Home Education

Pennywise

svain wrote: »

Such a shame to rob children of the social aspect of school.

Yes, it would have been "such a shame" to rob me of the experience of being bullied, physically and verbally abused virtually every day of my horrid "comp" experience wouldn't it??

What a load of claptrap!

I hated every minute and couldn't wait to escape. Due to suffering a carp school, with carp teachers who couldn't give a toss, I started as a straight A* pupil and left with just a single GCE.

My "real" education started when I taught myself A levels, and then that led to getting a full time "trainee" job, where I did evening classes etc to become a fully qualified accountant.

School did nothing for me. How I wished my parents had home educated me - I'd have at least enjoyed those years and not been suicidal due to being trapped in a toxic environment.

I proved you don't need school to pass A levels.

Some of the brightest inventors and best minds from history didn't have a formal education. Most of it is nothing more than baby-sitting.

FBaby

My children would happily go back to school, but there is no way I would send them back.

Isn't that sad? That indicates that you are imposing home education on them because of your belief they would gain nothing from going. You say that school doesn't teach things that are to do with living. They do very much so, not all of it, just like by home educating, you are teaching SOME things about living, but not all. Learning about evolving in a structure, rules, dealing with situations that are far from perfect, knowing how to adapt to many different people, from different way of life, learning to work to deadline, preparing for selective events, all these are skills that we learn at school that will prepare us for adult life.

These can be learnt outside of school too, depending on the environment and teachers, but to say that school doesn't teach things to do with learning shows a lack of full understanding of what school education is all about.

Mojisola

Mela322 wrote: »

My children would happily go back to school, but there is no way I would send them back.

FBaby wrote: »

Isn't that sad? That indicates that you are imposing home education on them because of your belief they would gain nothing from going.

I didn't read it that way - I thought Mela meant the children wouldn't have any problems with going to school but she is happier with them being home-schooled rather than the children wanted to go back to school and she wouldn't let them.

Among the home schoolers I know, the parents are quite flexible about following the education system that's best for the children and some have decided to go to mainstream school.

(Of course, the majority of children in the country are sent off to school by parents who are imposing that education system on them because of their own beliefs. )

lush_walrus

Mela322 wrote: »

What an ignorant comment. What you learned in school and how it was all conducted is nothing like what it is today. Children are forced to learn about things that have nothing to do with living. It's indoctrination of our children. Imagine the children in school today as neatly packed little sardines of all the same size and all in order. Most schools teach to the test. That's not an education.

Our world was being built by brilliant minds that never went to school or university. Back in historical times, there wouldn't have been any.

Im not sure throwing offensive things towards those who choose a different way betters your argument for home schooling, nor does it the other way around. Whatever way parents choose to educate their children I am sure we are all doing it for the better of our children. That doesn't mean either is superior.

Our girls all attend prep schools, ours has 19 children per year so is tiny. It's focused on pastoral care over results which is why we chose it. Close to us is one of the best girls prep schools in the UK, academically far superior to ours. There is also an outstanding state school. All 3 are fabulous schools and we are blessed with choice. Parents local to us all have varying views on which is the best school. Our view, there isn't a best, just the best for that child or best matches the parents aspirations.

The choice of home schooling to not is the same, one is not superior to the other, however I am sure one suits each family more than the other. This discussion is an interesting one and can be had without either side of the discussion resorting to insulting the other.

ManofLeisure_2

A few years ago I attended a concert featuring the music of Sir Malcolm Arnold and later enjoyed a very long conversation with him. A fascinating chap who told me that he had been 'home educated'. This in turn had allowed him time to focus upon his talent which had presented at a very young age. He also spoke about many of his musical friends who had also studied at home. There was no doubt in his mind that he would not have developed in the way he had if school had been enforced upon him. So, for some people 'home education' is of real benefit . Whatever the case, I do feel that the importance of school in the process of socialising children is over emphasised.

spadoosh

Loz01 wrote: »

I just think when kids are young its a shame they miss out on assembly, school trips, play time, special days, discos, end of year party, school photos, school fetes and the like. They are some of my best memories of childhood and you can't replicate that at home. You can't replicate lasting friendships and I honestly don't think you can replicate education the same way.

Someone i know has just sold all hist stuff and bought a boat, hes takin ghis wife and 2 toddlers round the world.

So lets compare.

Assembly v Docking in monetgo bay?
School trips v sailing around the world?
Play time v all the time
special days v special life
discos v docking in Ibiza
school photos v selfies with numerous world heritage sites
school fetes v wandering the markets of marrakech

Youre right, you cant replicate it. I still to this day feel nausea when i get the whiff of a school canteen. O happy memories.

I went to school in Hong Kong, Germany, Ireland and UK. I was lucky in that 1 to 1 tuition was nearly available (excl UK), in primary school my teachers moved me up 3 classes with maths, what that actually meant was they gave me a different book to read. There was two classes, a class for years 1, 2 and 3 and a class for 4, 5 and 6. Each class had about 12 people in.

I got shouted at once in the UK becuase i went on to do next weeks work. A few years later i was being penalised for being a distraction in class (bored). I was approaching fluency in German whilst at primary school. In my UK school you could only do german if you where in the top set in English, i wasnt so had to do French having never studied it before. My German was better than the persons teaching it yet no qualification for me. I was fortunate to have an awesome form tutor. He spotted a few of us where particularly good on computers and managed to sort out us taking our GCSE's early and a-levels in high school.

Then there was the head of year who told me i would amount to nothing.:cool:

Loz01

spadoosh wrote: »

Someone i know has just sold all hist stuff and bought a boat, hes takin ghis wife and 2 toddlers round the world.

Thats fine but its not exactly a real life situation is it lmao, you can't really say haha well your kid suffers in a school but mine is sailing around the ocean. Most people work 37.5 hours a week, have a mortgage and couldn't really justify or imagine selling all their stuff and buying a boat... sounds like my worst nightmare actually

So yeah a school disco isn't really comparable but Im pretty sure I would've preferred to run around at a disco aged 7 than be in the party capital of Ibiza....

Red-Squirrel_2

BucksLady wrote: »

I would have loved to have been 'home educated'. I always viewed school as being like a prison and the teachers were the jailers . Perhaps I was unlucky. However, I do feel that a lot of people look back on their school days through rose tinted glasses. School isn't always as wonderful as some people would have us believe.

I think sometimes people look back with the benefit of hindsight, rather than 'rose tinted glasses'.

I was pretty nerdy, and wasn't miss popularity at school, but I did have good friends some of whom I am still very close to 20 years later. I got to travel the country and go abroad with the school band, I got to play loads of different sports, I had access to materials and equipment in art and design that I could only have had in a school or college environment, and I also got to mix with people from a wide variety of backgrounds some very different to myself and yes some of them unpleasant and disruptive. Dealing with the less pleasant people has stood me in good stead in my working life!

I completely understand that there are some children who have exceptional circumstances that mean its incredibly difficult to stay in mainstream school, and that home ed can be the best option then, but for children without any of those special circumstances I must admit I think their parents would be depriving them of something very valuable if they didn't let them have the school experience that practically all their peers will.

Red-Squirrel_2

spadoosh wrote: »

I got shouted at once in the UK becuase i went on to do next weeks work.

I got shouted at for reading when I'd finished my work! Apparently I was just supposed to sit there and stare into space...

I think a bit of adversity though, a bit of boredom, a bit of wrestling with ideas about how to deal with rules you find unfair or ridiculous, a bit of dealing with other people's flaws, is good for you. Adult life isn't one big party, and aren't the teenage years supposed to be a gradual preparation for reality?

Mojisola

Red-Squirrel wrote: »

I think a bit of adversity though, a bit of boredom, a bit of wrestling with ideas about how to deal with rules you find unfair or ridiculous, a bit of dealing with other people's flaws, is good for you.

Is school the only place these lessons can be learned?

Children who are home schooled rarely float through every day feeling at perfect peace with the world because they only do what they want as and when they want to do it.