a jar into which around thirty other children have been dipping their unwashed hands and they would not be forced to sit on a floor walked on by children returning from school toilets and have unwrapped sweets thrown at them as a 'reward'.
Their children would not be in a 'class' of kindergarten children taught to sit in a gutter while their 'teacher' stood on the road conducting their 'lesson'.
Their children would not be in the 'care' of a schoolteacher who, by teaching her 'class' to look, "Left, right and then left again," taught about thirty kindergarten children the wrong way to cross a road. [According to Australian road rules.]
Their female children would not be in the 'care' of a male schoolteacher who informed a group of female 'high' school students who were unable to attend swimming one 'sports' day, that they didn't want to go swimming because they were too fat.
Their male children would not be part of a 'class' of 'high' school boys being 'taught' by a male schoolteacher who, on tiptoe, with buttocks swaying widely from side to side, elbows down and forearms and dangling hands swinging in a grossly exaggerated manner, instructed them, "Don't walk in this girlie way."
Their children would have clean drinking water available to them, not a saliva and water mix from school bubblers.
Their children would not be subjected to the perverted practice of punishing entire schools for the 'misdeeds' of a few.
Their children would not be used, under the guise of 'agricultural studies', as slave labour to mow or slash school playing fields.
Their children would not be subjected to the ridicule of teachers, "Teachas," and other schooled children when they made mistakes.
For humanitarian reasons no-one would contemplate deliberately putting a child of around the standard mean average intelligence quotient of one hundred in a 'class' of about thirty children who were all of sub-normal intellect; yet schooled gifted children are not only forced to suffer well over a thousand hours a year in the company of a crowd of others whose intellect is below to well below theirs, they are forced to keep pace with a syllabus 'taught' by schoolteachers who wrongly believe that a 'bright' personality is an indication of higher than 'average' intellect and that children must only be allowed to 'work' at a level based upon chronological age. 'Home' educated gifted children, no matter, "What," their parents were, "Like," would not be forced to suffer oppression caused by a system of schooling which is incapable of providing for their needs.
And regardless of, "What," their parents were, "Like," all 'home' educated children would be protected from the myriad of other abuses which take place in government owned and 'regulated' public schools where, hidden away from the real world, real learning and the protection of their parents, today's schooled children are being caused great suffering by not only abusive teachers and, "Teachas," but by an archaic schooling system which, by forcing children to all be present at the one time, for far more hours than would otherwise be 'necessary', remains much the same as it was when first designed, long before the first scale for measuring intelligence was published in 1905 (after which this inhuman and procrustean system should have been immediately abolished and a new, truly educational but non-compulsory system introduced).
For over six hours a day, forty weeks a year, their children would be protected from the restricted amount of 'learning' provided in a schooling system which was created long before such learning tools as paper, pens, pencils, paints and books etc. became readily available, at low cost, to the general public and before the invention of radio, television and computers - and their learning would be as rich and varied as life itself.
Mothers, not governments, give birth to children and mothers, regardless of race, creed, class, intellect and education, not governments, are designed to nurture (bring up and nourish, including educationally) their own offspring.
Governments, not parents, designed a brutal system of artificial education for children and governments, not parents, made attendance at educationally irrational and intellectually, emotionally, psychologically and physically damaging schooling institutions compulsory.
Governments, not parents, allowed cane and ruler wielding schoolteachers to violently vent their spleen on generations of schooled children.
And governments, not parents, are responsible for the current obscene state of public schools.
Although employing, in its public schools, megalomaniacal and abusive 'teachers' and, "Teachas," whose flawed natures are just one of the many appalling outcomes of the barbarous mass schooling system touted by governments as being, "Educational," and only if 'official' complaints are lodged by parents, transferring them, in extreme cases only, from one school to another where, emboldened by their light 'punishment', they delight in finding fresh, defenceless prey, the Government of New South Wales, while blind to the messages it should be receiving from the desperate actions of those children who find the misery inflicted upon them by its mass schooling system too great to bear and displaying either abysmal ignorance or callous lack of concern regarding the current state of its own schools, including, "What," their many poorly educated and abusive schoolteachers are, "Like," had the effrontery to, via its N.S.W. Board of Studies, consider itself capable of 'defining', "What," parents whose knowledge of and devotion to their own children's needs by far surpasses that of any government should, "Be like!"
If 'home' educating parents, regardless of whether or not they fitted a 'definition' of, "What," they should, "Be like," were not 'committed' to their children's well being, in every regard, their children wouldn't be learning at home, they would be in educationally perverted, increasingly abusive baby sitting services called, "Schools," and if their children did absolutely nothing which conformed with the archaic views on 'education' held by unenlightened, school indoctrinated bureaucrats, both their learning and their self esteem would be far greater than that of any schooled child.
Question six blatantly displays both the attitude of the N.S.W. Board of Studies towards parents whose children learn at home and the character and mentality of the person or persons who concocted this insulting and dangerous statement which, reeking of megalomania and despotism, says that if parents don't fit a uniform mould their children should be sent to abusive mass schooling institutions where many of those children who have already been profoundly damaged by this system would be caused to develop mental illnesses such as obsessive compulsive reactions, anxiety states, depressive illnesses, mania, schizophrenia, acute confusional states, psychosomatic reactions and dementias.
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