Home educate?

shellsuit

Clifford_Pope wrote: »

We have totally home-educated our three children, now aged 14, 16 and 19.
It's a big subject with lots of unneeded advice from people with personal prejudices and axes to grind. Ignore them - just do what you want.

The only points I would make are:

1) There is no such thing as compulsory school age. EDUCATION is compulsory, and it is YOUR responsibility to ensure your child receives it. There is no obligation to delegate that responsibility to the education authority.
2) School does not socialise children, it teaches them to conform to the gang-culture.
3) Home-educated children are usually conspicuoulsy more self-assured, and at home mixing with other people of all ages. They have not been stratified into narrow age and culture bands.

But be warned. You may well end up with children who know themselves to be more mature, rounded, and better-educated than their peers, and tend to look down sneeringly on children and their parents who have been through the state sausage machine.
But home-educated children will be much more interesting to talk to. Ask an employer.

Isn't that what you're doing from the other side?

School V home schooling, I don't think either one is better as a whole, it's what works for that particular child, IMO.




I've got a teenage daughter in school and I'm seriously thinking of pulling her out and home schooling her. Not because of the school itself, but because of the b!tchy bullys who make her life a misery.

kingfisherblue

Clifford_Pope, if you allow your children to look down sneeringly on other children and their parents, then you have to take responsibility for bringing up children who are ill mannered. It isn't something to be proud of.

DS4215

Are you at playgroup with your child? While you are there she might not settle down, but once you are gone she might join in quickly and make friends.

Have you tried her at any of the soft play areas or playgrounds where she can wander off to play and come back when she wants?

daska

Why will she come out of herself attending nursery when she doesn't say a word at playgroup? Genuine question as my experience with DS1/2 doesn't gel with that.

kafkathecat

Hi, my ds, now 14, couldn't cope with nursery so he has been home educated. It doesn't have to be one or the other though, if she isn't ready now maybe she will want to go in a year or so. Anything is possible. Most of my sons home ed friends are now in school and we have talked about it but have decided to do GCSEs at home and in groups before college. DS is a very sensitive, anxious person who has learnt how to deal with his worries in his own time and his own way so that most now think he is confident. He may well have turned out the same if he had gone to school, I will never know but home ed hasn't isolated him, harmed him or made him odd. As well as home ed groups there are so many clubs and societies outside of school that your daughter can join if and when she wants to, so socialising should never be a problem for her. Anxiety runs in families so it is more likely that you are recognising the symptoms than passing on your fears as I was repeatedly told. For what it is worth, I loved school but ds hated it.
PS when my son went to playgroup I was told that he was fine but I could see through the window how distressed he was and had to deal with the fallout at home. Don't believe that others know your child better than you do.

coinxoperated

I have been home educated from birth and have never been to school....

I would never home educate my own children or think it should even be an 'option' to be honest.

Children/Young People will get bullied in ANY social situation, so rather than wrapping them up in cotton wool, teach and support them on how to manage bullies instead. The world is a tough place I'm afraid!

Home education does not necessarily lead to a bad education - I've just completed an A level in Maths, English and ICT and got the highest marks I could of! BUT, I have to say, I had NO confidence. None whatsoever. In a school environment you are taught and tested. Home education doesn't allow for this really.

I also have home educated friends whose parents take a 'they'll learn when they want too' approach.... they can't write their own names and have jobs in their fathers companies and things. No sort of owned career path or choice.

I and 5 other home educated friends have all made the decision to never home educate. It's just not what its cracked up to be.

You will get the 'pro-homeedders' and the 'anti-homeedders'... The pro ones think their child is gods gift and the sun shines out their backside. They also have an attitude of 'this is easy, its great, THIS IS THE BEST THING FOR YOUR CHILD'

The anti home edders seem to understand the plus sides of a formal education in today's society.

Once again - I would strongly advice against it!

daska

And my experience is exactly the opposite of coinxoperated.

shellsuit

coinxoperated wrote: »

I have been home educated from birth and have never been to school....

I would never home educate my own children or think it should even be an 'option' to be honest.

Children/Young People will get bullied in ANY social situation, so rather than wrapping them up in cotton wool, teach and support them on how to manage bullies instead. The world is a tough place I'm afraid! How would my daughter be bullied at home? Teach them how to manage bullies? It's not as easy as that is it? Would that be your motto to those kids who have commited suicide because of bullies? Let's face it, some kids can ignore bullies and get on with their lives, others take it to heart and are very miserable. If I let my daughter go to school with fear and misery, I'm not doing my job as a parent properly. And if that means removing my daughter from where the problem is, that's why I will do. If you have never been to school, you won't understand how awful it can be for kids who are bullied at school, will you?

Home education does not necessarily lead to a bad education - I've just completed an A level in Maths, English and ICT and got the highest marks I could of! BUT, I have to say, I had NO confidence. None whatsoever. In a school environment you are taught and tested. Home education doesn't allow for this really.

I also have home educated friends whose parents take a 'they'll learn when they want too' approach.... they can't write their own names and have jobs in their fathers companies and things. No sort of owned career path or choice.

I and 5 other home educated friends have all made the decision to never home educate. It's just not what its cracked up to be.

You will get the 'pro-homeedders' and the 'anti-homeedders'... The pro ones think their child is gods gift and the sun shines out their backside. They also have an attitude of 'this is easy, its great, THIS IS THE BEST THING FOR YOUR CHILD'

The anti home edders seem to understand the plus sides of a formal education in today's society.

Once again - I would strongly advice against it!

Do you mind me asking how old you are?

coinxoperated

Clifford_Pope wrote: »

We have totally home-educated our three children, now aged 14, 16 and 19.
It's a big subject with lots of unneeded advice from people with personal prejudices and axes to grind. Ignore them - just do what you want.

The only points I would make are:

1) There is no such thing as compulsory school age. EDUCATION is compulsory, and it is YOUR responsibility to ensure your child receives it. There is no obligation to delegate that responsibility to the education authority.
2) School does not socialise children, it teaches them to conform to the gang-culture. I would argue that so does Home Education. At 'support groups' and 'activities' their was very much a gang culture in the ones I attended, and was regularly bullied and 'cast out' in many ways. I also struggled to make friends my own age, as my general conversations were with adults, therefore trying to talk with a 12 year old about the news was like trying to get a 50 year old to play barbies. I also found that many of the home-educated children that attended 'support groups' or 'activities' were previously either expelled from school or bullied out of school. Unfortunately, by being home educated, the expelled ones got worse and the bullied ones became bullys!!
3) Home-educated children are usually conspicuoulsy more self-assured, and at home mixing with other people of all ages. They have not been stratified into narrow age and culture bands.
Once again - I agree with this, but I would argue that its not necessary! I would of LOVED to of been able to mix well with children my own age, by just couldn't fit in. Many others that were home educated from birth also had this problem. In many ways, we were 'maturing before our time' so to speak, but others that had attended school in the past weren't. And it begs the question, why would you want your child to mix with people of 'all ages' when 'all ages' won't accept them???

But be warned. You may well end up with children who know themselves to be more mature, rounded, and better-educated than their peers, and tend to look down sneeringly on children and their parents who have been through the state sausage machine.
Very much agreed! When I tell people I was home educated, they seem to either think I was a Gypsy or VERY posh. Unfortunately, some kids love to run off this!

I wish I had been a gypsy, or lived with a circus. That would of been great fun!

But home-educated children will be much more interesting to talk to.
Not if your the same age as them and have had a school education!

Ask an employer.
Have to agree with this - Most home educated children are in employment. But many work for family and friends...

Just to give an opinion from a home educatee's point of view!

coinxoperated

shellsuit wrote: »

Do you mind me asking how old you are?

22 years of age my good sir!

My younger sister is 20. She 'started school' at the age of 14 after my mother had passed away. She had exactly the same problems mixing with children her age, but did achieve A* in her GCSEs....