And another home ed success! Reassurance for anyone scared to HE secondary

[musicposy]

My DD1 got the results of her two iGCSEs today. She got an A in Biology and a B in Geography. I am so, so proud of her - she is only 14 and doing this was a huge step into the unknown for both of us.

Just 2 years ago I was posting about how terrified I was at the thought of taking her out of school, how I felt completely incapable of "teaching" at this level, etc etc. I was already home educating my primary aged younger daughter but this felt like such a huge leap in the dark for me. I looked at other people who got their kids through exams and it seemed like an impossible minefield I would never conquer. Yet, 2 years on, here we are.

One thing worth noting for all those out there who come out with the "how can you be a specialist in all those subjects" line, is that I never did Biology at school - the only science I did was Physics. Even my family were very sceptical about the idea of us attempting it. And yet, this was the one she got the highest mark in. Partly we worked it out together, and partly she did it alone. By the time she took the exam, she knew way, way more about Biology then me. It is wonderful how home ed works in this way.

I feel like the sky's the limit now, like we could take on anything we felt like. It felt like climbing a mountain at times, but we got there!

[VoidofDiscovery]

Congratulations, that is wonderful for you both, well done.

[SDeuchars]

Brilliant!

Please send the details to me for the HEexams site - it helps to encourage others (and refute the people who say that HE turns out people useless to society and unable to work).

[julienoshoes]

Oh Congratulations to your DD1. and to you for having the courage to give HE a go, I remember how scared you were.

Say hello to both of your daughters for me!

[niceday]

Wow! Congratulations - this is a wonderful achievement.
Why did you decide to do HE?
Would you recommend it?
And how do you compensate for the lack of peers for the daughters?

Again, well done both of you

[Marjoriew]

Well done yourselves, posy. Great News!
Are things looking up for you now, then?

[StandingAtTheBackLookingStupid]

Congratulations to both you and your dd, musicposy - you have both done brilliantly !

[katy42]

Hi posy

I have only just discovered this forum and recognise a few names from an old forum i used when i had just de-registered my son 3 years ago.

Posy - many congratulations to you and your daughter !! You must be very very proud .

Well 3 years on my son has passed 3 gcse's last year and is waiting for the results of the 3 more he took this summer so fingers crossed for those !

It's great to see the names from the old forum although you probably don't remember me as i only posted a few times.

Julie - i remember you well from the old forum - your posts were an inspiration to me when i de-regged my son !!

[SDeuchars]

@niceday, why do you think that MusicPosy's daughters are lacking peers?

Many EHEers find the problem is finding times not to be with others. :)

[elliemental]

That is wonderful - well done to both of you!

(Niceday, sadly the lack of peers is one of the reasons my ds would love to be home edded. He is miserable as sin at school, and has struggled to make friends but is popular and sociable out of school)

[Saracen]

Fabulous news, musicposy!! Congratulations to your daughter!!

[niceday]

SDeuchars - I mean traditional schoolmates iyswim.. Do you just find neighbours, clubs, sport schools etc?
Peers can be a great driving force, though only good ones which the school does not guarantee

[SDeuchars]

The good thing is that EHE kids can have friends of all ages and do not feel the need to discriminate on the basis of age or sex.

For example, our robotics team has 9 or 10 kids from 12 to 16 and 6 mothers (and an occasional father) up to mid-50s. We meet for the same reasons adults meet people - we have a shared interest that we are pursuing together. We choose to meet - the children enjoy each other's company and like to get together even when we are not "working" and the adults are mutually supportive.

My DCs, in common with many EHE kids, also went to various groups in the community (church, youth, local Saturday music school, sports lessons/clubs). These groups are often divided by age but some are divided more by interest and ability.

There are also local EHE groups in most parts of the country where people meet, often just to hang out but sometimes to do activities.

Although most people need friends, they do not need to be in an artificial group of 600 or 1500 within a restricted age range and with adults set up as an opposing force.

[niceday]

Thanks, SDeuchars.

[shemall]

Thats great!

Well done..xxx