Home Education....An Only Child

[doobydoo]

Anyone home edding an only child?If so how do you work it so they have access to other kids?

[kid]

are you home educating your child?
and bump for anyone with advice.

[doobydoo]

Hi Kid,Yes i am.
We moved to the irish republic last year and have moved round abit in Ireland.Now we are pretty much settled.The main worry is to get him mixing with others.We know another home ed family..and i think now we are getting settled he could join some groups etc.I just wondered how to go about it...i suppose i have to approach school footie teams etc.I just wondered what other home edders with only children do...as i do get the odd pang about it!

[chipmonkey]

In our village, there's a football team for kids which is separate from the school. There are also Tae-kwon-do classes etc. Usually ads are in local shops.

[chipmonkey]

Am in Ireland by the way!

[maedhbh]

In ireland also - most sports clubs are separate from schools so you just need to drop down or call to your local gaa club / soccer/etc etc.. usually if theres a local newsletter these will have details of contacts

[LadySherlockofLGJ]

Can I ask why you are Home Eding,? I have always considered the standard of education to be quite high.

[doobydoo]

Aha..whereabouts in Ireland are you guys?
And thanks for advice.
LadySherlock just wondering what your definition of a high standard of education is(i think people have different expectations and ideas of what a high standard is).
The reasons we are home edding are many and varied...here is one
The education system is funded and controlled by the government.Government is controlled by business.ergo the aim of the education system is to churn out economic units ie de-education.

[Sparklemagic]

I have an only child and just wanted to put it how I see it - I think you would need to provide social activities each and every day.

I don't think you shouldn't home ed a singleton but I do think you have to be very very careful every day to give them the opportunities to rub along with other children in all sorts of situations - academic, cultural, physical...

because I don't think it would be healthy for their life to consist of home 24 hours a day with the parent as parent and educator WITHOUT having the experience of being with others who are learning too, you can learn much more from sharing your learning and helping or being helped - and also I think children lose something vital if they are not given the opportunity to sometimes just be rebellious and silly to be honest - and you need the safety of numbers to do that, a singleton being home edded will lose that chance if alone too much. Does that make sense? I think there's something healthy about kids learning together and being able to exert their own opinions sometimes - not that you would 'squash' your child, but as a parent there is a power issue, specially when you ARE their complete world - home, and education...

It's for this reason I wouldn't do it myself. I believe it is more healthy for the child to have a world that does not revolve around it's parent. It is a valuable part of learning true independence and getting the opportunities to become your own person away from the parental influence. However I know this is in an ideal situation - I am aware that some kids don't get this chance at school for various reasons.

[jamsam]

i know a family who home ed due to remote location here in wales and they have enrolled all 4 sons in cyber scouting..they get to go on the occasional scout camp and trip and get invites to all the other local memebers everyfew weeks. this works well as they are nearly all farming and the kids understand the reasons for it. i would definatly get the social side of home ed rigt before worrying to much about thier progress, after all school is should really be all about relationships and behaviours, imo!

[GDG]

Agree jamsam - there is so much more to 'education' than learning the facts and figures. It's about behavioural and social development too so I think would be silly not to enrol them in plenty of outside activities where they can mix with other children and learn about group dynamics.

I'd imagine there'd be loads of sport, music, art clubs etc you could look at joining?

[AngelaD]

"The education system is funded and controlled by the government.Government is controlled by business.ergo the aim of the education system is to churn out economic units ie de-education"

I could have written that myself, one of the many reasons my children don't go to state school.

I don't see why you shouldn't home ed an only child the socialising in school nonsense is always trotted out [yawn]. The fact is there is no other time in your life you are required to rub along with 30 other people your same age and most people in real life actually don't get along with most other people anyway whether they went to school or not.

[doobydoo]

Yes thats what i think AngelaD.I would say that my ds and other homeschooled kids i have met seem to be pretty tolerant,eloquent and accepting of new people etc.....to name but a few positives!

[GDG]

do what you like then!

[Sparklemagic]

yes, sounds like you don't need other people's input - go for it and enjoy it.

[chipmonkey]

I'm in Meath, doobydoo.

[maedhbh]

Not sure I completely agree with your analysis of govt funded= business... not at primary level anyway - speaking as mother with one child, currently in gaelscoil - nothign could be futhre from truth.. On issue of home schooling ed - Have to say you're better parent than I am - I like idea of my son going off to school, messing, playing with others etc. I think I would be putting way too much pressure on if I was educating him!
Thinking of it, I disagree completely about there being no other time when tyou're expected to get along with thirty others etc.. well you should come and see my office and any working environment I've ever been in.

[doobydoo]

Interesting comments..I would say that with a Gaelscoil its more than likely to be the Catholic Church having the input!Please correct me if i am wrong.As we all know education is more than numbers,letters and learning the dates of the of so called important events..it is also learning to think for yourself etc etc.Still ds joined the local gelic football/hurling group yesterday so its a good start.

[satine]

But there are so many other alternatives to state education as well as home schooling, and I feel that your statement about economic units generalises a wide range of schooling approaches and ethos. What about Steiner? Forest schools? Private schools in my area, for example, vary a great deal in their style of education.
Have you found other home schooled kids in your area? Around us there is a thriving group of home schooled kids who go on trips and outings regularly.

[jamsam]

the whole " pushing small children to learn things that even adults dont use" has put me off education, as well as my own bloody awfull experiences. thats why my ds2 went to a steiner kindegarten for 2 yeras. if i had the money i would put both boys through that typr of education or better still a summerhill school.but alas, im a poor student and i havent go the energy to homeschool, so its off to the village primary for them.

[doobydoo]

Yes we have explored other options.Where we live in Ireland is limited in the type of school.
Ds went to a prep in the uk for a year[very competitive environment].
Went to a school briefly here but was fed up as academically he is quite advanced We are not rich and in fact are having a really difficult time trying to find work since dp was made redundant just before christmas.
I do not doubt the choice we have made i just want to make sure he sees other kids.That seems to be falling into place so I am pleased about that.
Satine,yes we meet a bunch of other homeschoolers regularly and there is a get together in the summer.
The "academic" side is a very small part of home edding for us..and everyone has their different way of approaching home education..depends on child and parents i suppose.

[SueW]

jamsam I thought Steiner schools had a philosophy of fees according to income?

[compo]

what about joining scouts? Then your child would also get to interact on camps as well as an evening a week

[AngelaD]

Unfortunately there aren't many actual steiner schools around, i'm sure they would be incrediably popular, my friend is moving from cheshire to hereford to send her boy.

[jamsam]

there is a few steiner schools here in wales, but even with thier sliding scale of fees i cant afford it. our kindegarten was funded by the camphill community it was in so that reduced the fees dramatically, infact it was cheaper than the local childminder.
as i said on another post, cyber scouting is really taking off, the kids enroll on line and have meetups every few months, but they are fully involved memebrs of the scout movement and are invited to eveything.
if i had the time and patience i would consider home ed, but mainly for the fredom of the daytime, you know not having to get up and out by nine sounds great...!!!

[doobydoo]

Yes jamsam..that is one of the many benefits..we can go to the beach in termtime and it isn't crowded.Ds also gets quite motivated in the eve so sometimes we are up late "doing stuff"