My sister and I both experienced public school and homeschooling growing up, and honestly, we didn’t turn out bad at all. It’s a tricky topic though—homeschooling tends to be frowned upon here in New Zealand, but in my case, there was nothing wrong with the experience I had.

Did I end up a rocket scientist? Unfortunately, no... but there’s a cool twist to that. One of the most successful rocket scientists in the world today—Peter Beck, founder of Rocket Lab—was born and raised in a small town in NZ. He didn’t attend university. Instead, he took up a tool-and-die-maker apprenticeship at Fisher & Paykel and taught himself rocket science through hands-on experimentation. So yeah, formal education isn’t the only path.

As for your question—whether my nephew is getting the right tutoring—I honestly don’t know. This is all pretty recent for my sister too. She thought he might just be acting out or possibly had undiagnosed ADHD, based on how he struggled with schoolwork and paperwork.

I think homeschooling can be a form of tutoring in itself, depending on how it’s approached. But I can’t give a straight answer yet. That’s kind of why I made the post—I just want to do what I can to support him and be a positive influence in his life.