Our Founders on Otherways and the Early Days of AERG

Lauris Jephcott

Fancy ‘Other Ways’ reaching its 100th issue! Congratulations to all the ‘generations’ of parents and educators who have thought it important over the years to look at alternatives.

Whilst my memory plays some tricks after more than 20 years, I remember most clearly the desire I had to make life happy and interesting for my first child, Owen, which started the quest for alternatives in education.

As a former teacher, and someone who did all the right things at state primary & secondary schools, I had assumed that my son would go to the local state school when he was five or so, and enjoy it. I even went along with him for the first week. Now, most mothers of young children share their children’s interests. I had an active five year-old brain, and when I went to school, I was bored! Despite good intentions and a friendly teacher, Owen (and I) decided that school was not for us at that time. I started looking round for alternatives to the conventional school format, and that’s what led to ‘Other Ways’. There were one or two very small ‘alternative’ schools in Melbourne at the time, and I think I wrote a short article about them which was published in The Learning Exchange, a community newspaper based in Malvern. It was shortly after this that people such as Heather Cousland, Clare Cole & Christine Gazjago made contact, and we began our alternative education journeys together.

The group met fairly often, with parents & children together, enjoying informal activities and outings for the main part. It was a lifeline & resource for each of us, not only because it provided wider contact for our children, but just as importantly, gave reinforcement to we parents who were (courageously or inadvertently) swimming against the tide. I remember in particular the faith that Clare had in her daughters, that children would do well if encouraged, would find their path in life and would be at least as competent, socially adept and confident as children who had been through conventional schools. Whilst there were times when each of us probably thought ‘am I doing the right thing by my child?’ the support of the group helped keep us going.

It was the expansion and extension of the initial core group which led inevitably to more widely publicized activities, and in particular to ‘Other Ways’. I’m afraid my recollection of the first issues is hazy – I can remember licking stamps and mailing the A4 sheets stapled at the corner (we asked ’subscribers’ to provide stamps or some money toward the cost). Most of all though I remember the days we would spend putting the publication together, with the children providing art work and articles if they wished. Before the days of computers, cutting & pasting meant just that, with hundreds of small scraps of paper, glue & scissors all over the table.

Expansion also led to the heady days of the first alternative education conference/congress, held at Burwood Teachers College, and to the visit to Melbourne in 1981 of US educator & inspiration John Holt, a very lovely man. The small breastfed baby which appears from time to time in the video of John at the Melbourne Zoo is my youngest son Richard, now six foot four and entirely unaware of theories of education and learning.

Now, more than 20 years later, those days seem exciting, though far distant. Our sons are ‘grown up’ – all intelligent, sociable people making their way in the world. I have contact with Heather and Ro Krivanek from time to time and I am enjoying the steep learning curve that comes with becoming an alpaca farmer. It’s interesting that in managing young alpacas, the best way is to allow them to grow and learn as part of the herd, with any ‘formal’ training being done relatively late, and in short doses. Sound familiar? That’s the way I’m doing it anyway – and the animals seem to be happy about it.

All the very best for the next 100 issues of ‘Other Ways’.

Heather Cousland

I was very impressed when recently reading Otherways, with the quality of the magazine and the level of information and organised activities available to home educators in 2004. And then a phone call from Lyn saying the 100th edition of Otherways is about to happen and would some of the early contributors like to write something for this 100th edition.

It makes me feel very warm inside to have been part of something as worthwhile and important as ‘Otherways’ and a big part of that good feeling is the fact that the magazine and the organization has continued and developed over the 25 year period since it began.

I had been interested in other ways of schooling since reading ‘Summerhill’ in 1966. My eldest child became a ’school refuser’ in Grade 2 and someone told me about a woman called Lauris whose son was also refusing to go to school. I contacted Lauris and attended one of the first meetings held at her home from which the Alternative Education Resource Group was formed. At that time we promoted alternative schools as well as home education and one of our first tasks was to put together two kits; one on how to teach your children at home and the other one about how to start a school. I remember our group of around 8 people collating these kits on the floor of Lauris’s lounge room. We were hugely relieved, both for ourselves and our children, to find like-minded people to share this journey with and we participated in the group with great enthusiasm, organising forums, booklets, speakers and of course, the John Holt tour in 1981.

Meetings moved to the Hawthorn Community House and I remember going home with Clare Cole after one such meeting and writing up what may have been the first set of minutes for the AERG. (1980) Otherways evolved, I’m not sure how, and my copies go back to the 3rd edition dated February, 1982.
My children’s education became a mixture of small community school and home education with some periods of just being at home. I lived with Clare Cole for 2 years and enjoyed the benefit of ‘Family Home School’, which Clare established for local children and families in the Glen Iris area, and the benefit of Clare’s wonderful approach to home education and her love of children. I also enjoyed our involvement with Malvern Community School (MCS) over a long period of time. At one stage, two of my sons attended MCS on Mondays and Tuesdays, and would do drama, dance and swimming on those days and spend the rest of the week at home. This arrangement worked very well for us.

I often had doubts about the different educational path we had taken. We moved to Selby in 1990 and when I saw the ease with which my 11 year old son adapted to a primary school class of 30 pupils, coming from a whole school of 20 pupils, and his valued contribution to class discussions, problem solving and non-engagement in conflict, I knew we had done the right thing. I believe children who are home educated grow up to become fine young people, many of whom go on to make a special contribution to society that is a direct result of their educational experience.

Of course, not everyone is in a position to home educate their children and I think we need always be grateful that we have the knowledge and circumstances that allow us to home educate. The important thing is to maintain the freedom we have to choose other ways of educating our children and to be able to share and promote home education through magazines such as Otherways.

CONGRATULATIONS and THANKYOU to everyone who has contributed to Otherways and worked to keep it happening over the past 25 years!!