Hi there fellow forumites. We're thinking about homeschooling one of our children and are very interested in hearing the for and against points on it. Have any of you lovely folk got experience or views you would'nt mind sharing???
Hi hun I am probably the worst person to reply to you as I dont even like kids :giggle: I couldn't teach my kids at home for several reasons. I dont have the paitence for one and it would end up being counter-productive, the other reason is that kids tend to always think they know better than their parents, not to mention that they always seem to listen to someone else rather than you. I know that for some parents it is a very fulfilling experience but it is not one that I would want to undertake. :kiss:
Both my wife and I would say to you. "Go for it". We home schooled our daughter Abi from 1st year infants when we took her out of mainstream school because the standards in our area were not up to our expectations. We have no regrets at all. There is a lot of help out there for you. Go for it. If you want some help and advice pm us. There was no effect on our daughter with regards to interacting with others. in fact just the opposite. She also managed to spend more time actually doing work without all the travelling, changing classes and all the other things that are done in school. the only small problem came aboput when she went back into high school to take her examinations. she was found to be so far ahead of all the other pupils. She has come out top in most subjects and is now in 6th form prepairing to go on to teacher training. GO FOR IT.
I think it will also depend on the attitude of the child... We have 2 kids.... One boy.......Home schooling would not work with him as he doesn't have the right attitude to school and education... One girl.....Would suit her down to the ground as she loves to learn and loves school so would be more receptive.... Hope whatever you choose suits you both
It wouldn't work for our children but then thats partly because I don't feel skilled enough to be able to give them an all round education I would worry about the amount of interaction the child would get with its peers, although you can work round that. I would also worry about spending too much time in the childs company as a parent. I need my space from them too and home schooling them would drive me nuts :? If you think this could work for you and your child, go for it! You can always consider going back to school if its not working out. Good luck with what you decide Fire
Quote by Sunseekercouple Both my wife and I would say to you. "Go for it". We home schooled our daughter Abi from 1st year infants when we took her out of mainstream school because the standards in our area were not up to our expectations. We have no regrets at all. There is a lot of help out there for you. Go for it. If you want some help and advice pm us. There was no effect on our daughter with regards to interacting with others. in fact just the opposite. She also managed to spend more time actually doing work without all the travelling, changing classes and all the other things that are done in school. the only small problem came aboput when she went back into high school to take her examinations. she was found to be so far ahead of all the other pupils. She has come out top in most subjects and is now in 6th form prepairing to go on to teacher training. GO FOR IT.
At risk of sounding critical (which I'm not being) there's a delicious irony in the fact that a home schooled pupil wants to train to be a teacher.
Thank you very much for all your responses so far...very thought provoking. I'm doing quite alot of self searching at the moment as I'm not sure that I have the right temperament to homeschool but hearing other views on it is very helpful :thumbup:
has your child mentioned this? what are their views on it? i couldnt do it, for one i couldnt afford to, im a lone mum and woudld have to give up my job. i love my job,i love my space im not educated enough, im not motivated enough. i think alot of education comes from the experiences of others, im lucky that my kids have a fantastic school. xxx fem xx
I did a debate in my year 7 class last week and they overwhelmingly voted in favour of 'regular' school rather than home school. We are reading Skellig by David Almond and one of the characters is home schooled. She puts a convincing case for it, but my girls reckon they would miss extra curricular activities, friends, learning social skills, the ability to use specialist equipment for subjects like science and DT and worry that it would adversely affect their family life both financially and relationship-wise. It was a pretty mature level of debate for 11 year olds. A tough decision. I'm a teacher and I certainly couldn't do it. I'm not strong enough all-round to give my kids a good education - their Maths, Science, Music and Sport would defo suffer. Good luck in whatever you decide. Nola x
Quote by Peanut At risk of sounding critical (which I'm not being) there's a delicious irony in the fact that a home schooled pupil wants to train to be a teacher.
Nutty ....... you read my mind! :giggle: Sam xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx p.s. Fire... do whatever feels right for your child & you!
Quote by fem_4_taboo has your child mentioned this? what are their views on it? i couldnt do it, for one i couldnt afford to, im a lone mum and woudld have to give up my job. i love my job,i love my space im not educated enough, im not motivated enough. i think alot of education comes from the experiences of others, im lucky that my kids have a fantastic school. xxx fem xx
Hi Fem xx Yes she did mention it to me a while ago and wanted to do it. We are at a stage at the moment though where she is having a very tough time at school. She is having difficulty learning certain things and also fitting in to the structure of school life. She is extremely disorganised and forgetful and finally after two years of me asking, is going to be tested for dyslexia. She has been getting into trouble for things she should have done and has'nt. She won't ask if she does'nt understand something. She can be both distracted easily and also be the distractor Despite all this though she does, at the moment like going to school...for the social side alone. She, like all 13 year olds is glued to her friends. This is great but at the moment it is to the detriment of her learning and since her education is my responsibility and not the school's I am taking this seriously. xxx
I'm not sure I can do it either Nola. What I am sure of though is that if the situation carries on the way it is doing, I can't sit by and watch it happen without trying to help her in a different way. Unfortunately so far her school are not being the most receptive to my attempts to keep in contact with them. She has been on report, yet quite a few times the report card is not coming home signed, or they may sign it with a cross instead of a tick and then not make any comment in the box as to why she has a cross. Not returning my calls and then when they do they are not really up to speed with what is going on etc. I'm studying at home myself for the next couple of years at least and I work from home also. It might mean I have to put an odd dream or two on hold for a while so that she can come first but hey ho...thats being a Mum for you...and she's worth it! xxx
I don't know that much about it Fire to be honest, but my own personal feeling is that there are pros and cons. The pros are one to one teaching, obviously. The concentration levels of the child will be nearly 100% as no peer distractions. There is nil chance of bullying and I would think long term the outlook for exam results would be very good. On the Con side, there would be no social interraction with pals, there would be no trips, school disco's and that carefree fun we all had at school. The way I see it, the ultimate goal is to be well educated and have GCSE's at the end, but I don't know whether the lack of socialisation would have a long term affect on your child? Ooooo a difficult one, good luck xxx
Quote by Firelizard I'm not sure I can do it either Nola. xxx
Put your concerns in writing to the school and copy the letter to the LEA! The school is supposed to help you. Good luck Sam xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I say go for it Fire... if it feels right for you both then do it. She will learn in a new way and will learn different things. The socialisation thing she can do or not on MSN/trips to town... chat rooms etc... As you are demonstrating, if she doesn't get what she needs from home schooling/mainstream school she can do it again later in life. We are all never too young or old to be happy and relaxed. Some people learn differently and who really is to say that mmainstream schooling is the right way for your daughter and many others?
Quote by Firelizard Hi there fellow forumites. We're thinking about homeschooling one of our children and are very interested in hearing the for and against points on it. Have any of you lovely folk got experience or views you would'nt mind sharing???
Fire I really do admire your admiration and thoughts of home schooling...good luck if you choose to go that way. I feel that a school is the best place for any kid to learn. In a secondary school a child would have numerous teachers, teaching them things they have gained a degree in. How can a parent teach a child all manner of things? I am no expert and this is my opinion but...how can a parent with no educational experience teach a child, the same way teachers can? Can somebody enlighten me? Could a parent really teach a child to A level heights? A very small percentage maybe could, but on the whole a school is the best enviroment for a child to learn, and more importantly to interact with other kids.
Quote by jaymar Can somebody enlighten me? Could a parent really teach a child to A level heights?
Kent, I don't actually know if Fire meant she was going to personally teach her child, it could well be a home tutor. True Mar but.....one tutor to possibly 9 seperate teachers? I think I know what the better odds would be. Plus where would the childs educational interaction with other kids come from? You would not get that from either a parent or a home tutor. Learning full time from other kids is crucial in life skills.
I think if a parent has the right skills and mindset together with the knowledge that the child has to be able to learn socialising skills elsewhere but learn nonetheless. Then it could be massively beneficial to be home tutored.
I disagree Kent, some children thrive moreso by being homeschooled and homeschooling is rarely carried out in isolation, I know of at least two groups in this area, where parents who homeschool get together during the week to provide social interaction, share the responsibility. They draw on the strengths of each parent, so the teaching is less onersome and more balanced. Trips to the museums, libraries, nature reserves are a lot more prevalent as well. My stepdaughter has been tutored a lot over the last 3 years and is now back in full time education, she is performing the same as her peers (better in some instances) and seems to have suffered no educational or social disadvantage and that has been in isolation most of the time. It does depend primarily on the child though and the objectives of the parents. You can download a copy of the national curriculum from the website and the guidelines for homeschooling. If a child will suffer greater by staying in an environment where they are denied access to adequate support, their educational needs will be ignored and ultimately they will suffer, not only educationally but socially and possibly psychologically. Firelizard, I'd definitely recommend getting the dyslexia test done, but also your GP might be able to speed the process, I have no idea of the ifficulties your child has, but there may be other things to rule out that the GP is better to deal with. I knew of someone who was educated to A Level standard after being homeschooled and fast tracked a degree at a good university. She's now undertaking a PhD so it goes to show that it can be done
Quote by Calista I disagree Kent, some children thrive moreso by being homeschooled and homeschooling is rarely carried out in isolation, I know of at least two groups in this area, where parents who homeschool get together during the week to provide social interaction, share the responsibility. They draw on the strengths of each parent, so the teaching is less onersome and more balanced. Trips to the museums, libraries, nature reserves are a lot more prevalent as well. My stepdaughter has been tutored a lot over the last 3 years and is now back in full time education, she is performing the same as her peers (better in some instances) and seems to have suffered no educational or social disadvantage and that has been in isolation most of the time. It does depend primarily on the child though and the objectives of the parents. You can download a copy of the national curriculum from the website and the guidelines for homeschooling. If a child will suffer greater by staying in an environment where they are denied access to adequate support, their educational needs will be ignored and ultimately they will suffer, not only educationally but socially and possibly psychologically. Firelizard, I'd definitely recommend getting the dyslexia test done, but also your GP might be able to speed the process, I have no idea of the ifficulties your child has, but there may be other things to rule out that the GP is better to deal with. I knew of someone who was educated to A Level standard after being homeschooled and fast tracked a degree at a good university. She's now undertaking a PhD so it goes to show that it can be done
I never said it could not be done, just that is is possibly far less likely. There are always exceptions to every rule. If home schooling was better, I am sure there would be more people doing it possibly? I still cannot see in the main how one person teaching is as good as many teachers, that have been EDUCATED themselves to a DEGREE level.
Quote by kentswingers777 I never said it could not be done, just that is is possibly far less likely. There are always exceptions to every rule. If home schooling was better, I am sure there would be more people doing it possibly? I still cannot see in the main how one person teaching is as good as many teachers, that have been EDUCATED themselves to a DEGREE level.
Homeschooling is a lot more prevalent than people think. A lot of people aren't aware that it is an option to them. Many parents are educated to degree level anyway and in my experience, those parents that do homeschool tend to be more educationally well off.
I home educated daughter #3 from year 8 until she was old enough to go to college. She just wasn't getting anything out of mass education. For example, she loves history and wanted to learn all about ancient history in particular (the egyptians, romans etc) but on the curriculum at the time was WW2 ... like it or lump it. Not all kids are suited to home ed, neither are all parents. Also there is the issue of the loss of one parents income. It's not something to be embarked upon lightly. I had no degree at the time just a good knowledge of my daughter - I felt I wasn't there to 'teach' her anything but to guide her through a process of absorbing information. As Yeats quoted, 'Education is lighting a fire not filling a bucket' Have you checked out the website for 'Education Otherwise'? It's full of invaluable info about home ed - the legalities and practicalities. Good luck!
Depends on the child and the circumstances of their being removed from the education system, as much as the ability of the parent/tutor. I wouldn't have home-schooled either of mine, to be honest - and I'm a teacher. However, I think it's right and appropriate for some children. And passing tests/exams isn't the be-all and end-all. Life skills and the ability to shine at something, are equally important.
Sometimes as well it doesn't make a bit of difference if you've got degrees, I've got one and I've had to go to an Adult Learning Centre and take Level II Literacy & Numeracy tests to get into Nursing. Basically CSE's that I sat 22 years ago are now not acceptable for anywhere as a basic Maths or English qualification. So... ANYONE who can teach a child the basics enough to get them GCSE's are setting them up for life, not teaching them in a degree level. IMO
A lot has been mentioned about social interraction with peers etc. We found no great probs in this area, although where I live (Suffolk) there are a great number of children being home schooled. I think the last count was over 950 families in the county, and that's not counting the Americans. There is a lot of help from "home ed" will try and find the web site for it. We used to have regular meets with other families and groups such as Thursday mornings we had the whole of the local sports centre and swim pool to use. As I said there is a lot of help and advice. There also should be a person in your local authority who is responsible for overseeing home schooling in their particular area. Although in the several years we did it we never had an inspection of work or indeed even a visit from them.
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