The mother and daughter would wake up at 8:00 AM, have breakfast with "papa", and begin schooling about 9:00 AM. Most days of the week classes consisted of math, reading and writing, with Sommers using computer software and grade-appropriate books as teaching materials. On Tuesdays, the pair met other members of the Beijing Home Schoolers for group lessons on science or art. Afternoons were spent visiting Chinese tutors or exploring Beijing's museums.

When the year was up, Sommers found that she enjoyed playing the dual role of mother and teacher so much that she decided to continue Ellie's home schooling for another year.

"It was never anything I planned on doing for more than a year, but after the first year I fell in love with the process," she says. "If I wasn't put in this position I would have never considered home schooling an option," says Sommers.

With major subjects, such as math, English and science, suspended for the remainder of a "summer break", Ellie has dedicated her days to working with tutors teaching Mandarin, guitar and table tennis.

One of the biggest advantages of home schooling is the freedom and flexibility in determining what to teach, Sommers says.

"I put her through lessons based on what she's motivated to do, then, after the decision is made I make her stick with it," Sommers says.

In addition to curricular flexibility, home schooling also allows Sommers to provide proper meals for her daughter, a vegan who consumes no meat or dairy products.

One of the biggest challenges of home schooling is the social stigma associated with the teaching method, says Kellie Barker, a home-schooling mother who has been teaching her 6-year-old son, Alex, and 4-year-old daughter, Katherine, at home for the past eight months.

"We will meet people and they'll barrage us with questions," Barker says. "Often it's hostile."

People accuse her of thinking she is "more capable" than school systems, is living a sheltered lifestyle and shortchanging her children's education, she says. But Barker is confident she is providing her children the chance to learn at their own pace using methods that best fit their learning styles.

Barker describes her son's learning style as active, best absorbing information in an interactive environment. "If he had to sit at a desk all day, he wouldn't be learning as effectively," she says.

To meet his needs, Barker has devised a system that engages her children physically. Hands-on science experiments, such as creating a working imitation of the diaphragm using soda bottles to study the lungs, the occasional use of a computer for math, and allowing her children to move around while answering questions are just a few of the strategies she employs.

If Alex decides to return to a more formalized education, the transition will be fairly painless, Barker says. "We would simply tell (the school) he was home schooled, they would use a series of tests to assess his level and determine which grade he should be put into," Barker says.

A similar process is used in the US for children re-entering the school system after being home schooled.

Like Sommers, Barker says she wouldn't have ever considered home schooling as an option had she been living in Australia, her home country.

Both mothers agree that choosing to home school requires parents to make huge sacrifices. "It's not something everyone is willing to do, it takes a lot of hard work and time," says Barker.

In addition to her time, Barker sacrificed a well-paying job as director human resources at a law firm so that she could stay home and teach her children.

But for her, having the freedom to see her kids grow in an interesting environment is priceless.

"One of the gifts we wanted to give our children is an interesting life. Be adventurous, think for yourself -- don't just learn, apply what you learn," Barker says.

(China Daily September 7, 2009)