Home schooling help

anniemf2508

I'm considering home schooling my son , he is five and in his first term in reception class.
I have various health issues at the moment and am not sure how long it is going to take to get over them... so my sons school attendance has been somewhat sporadic due to my health issues. My husband is at university full time so can't fall back on him for help with school runs and i have no one else who can help either.

I just don't know whether i'm being selfish contemplating this or even if my husband would agree to it anyway.
My son is a bright boy and i think he'd thrive where ever he is tho and i think i'm smart enough to teach him well too.

kingfisherblue

TBH, I don't think that home schooling is the answer if you have health issues. What about the days when you don't feel up to teaching your son, or researching information? You also need to consider the social aspect, as school is a social environment as well as a learning one. In addition, emotionally, your son needs a life outside the home, and there is the concern that he may lack confidence and self esteem, or consider himself your carer. It could be potentially isolating for him, even though there are a number of home schooling networks that you could join. If you can't get him to school, though, there is no guaratntee that you could get him to anything organised by a network.

I'm not against home schooling and I agree that it can be beneficial for some children, but I really think that from what you have posted, school would be better for your son. Perhaps you could let school know that you have difficulty getting him there some days. They might be able to help you arrange for another mother to take him and pick him up. You could also consider a childminder to get him to and from school - I don't know if you could get financial help through tax credits for this, but as your husband is a student, I doubt it.

Another possibility is asking Social Services if they can arrange to get your son to school and back. If you are disabled, you should be able to get an assessment of your needs - and help in getting your son to and from school is a need that SS might be able to help with.

rinabean

How far do you live from the school? Are you thinking that this could be a temporary thing, and when he's 6 or 7 he'll be able to get himself to school?

Home schooling certainly isn't as hard as some people imagine, but balancing it with an illness could be difficult for you. He needs to get out and about as part of his learning, and if you can't provide that, that would be a shame for him.

anniemf2508

I was thinking of it only being until hes 8 at the oldest.
In more detail my health issues are anxiety related,which at the moment has resulted in mild agorophobia. This part has only come recently so i'm presuming it has something to do with the stresses of the school runs etc.
I was hoping that knowing that i don't have to deal with this it will lessen the stress and the agorophobia will go, so we can go out on nature walks etc (we live right on the edge of a small town, so about 5 mins from beautiful countryside).

*onlyme*

Why don't you have a look at some home education forums and ask for advise there...There might be some people who have experienced the same as you.

Here are a few that might be able to help you. (forums and information)

http://www.home-education.biz/forum/home-education-forums/

http://www.freedom-in-education.co.uk/

http://www.muddlepuddle.co.uk/mpblog/home-education-2/

http://www.free-range-education.org.uk/index-2.html

I do agree that home education is not for everyone. We started to home educate our DD, age 10, 4 weeks ago and it is the best decision I have made. But what is right for us, might not be right for someone else.

Also you council should have a Education Welfare Officer, give them a call and they should be able to help you out. They work with home educators but also with schools.

Curlywurli

I read a lot of the threads on home schooling and one thing that is apparent is that the parents make every effort to ensure that their children have lots of opportunities to socialise, go to places etc. How would you manage that with agorophobia? Is it actually best for him to be taught at home? Is there not anybody that could help you to get him to school instead?

pinetree

Hi Im sorry about your health probs, i would try to find someone to do the school run for you to take the pressure off then you can enjoy the country walks etc in school holidays so your son can have the best of two worlds hope it works out for you

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

If you already have trouble leaving the house for something which is a legal requirement - ie, providing him with an education (not the actual attending school bit, I get that) - there really is no guarantee that you will be able to take him out during the day, and you could unintentionally end up damaging his education and socialisation.

Why not advertise for someone to take him to school for you? Or even get a childminder for a couple of hours?

And please, seek help, as this won't get better by itself.

Errata

Whilst I understand that you may have difficulties, your prime concern should be your son's education and what he needs. School is so much more than just learning, it's an opportunity for him to improve his social skills and learn new ones, learn how to get along with his peers. Talk to the school about your travel problems, they may be able to suggest something.
You're wondering if you're being selfish? I think you are, because you're putting your needs before your son's educational and social needs.

System

http://www.education-otherwise.net/

This will give you all the information on the legal position as well as advice on the pros and cons etc.

As has been said it isn't for everyone ( though I can recommend it for those it suits!) , as your son has already started school you will have to de-register him, before you do that please consider whether he likes the school he is in, if he does I would be inclined as others have said to look into what help you can get as regards someone else taking him to school and bringing home. That will remove the pressure from you and hopefully help your recovery.

rinabean

I wondered if it was agoraphobia I really understand, I suffer with it too. I don't think someone with agoraphobia that's strong enough to be controlling them should homeschool a child. I know it's not what you want to hear. (My anxiety problems are why I am putting off having kids, because I want to homeschool them for other reasons, and I know it wouldn't be right at this point.) It really, really wouldn't be fair on your son, and I'm sure you know that. Not only will he not be able to go out with you, but you could end up passing your anxieties on to him. It's not selfish to consider this but it would be selfish to actually do it with the state that you're in. I totally understand why you thought it would be a good idea. I'm sure you're a good mum and I'm sure you could teach him about everything else other than going outside, but that's such an important thing for him to be able to do. I can't advise on what help there is to get your son to school, but I'm glad to hear from these other posters that it exists. And then make sure you are getting all the help you can to tackle your agoraphobia.