I am the grandparent of homeschooling children and I oppose the proposed legislation.

I have watched my grandchildren grow form babies to adults. Some were homeschooled and others were educated in private or public schools. My homeschooled grandchildren have enjoyed their high school education.

They have led rich and varied lives with a wide range of educational experiences.

They have explored Australia, seen other cultures overseas firsthand hand and are frankly smarter than I am. None of these children were educated to the national curriculum. Indeed, had they been they would have been stifled.

One of my grandkids learnt about indigenous culture living in a remote community, where her mother was a dialysis nurse. She was homeschooled for safety and flexibility.

Her education was First Nations languages, cooking roo tails, learning about sorry business, indigenous death rituals, nursing skills, driving on dirt roads, oral storytelling, indigenous astronomy and brumby rescue.

None if these valuable skills are in the curriculum you want to impose on my grandkids.

This child is now studying nursing in a remote location, ready to support the next generation of indigenous people’s health. School would not have got her there.

My grandson has just begun a carpentry apprentice. He is dyslexic and left school in grade 3.

His mother taught him to read and write using real science-based methods. Not the national curriculum of the time which still hadn’t caught up with the science.

He needed, and still needs, a flexible homeschool curriculum that includes plenty of hands-on learning and lets him follow his interests so he stays motivated to continue to study.

At school, he would have been a year 10 dropout. At home he is passionate about history and finances and is working towards his career. My two other homeschooled granddaughters both started university at age 13 and 14.

According to the new legislation, this would not have counted towards their education at all. Obviously following the national curriculum would have slowed down their academic progress.

Ironically, one of them is currently studying to become a teacher! This legislation shows a lack of understanding of how important a flexible high quality education is to homeschool families. Please listen to the voices of those walking the walk.