FOURTEEN years ago Trudy Lee Panton and her husband Shane Panton made the bold decision to homeschool their children to create a more immersive, self-paced, and self-directed learning environment — and they have not looked back since.

Now a family of eight with six children, all of whom are homeschooled, the Pantons are helping other parents through their company Jamaica Life Learners Limited — a comprehensive homeschooling service that provides consultation and facilitates supplemental learning programmes in literacy, numeracy, sports, and the creative arts, and networking opportunities for homeschooling families.

A former employee in the banking sector, Trudy Lee said when she enrolled her eldest daughter in infant school, she’d hoped the traditional learning environment would be a good fit for her family, but that was not the case. She explained that long working hours kept her away from her family — something she deeply disliked — prompting her to resign from her job. After becoming more involved in her daughter’s daily life, taking her to school and building relationships with her teachers, she quickly realised that her daughter did not enjoy school.