Newbie homeschooling advice

TopQuark

Hi OP,

At the very least, he needs GCSEs in English, Maths and Science, whether done in school or outside. We see a lot of school age and young people wanting to do internships, summer programs, work experience with us and there is not a hope in hell I'd ever consider anyone who didn't have these as the absolute minimum.

I must admit that I'd also be wary of taking on someone who had been entirely home-schooled, but that would not be the case for your son anyway.

And just to balance some of the anecdotal evidence of home-schooling success on this thread (which I don't doubt are true), here is one of my own; went to a bog standard working-class comprehensive school and and ended up with a BSc. and a PhD in Chemistry. Now work for a world-famous lab in research. School does work for most people!

harrys_dad

The one thing that seems to be missing here is what is the view of the school? I assume you have discussed the situation with them, so what do they suggest? There should be some "alternative provision" available, not just "full time school" or "home schooling".

Your son is clearly not being successful at school so there is a shared responsibility, between parent, son, and school to resolve things by examining all the possible options.

kafkathecat

TopQuark wrote: »

And just to balance some of the anecdotal evidence of home-schooling success on this thread (which I don't doubt are true), here is one of my own; went to a bog standard working-class comprehensive school and and ended up with a BSc. and a PhD in Chemistry. Now work for a world-famous lab in research. School does work for most people!

Of course school works for most people but when it doesn't it is good to have an alternative.

Home education works for some and if it doesn't they tend to go back to school.

I don't understand your hostility to home education. Almost all the children I know have or are working towards qualifications. Almost all go on to college and/or university. Most are active in the community through scouts. st john ambulance, air cadets etc.

TopQuark

kafkathecat wrote: »

Of course school works for most people but when it doesn't it is good to have an alternative.

Home education works for some and if it doesn't they tend to go back to school.

I don't understand your hostility to home education. Almost all the children I know have or are working towards qualifications. Almost all go on to college and/or university. Most are active in the community through scouts. st john ambulance, air cadets etc.

I wouldn't say I'm hostile to it, just wary. For example, I wouldn't feel confident in teaching my kids the whole curriculum as I don't have the skills or knowledge to do so. For maths and science I guess I could. And French as OH is French. But not the other subjects. Although I guess if they pass the exams and get the grades then all is fine. I'd still be wary about the social/soft-skill side of things though.

I think most kids are going to be better off in school being taught by professionals but I do appreciate than in a small minority of cases mainstream school may not be the best approach. Thus I think the OP needs to be as sure as he can be that his son is genuinely struggling with the school environment and not just trying to persuade his parents of this in order to take the path of least resistance.

kafkathecat

Hi Topquark
Thanks for your reply. I completely understand your wariness. Most home educators don't know everything that their child wants to learn but it is very easy to access resources, there are curriculum packages for those that want, correspondence courses, internet schools etc. As well as a thriving home ed social scene most home ed children are involved in drama clubs, scouts, martial arts etc. They also get together to pay for tutors for subjects like science, drama or almost any GCSEs. We also get together at home ed camps.

I have met children who have been bullied in school who thrive at home. I have also met children who preferred school and soon returned there.

I am not anti-school. I volunteer in a school and sometimes work in a college and I mostly love what I see but it did not suit my son from an early age and he has thrived out of school.

If the OPs son came out of school he could go back if it didn't work out or go on to a college, from what has been said he doesn't appear to be doing much there at the moment. Forcing someone to be where they don't want to be will not help them learn it is better to get to the root of the problem. Home ed. might be the answer.

TopQuark

Sensible advice Kafkathecat and you explained things well!

pelirocco

greenorange wrote: »

What happens if in the future, his projects fail, and he is forced to get a job to support his family, put food on the table, and a roof over their head? How many companies do you think will consider him with no qualifications, and not much else on his CV?

Unfortunately while exams aren't the be-all-end-all, they're a part of life, and to allow a 15 year old who hasn't even started living yet to make such decisions, is wrong. He should pursue GCSEs at the bare minimum.

Obviously this is all just my opinion. I do not have kids, but if my 15 year old decided he didn't want to go to school or study any qualifications, well, he wouldn't have a choice.

There are millions of children in this world who would give their life for an education, yet many who are handed it on a plate take it for granted.

You really dont kow what you are talking about , I 'home schooled' my 14/15 yr old school was a living nightmare for him . At they end of his first year at secondary school they told us he would have years ago been labelled as educationally sub normal . Totally shocked I asked why , they said he couldnt read , he could read very well , apparently when they gave the class a reading and comprehension test he didnt do it so they decided it was because he couldnt read . It went downhill from there

He didnt do any gcse's because he was quite fragile and had no confidence . Luckily for us we have a family business and he did a lot of home schooling in a business environment . He is extremely bright and happy where he is . If he wishes to do further learning and get quailifications its still possible .

I do know others who have home schooled , and their children have gone on to university .

I have other children who were fine at school , the problem is schools only cater for a narrow margine of children and it seems to be getting narrower

OP go with your instinct

pelirocco

TopQuark wrote: »

I wouldn't say I'm hostile to it, just wary. For example, I wouldn't feel confident in teaching my kids the whole curriculum as I don't have the skills or knowledge to do so. For maths and science I guess I could. And French as OH is French. But not the other subjects. Although I guess if they pass the exams and get the grades then all is fine. I'd still be wary about the social/soft-skill side of things though.

I think most kids are going to be better off in school being taught by professionals but I do appreciate than in a small minority of cases mainstream school may not be the best approach. Thus I think the OP needs to be as sure as he can be that his son is genuinely struggling with the school environment and not just trying to persuade his parents of this in order to take the path of least resistance.

You dont need to teach the whole curriculum when you home school , and whats the point in teaching something the child has no interest in

TopQuark

pelirocco wrote: »

You dont need to teach the whole curriculum when you home school , and whats the point in teaching something the child has no interest in

Because the child might not have a great interest in it, but it may be necessary knowledge that they need to function well as an adult in normal society. A lot of people don't like maths and would have avoided it altogether at school if they could, but it is useful and important. Similarly, I didn't enjoy English language much, but being able to communicate effectively and correctly is a life skill.

Just because they aren't interested in it doesn't mean that they don't need to be taught it. Subjects like drama or art I might agree on, but not the basics.

heartbreak_star

pelirocco wrote: »

You dont need to teach the whole curriculum when you home school , and whats the point in teaching something the child has no interest in

Because they might need it for work or further education?

HBS x