Any other home-educating families out there?

[Heartsease]

My son (life-long vegan), age 10, has never been to school. At this moment he is immersed in a computer programming book and is ..."designing an insurance application form in HTML".
Iym curious to see how many vegan parents home-educate/unschool or are considering it.:)

[Pisces]

I'm actually not a parent, but I'm very pro-unschooling for many reasons, including having such an awful 12-year experience of mainstream/compulsory school. It was not right for me and I'm certain that I would have learned much more from unschooling, since I learn more from life/experiences on my own than I do from required/biased textbooks.

Anyhow, have you heard of this woman? I think her first name is Rosie. She lives in Scotland and her children are unschooled. She's really cool---and for an added plus, her family is VEGAN! :)

She has a website along with many useful links. www.veganfamily.co.uk . I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't already.

[absentmindedfan]

As a teacher I am intrigued by homeschooling. I can see that, done right, it can offer a much more holistic and individual education than the threadmill of school and produce fab kids.

However, where do the children stand when they go out to work? Will you submit your child for exams later in life so that he has qualifications, or not?

[Cherry]

I'm really interested in home schooling too AMF. It's something that one of my sisters has considered.

I'd love to know how long is spent each day doing school-type stuff (as opposed to trips out/life) and how people decide what their children need to know. I also wonder if people intend for the children to be homeschooled when they're younger and then go to school for the exam years, or the exams as AMF asks.

I didn't realise that the veganfamily children were home schooled. I think her name is Lucy, not Rosie.

[emmapresley]

i have an aquaintance who has home-schooled her two boys..recently though they've started school again..they're approaching gcse age and have fitted right back into the system. i know they spend 'school hours' at home doing curriculum based work..she is quite structured with it..and maintains the boys friendships with plenty of other kids their age from outside of school groups and what have you. they're a sunny couple of kids..thoughtful.

well, this hasn't really benefited the thread much..i just wanted to say my little bit :)

[FogStruck]

I'm unschooled, and if I ever decide to have children they will be unschooled too.

[Heartsease]

Every home-educator does things differently, I guess. Most of what I have learned, that is actually useful to me, I learned in adulthood.

It is very common for children to lose motivation when adults apply adult logic to the non-adult thought processes of a child.

The world of home-ed is as diverse as any other. Many home-ed kids becum entrepreneurs (they decided that 'qualifications' were unneccessary)...some jump from home-ed straight into Uni without anything 'on paper' to support their application. Some take exams without entering the 'system'.

The law indicates that a child must receive an education....whether in school or without. How this occurs is up to the family...and, it is hoped, the child.

"When we plant a seed we don't tell it what to be" ~ Erm...I forget where I read that....:rolleyes:

[cookey]

I never considered home education for my children. I've no doubt that all academic redquirements can be met at home, but I think the valuable experiences at school are more to do with social interation. My children now 7 and 9 enjoy school but they do come up against difficult situations which I help them deal with. I think this is good preparation for life. They mix with children and adults from different walks of life and learn that not everyone is the same as them or their imediate family and friends. They learn a lot of independence and I think that being away from your parents for a few hours a day but still in a safe environment is good for children. After all, I am meant to be preparing them for life away from me!
On top of this there is no way I can work full time and have children at home with me all day. As I'm the only adult in the house, this would mean very little money.
I enjoy talking with my children a the end of the day about what we've all being doing and I think it's healthy for families to spend time apart as well as together.

[Heartsease]

Cookey, I am interested to know what you mean about the social interaction in school. When I attended school I spent most of my day with people of almost exactly the same age as me....yet as an adult I find this is seldom the case.

Independence is great but I do not agree that that is achieved through schooling. I went to school and was very dependent as a child. My son, who is self-educated, is highly independent. I think if your children (and myne) are thriving and independent it is more likely down to our parental attitudes than whether or not they are home-educated.:)

I am also the only adult in the house and run a business full-time. I agree about the pleasure talking about what we've done in our thyme apart.....home-educating families don't neccessarily spend all their thyme in each others pockets :p

[cookey]

By social interaction I mean mixing with other people. My children mix with other children in the playground and have a whole world of social experiences without my involvement. Something which I think only a diverse range of children can offer and I cannot.I realise that this may mainly be with other children their own age but still more varied than I would be able to give them through visiting other parents. They will also see bullying and difficult situatioins being dealt with and I wouldn't want them to grow up not having had experience of how to deal with this.
I am interested to know (without it sounding like I am disaproving of you), Heartease, how your child gets this type of experience?
From an outsiders point of view, homeschooling seems like a very insular existence where the adult in the house is the main influence on the child and the children the child mixes with are chosen by the adult. As I have never tried or considered it, I don't know what it is like so, yes, I would imagine that the family would be in each others pockets. It sounds as if this is not the case in your household, but I can't imagaine how this would work?
I'm also interested as to why you chose to homeschool rather than through the state school system?
I don't think the state school system in the uk is by any means perfect, but I think the best way of changing it is by being a part of it and fighting to make it better. I also think that children learn an amazing amount from mixing with other children on mass and I cannot think how else this can be served.

[harpy]

How desirable homeschooling is must depend partly on the parents' lifestyle - how sociable they are, for example? My parents were very unsociable and so if I hadn't gone to school I wouldn't ever have met any other children, and would probably have ended up even more of a troglodyte than I actually am :eek:

If I had children to educate I'd also be worried that I couldn't teach the full range of subjects, but I've read that some parents get together with others whose knowledge complements their own.

[Heartsease]

I'm also interested as to why you chose to homeschool rather than through the state school system? .

Oh....I don't really have the thyme to get into a really long discussification about it ( I wish I did). I think that school is an artificial environment. In that I mean that it in no ways reflects the life outside that most adults (and children) participate in. For me it wuz initially a purely instinctive thing....I simply don't see the point of school....indeed the only compelling reason I have heard since (from friends who once home-educated ...and yourself) is that it is convenient for parents/carers to have somewhere else they can place their children while they go to work. Society is not currently geared toward healthful integration. I have seen first hand how old people are also frequently pushed to the edge of society. It's possible I am an idealist but I strive for a world where people are not segregated becuz of gender, race or age. I do not believe that the world is full of bullies and by exposing my child to them at school (should that be the case) would give my child unrealistic and harmful expectations of the world.

'Home-education'...hmm....I can see how that term can give the idea that a child is cooped up with mother in the house. Butt I used that term becuz that is the one the media is most familiar with. Life is education. Children learn to walk and talk without formal instruction. We learn all the thyme and retain that which has real value to us. A home-educator no more chooses the people and experiences their child receives than you do when you send yours to school. We have'nt 'home-educated' in that insular way....we just live our lives....and that currently involves a 5 month holiday in Canada. There is a big world full of people and places to explore! Anyhow....we must all do what we think/intuit is best for ourselves and allow or children to do the same. We can learn so much from them! Considering my lack of thyme I have finnished my post with quotes. (Thanks John, Ivan and my child).:D

“Next to the right to life itself, the most fundamental of all human rights is the right to control our own minds and thoughts. That means, the right to decide for ourselves how we will explore the world around us, think about our own and other persons' experiences, and find and make the meaning of our own lives. Whoever takes that right away from us, by trying to “educate” us, attacks the very center of our being and does us a most profound and lasting injury. He tells us, in effect, that we cannot be trusted even to think, that for all our lives we must depend on others to tell us the meaning of our world and our lives, and that any meaning we may make for ourselves, out of our own experience has no value.” – John Holt.

“School is an institution built on the axiom that learning is the result of teaching. And institutional wisdom continues to accept this axiom, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.” ~ Ivan Illich

(When asked, age 5, if his mummy taught him at home) "No. I teach myself." ~ My child:D

(When asked, age 7, if he'd rather go to school 'like other children') "No! Who would?":eek: (he was genuinely shocked)

[cedarblue]

i agree with harpy in that how successful the home education is surely depends a lot on the type of people the parents are? thats my opinion anyway.

i have one child and i wouldn't consider home-schooling her as i think it can be a very isolating experience for an only child. she loves her school and has made local friends which is important as the junior school she went to we had to drive to and she didnt have any friends from that school who lived locally to us.

i would definately have considered a steiner school but there is nothing in my area and again i dont believe in driving many miles to a special school when theres a distinct possiblity that no-one else will live locally for her to interact with.

in my experience both for me and my daughter, home schooling wouldnt have worked, for others, its different.

[Marrers]

I can't imagine being able to home school a child because I am not smart enough or knowledgable enough myself (not meaning to be rude but how do you manage with your unconventional spelling Heartsease?) I could only teach them what I know or what I think is important. I'd be really interested to know what adults who were home schooled think of the education they recieved, if they feel there were any gaps, anything they got that kids at school didn't get, and whether they wish they had gone to formal school or taken exams if they didn't do so. (Any comments FogStruck or anyone else in that situation?)

There was a home schooled 9 year old on Wife Swap this week. They made it look like the decision to home school was mainly taken because of the negative experiences the parents had at school.
It seemed from the film that the child had just one hour a day of 'sat at the table learning'. I always imagined that parents / carers had to prove how they were educating the child and that they were meeting certain standards - is that not the case?

I remember my mum keeping my little sister from starting school until she was actually 5 yrs old ( she was born in December 1980) and the education authorities were all over her for it. With all these targets for education surely things are even worse now?

[aubergine]

Whilst I can see the benefits of Home Schooling in matching the curriculum to a child's educational appetite, unfortunately in practice the many kids I've met (as it's quite common near me) have parents who have made no attempt whatsoever to socialise their children beyond a very small number of children who are deemed 'safe'.

I think it's sad when some parents home school their children because they want to filter their child's learning from certain aspects of the outer world (other faiths as one example). It's not natural, and leads to extreme naivety and ultimately the child suffers.

If children are encouraged to be as sociable as possible then I see no problem with it.

[Heartsease]

not meaning to be rude but how do you manage with your unconventional spelling Heartsease?

Oh...bless you! But I am actually an excellent speller.:p

My 'unconventional' spelling is my second language....you've no idea (or maybe you do) how many people critisize it.:rolleyes: But I enjoy playing with words.:D

And....erm.... I don't see how the ability to spell (or not) is relevant anyway, since my ability to learn is separate from my child's.

Anyhooooo...Iym withdrawing from this thread now....if any home-educators wanna contact me they can do so privately, I think.

And much hugs to all. :)

[Marrers]

Oh, it's a shame you are withdrawing as you've sparked a bit of interest here! (And awareness of home education). I was hoping you'd give your thought on some of my other comments.

With regard to the spelling I was just thinking that a home schooler would be responsible for checking / correcting any written work done by their child so it would be important to be able to spot mis-spelt words for the child to learn correct spelling.

My sister-in-law is French and bringing up her two kids to be bilingual. My 4 year old nephew only speaks French with her but English at school and with most other people. At the moment he is confusing some words - is saying he/his when referring to a female. My sister-in-law does not experience him speaking English very much but if she did not realise that as a mistake she would be unable to correct him (most other people would probably hesitate to correct someone elses child).

[cedarblue]

yes, please dont withdraw hertsease - its an interesting thread.

[RachelJune]

Very interesting thread :)

As a child I found the experience of public school very damaging to my social development - bullying resulted in many years of awkward shyness and great difficulty mixing with and being able to trust others, and although I loved learning itself I hated going to school. It was sheer torture. And I gather kids are getting even nastier nowadays... :mad:

I think home-schooling is a great idea, providing the parent is suitably equipped and prepared for the responsibility. Learning to interract socially with others, together with intellectual development, is of utmost importance. In the case of home-schooling, the parent has a great deal of control over who their child mixes with, which in my opinion is a good thing. Personally I'd like to know that my child was mixing with people who would be a good influence and have a positive effect on their development. Although I can also see how it may narrow their experience of the world and deprive them of "learning from experience".

[Heartsease]

:o Erm.....it's a bit embarrassing (oh! not really!!).....I decided to withdraw from the thread becuz I found it ....er ....a little thyme-consuming (what with me digging about for suitable quotes...hee hee)...butt ....I received notification that peoples were still responding and my curiosity got the better of me. :p

And....yeah....it's thyme-consuming butt I do kinda sorta still wanna respond....
Marrers: That thingum about spelling....
I don't 'correct' my child's spelling anyway...even though I can usually spell well. He does ask for spelling somethymes......so I guess it does help that I know...yet we both have access to dictionaries and other people we could ask. Primarily he learned to spell by reading ....and he taught himself to read. It had almost nothing to do with me. I think that's great!

It's not that I did'nt originally (many years ago) intend to 'teach' him.....just that he made it clear (as a very small child) that it was'nt neccessary and had the potential to put him off entirely. Luckily we found this out early on.

[kriz]

I think home-education can work well, but only if the parents are commited, knowledgeable enough, and are able to follow some sort of curriculum to make sure the child is not missing out on important learning (the day will come when the kids may want to apply for college.)

It's an undertaking I would not want, because it's an enormous job (when done properly), especially if you have numerous kids, and I'm not knowledgeable enough to be responsible for a child's learning through high school. Neither is my husband.

I would be less worried about the social aspect of it - there are so many ways to socialize a child other than through the conventional school system. However, I think that gives the parent even more to do. To make sure he or she has enough friends and activities, and to constantly find "enriching" environments, can be full time job itself.

If my mom would have chosen to home school me I would have been in trouble, but if my father did, I would have done REALLY well, I think. They are just very different when it comes to knowledge, learning and teaching. Still today, everyone in my family (adults and kids) goes to my father for help with everything from home work to help with running a business.

[Marrers]

Primarily he learned to spell by reading
I hadn't really thought about that - mind you, I read but I don't think it improves my spelling! (I could spell better when I was younger but seem to have forgotten much of it now and often have to check words.)

Impressive that he taught himself to read. Sounds like you have a really smart kid on your hands there and that home school was the best option for him and his learning style. How old is he? Is he planning to enter for any exams or hasn't he decided yet?

[auntierozzi]

Your little boy seems to be doing really well Heartsease. It sounds as though home-schooling is the best thing for you and your son.

My little girls are 3 and 4 and they go to a tiny village school on Mon, Tues, Thurs. and Fri. in the mornings. I have dug my heels and refused to let them stay all day. We have had a lot of pressure from the teachers who say that they should be there from 8.50 - 11.50 in the morning then 1.30 to 4.30French law states that they don't have to be at school until the year they are 6.

I feel as though they learn a lot playing together in the afternoons and going for walks and listening to music and stories with me. I speak in English with them all the time and they are both very good at it and at school they speak in French and do well with that. They also learn to be part of the group at school and we hope that they will gain in confidence like this. It's also nice for all the family to be part of the village community via the village school.

[Heartsease]

How old is he? Is he planning to enter for any exams or hasn't he decided yet?

He's only 10. So he's not totally decided. We can look into whether or not anything 'formal' is needed for his chosen type of career and he can study appropriate subjects and take exams if he wishes.

I did'nt have to choose my subjects until secondary school so he has a wee while yet to explore his interests, methinks

Crikey, when I was 10 I wanted to be a vet.....:eek:

[Heartsease]

I'm not knowledgeable enough to be responsible for a child's learning through high school. Neither is my husband.

This is a common comment encountered by home-educators. When people study in university they 'read' a subject. When one goes to school the teacher demonstrates what they have 'read'. Certainly there are examples where physical work may be required (ie. in the sciences) but most of my formal education involved 'reading' or listening to someone else 'read'.
But even those other more practical subjects are frequently studied by home-educated children.

Our intellect is formed in the womb and in our first few years. If we have nurtured our babies and allowed them to witness our interactions with other people. Let them see how we deal with life on a day to day basis. Answered their questions (which can very reasonably involve an honest "I don't know...let's find out") and let them learn through their own enthusiasm and play..then they will be more than capable of learning all they need for healthy and happy lives.

When I was still only considering home-education I was fearful about being the 'fountain of knowledge' for my child...for that would be so limiting to him ....and a source of stress for me. It amuses me now how I worried. Through teaching himself to read he has opened up a world of knowledge that has no end. And he has always felt relaxed about asking people questions (and they generally love to answer). There are NO limits to what one can learn. I am learning something new every day. Indeed ....home-education could feel like a big responsibility....but that feeling arrived for me the moment I knew I was pregnant.:) :) :)

Education is not just about learning to earn a living...it is learning how to live ~ Sai Baba (I may be misquoting somewhat)