Getting Started with Homeschooling
Practical Considerations for Parents of School-Aged Children
© Beverley Paine
Index
Homeschool
Australia
The Registration Process: The 'Interview'
(continued)
The interview is a good opportunity to explore the resources the educational authority has to offer, and to discuss, face to face, any queries you may have. Think of them as a service, not a policing body. Government bureaucrats are servants of the population.
Usually the timing and place of the interview is negotiated after the first contact with the authorities has occurred. It is a good idea to obtain a written outline of the purpose and the format of the visit to enable you to adequately prepare for it.
It is important to feel confident and not to be intimidated during the interview. In many instances the interviews are carried out by only one person, although in some cases a second person attends to advise on the educational content of the program if the interviewing officer is unfamiliar with the developmental stage of your children. The officers attending feel it is their duty to assess your proposed educational program and take this role very seriously. If you have a problem with the purpose and format of the visit it may be more suitable to work this out on the phone or in writing, before the actual
interview.
Prepare for the interview by being clear about what you are doing and why it is important to you. Stay focussed on the educational program of your children. Some authorities see their role as extending beyond the education of children and into the area of child welfare, but this can be controlled by you if you are clear about your purposes of the visit, and assert these where necessary. Recording your proposed educational program before the interview, in a concise and easily readable manner, allows you to refer to it quickly to refresh your memory and keep you, and the interviewing officers on track. You are also able to use it as a guide during the interview.
The key to a successful interview is to stay in control of the process, be firm and assertive, and to have a clear understanding of why you have initiated this process.
Although the actual learning program is the main area of concern for the officers interviewing you, they will also give consideration to the general learning environment and overall attitudes to learning in the home. For more information to help you prepare and feel comfortable about this aspect of the interview, read Part 4 ‘Preparing The Learning Space’.
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Excerpt from Getting Started with Homeschooling, Practical Considerations
© Beverley Paine, 1997
