Home educator and casual high-school teacher Myfanwy Dibben says one of the reasons parents are taking their kids out of school is that teachers are not respected by parents or their students, which is leading to chaotic classrooms where teachers are often making children copy from the board because nothing else is possible.
Myf has been educating her 10-year-old daughter, Pi, for five years because of "the disengagement and disruptive environment of schools".
Statistics are hard to come by, largely because most home educators are technically doing it illegally rather than face the invasive task of registering. Although only 14,510 students were registered as home educated in 2015, estimates of the actual number range from 25,000 to 55,000.
"This means three or four per cent of the population have been home schooled, Stuart Chapman, CEO of Christian based Homeschool WA, says.
"That's almost mainstream. It is the fastest growing educational demographic in the country."
But not everyone agrees. "It is still a tiny number of kids who are home schooled," CEO of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Lisa Rogers said.
"I don't have a problem with home schooling but it is a tough job. It's highly unlikely that kids have parents who are able to teach the specialist content across all the curriculum domains," she said.
"It's a trade-off. It's difficult for parents to deliver a quality education in terms of curriculum outcomes, but school isn't just about curriculum content."
And of course, not all parents can afford, nor have the desire to stay home and teach their kids.
DIFFERENT PARENTS, DIFFERENT REASONS
There are three types of home educators: religious, libertarian and accidental teachers, whose children might have been bullied, have special needs or don't fit for another reason.
Anita Webster* began teaching her two boys, Josh*, 12, and Lewis*, 10, at home this year. Josh, who is autistic, was bullied by his teacher. Josh's desk was his special place but his teacher dumped everything from papers to a fish tank on it and eventually removed it so Josh was forced to sit on the floor by himself.
Anita says, "There was no safe space for Josh at his school, symbolically and in reality."
"They're focused on outcomes so the real needs of the students get lost."
The experience has led Anita, who is an occupational therapist (OT), to "rethink OT".
"I have realised that most of what we do as professional OTs is try to get children to go to school. That's ridiculous. We should be asking what the best schooling option is for each child."
Triana Parry was motivated to home educate a decade ago when her son's local Steiner school in the Southern Highlands of NSW closed down but she had always liked the idea of home education.
Her son Kiahl, 17, has since entered the workforce and her two daughters, Elinor, 14, and Freya, 10, both elite ballerinas, "have totally thrived in a home school environment".
The sisters have both trained with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Russia, a rare honour for a non-Russian.
Elinor is the youngest in her Bolshoi Academy class, by years, and plans to complete advanced diplomas in dance. Freya accompanied her sister and mother to Russia and, after impulsively auditioning, was accepted and spent a fortnight training with the Bolshoi dancers.
Triana, a music teacher, is able to integrate her daughters' love of dancing into their curriculum.
"Being able to follow your children's passions is really important," she said.
This flexibility is the most important aspect of home education for Elinor and Freya.
"If Freya isn't able to move she can't sit and focus," Triana said. This is an issue many teachers would either not notice or be unable to address.
"Teachers are passionate about what they do but their students are not their children," Triana explained. "Parents have a much deeper understanding of their needs."
WHAT ABOUT SOCIALISATION?
A lack of socialisation is often the main criticism of home educators, but these parents disagree.
"The impression of socialisation being a problem for home educators came about because of Christian minority groups keeping to themselves. In reality it has never been a problem," says Myf.
"The issue is fitting it all in," Triana says. Her children made lasting friendships through after-school activities, home-education gatherings and holiday workshops. "I just make sure I always get phone numbers."
Myf's home education network meets for three hours a week to, for instance, present science projects or refine circus skills.
THE END RESULT
Stuart Chapman, a former pastor, and his wife home educated their five children for 18 years. Three went to university to pursue professions. Two became tradies.
The Chapmans began home educating as there was no Christian school in the country WA town where they lived. "Most people's reasoning for home schooling is multifaceted," Stuart said.
"We didn't want to have children to give them away for the best part of the day," he said.
Stuart has observed numerous changes since he began home educating. "There is a stereotype. It used to be the Christian fundamentalist. Now it's much more likely to be the child who is bullied or withdrawn," he said.
Stuart maintains bullying is the single biggest reason for home educating. "But the big market nowadays is what I call crisis enrolment. This includes student refusals and special needs, particularly autism."
"Schools do achieve their Number one aim, which is to enable parents to have two jobs and not look after their children," he said.
Myf agrees.
" It's never been easier to home educate your child," she said.
"Quite frankly the education ministers should be coming to home educators to find out what to do. We're the innovators."
*The names of Webster family members have been changed at their request.
