Mumsnet Talk

Well, we officially started HE! So far we're not doing anything formal, obviously, but last night my 12yo dd wanted to do some maths. That was fine and encouraging to me. Her twin sister sat there, while her and I were were working on some sums, and was telling us how wrong it was to do it the way we were doing it. It was my first insight into why we need to deschool. In her mind everything she was taught in school was the right way of doing things bc thats how she'd get the good grades. Now that we're homeschooling and actually learning and not just working hard to get good grades, we've got a LOT of undoing to do!

So, what else should I be looking for? How long do you reckon deschooling should last? I intend to do something with some structure and I will be making sure they are learning, ie, correcting spelling mistakes and such, but I wont be grading as such, and I dont want them competing with each other for 'good grades'. Basically, Im just not sure what Im lookign to undo until we cross the various bridges, so what am I looking for?

Any help would be greatfully appreciated.

Home Ed wisdom says the children need a month for every year at school....but some children, badly damaged by school need longer.......and from experience their parents need even longer!

Why not declare yourselves on holiday for a couple of months, go out and about and do things you all enjoy, walking in the woods, go to the cinema, go swimming anything and everything you'd do if you were on school holidays.
I bet when you look back after the couple of months you'll see that you have all learned loads informally and will be happy to spend the rest of the time deschooling, because you''ll see that learning does happen in life.

I'd suggest you all read the book The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education

" It should be required reading, not just for teens, but for parents, teachers and every human in western society. We need to wake up to the impact 'education' in institutions is having on us as a species. This book has so many useful resources. I really can't recommend it enough. Simply brilliant"

I think you'd all get something from it.

and then later when you are ready, you can introduce whatever structure your children want.

Thanks a lot. I was wondering if there were any other books HE'ers would consider required reading??

I don't think deschooling is compatible with structured work and correcting spellings, personally. I know it's a huge mental shift, but you've seen what you are aiming to AVOID, so you are half way there I think. Julie's post does sum it up, really. Best of luck.

There's a thread I'll look for and bump for you...