To find the homeschooling fad really braggy

@PoliteSquid

Parental controls are the answer to your question - fairly easy issue to solve as well as having computers in common areas and an interested and available parent who observes what children are doing and manages any issues.

I don't home school but I voted YABU

Some homeschooling does look like an amazing experience for some, I'm not surprised people want to brag

Ok

It's still wider than being restricted to groups with other home-educated kids only, and only when approved by mummy and daddy.

Good home educating parents can do an amazing job. The problem is that the loud ones usually are not the good ones - but are often seen as examples…
Good home education is work intense, can get expensive (secondary school, but also groups and hobbies), and requires a parent with natural talent as a teacher and the ability to keep learning.
Mr and Mrs “my child learns without instruction, in daily life” will end up like the poor boy in my son’s class - learning to read in year 8.

You can think what you want about the school education system, but the one thing it does, is forcing people to interact with any kind of people, any social class and have social skills.

In a working class area, there'll be mainly working class kids plus a few middle class kids, whether that's for school or home ed.
I recall a boyfriend being in halls with mainly privileged kids at uni and it must have been a steep learning curve to try to find some common ground.

The word you're looking for is smug.

“The wonders of the internet…” fucking hell that has alarm bells all over it! Who is taking responsibility for making sure the home educated child has sufficient critical thinking and analytical skills to learn effectively from “the internet” Digital learning absolutely has its place, I would argue it’s essential, but it is no substitute for guided learning by a teacher!

Is it a fad? I’m mid forties and have numerous friends that were home schooled.

All have good jobs and are well rounded decent humans. Most went into higher education but skipped the largely mediocre education on offer in local primary/secondary schools.
Most weren’t wealthy or privileged, they moved around a lot and most of the time weren’t settled for long enough to go to school. (Hey hippy parents).

I disagree about it being ‘braggy’, maybe you are mixing with the wrong people?

FWIW I didn’t home educate, I would have been terrible and couldn’t afford it. I admire people that can do this and don’t have a massive chip on my shoulder about other people’s choices.

I am not here to discuss the merits of homeschooling.

From the comments and interactions I happen to have with homeschooling parents, MANY happen to be braggy.

Simply having to tell everybody that they ARE homeschooling, when no one asked and that wasn't the subject or the question, is enough to prove it.

Frankly, who cares, and why do they need to define their entire life by it?

None of the Home Ed parents I know are braggy about it. Most I know do it for religious reasons or because their child has struggled in school.
The braggers I know tend to be the ones whose children go to private/grammar/an outstanding school. Not all of them but some of them seem to think it elevates them to a higher state of parenting.

School lumps children into same age groups from a similar geographical area.

If it's a wealthy area, they're likely to be wealthy.

If it's a deprived area, they're likely to be deprived.

It certainly isn't a wide social mix in all schools - some are better than others.

Do you object to private or religious schools who restrict severely and deliberately those children who attend?

I home educate.

I put things on social media because my family and friends like seeing about it and ask questions about it.

Its nothing to do with privilege or wealth. Im far from either- husband is on a minimum wage job and I do a bit of freelance work around my home educated child. In fact, we are almost certainly going to be homeless and in temporary council accommodation next year - hardly wealth or privilege.

It's not an argument - it's a discussion - I disagree with you and state my point, you counter it.

It's communication.

why would they have "better social skills" exactly?

You can think what you want about the school education system, but the one thing it does, is forcing people to interact with any kind of people, any social class and have social skills.

@ThisGentleRaven Parents come in pairs - so one works, one looks after children.

Why on earth would you want the luxury of that choice, OP? I can't think of anything worse than teaching my DC math.

We home educate our 12 year old ds, as he was utterly traumatised by secondary school and was suicidal.
We are far from wealthy. He can't go to school, so we have to do our best with the situation.
Don't be so narrow minded.

Who is pretending that everyone has a choice?

I don't agree you can be "working from home" AND looking after your child, let alone educate them.

At best you are doing a poor job in both areas.

"shift working" great, and the child is where when you are at work?

Of course you need to be wealthy, we all have 24hours in a day, only so much working full time and educating your child full time you can do.

it's about learning, not teaching. Once a child knows how to learn and given the wonders of the internet they only need resources and occasional help to learn whatever they need. 😂
I am not even going there, I am not here to have an argument. Lets just agree to disagree about "learning whatever they need".

It’s not arrogant or 'braggy' to home educate children; what a bizarre thing to say about a type of education. Also you don’t need to be rich to home educate, the people I know who do so are on average or lower incomes. It sounds like you are feeling very envious and projecting your issues onto home educators. You’d be best off not following these families on social media if it's making you feel that way. Or bettwr still delete social media! It seems to make people so bitter and miserable comparing themselves to everyone else!

and here we go...

The "real world" being? what exactly?

You have to be wealthy enough to be able not to work, but to educate your child full time.
Wealthy enough to join all the clubs and activities so they keep a social life.
Wealthy enough to pay for tutors to add to your schooling when needed.

No, no and no

Working from home, shift working, working around each other - all possible and likely. 'Full time' does not mean 9-3 at tables education. It's so much more flexible than that.

Clubs and activities - don't need to cost much at all and may not be necessary - many home edders run co-operatives, meet up groups or just walks in the park - then you have churches, nature groups and just meeting in the playground - young children make friends everywhere. O

Tutors?? Why? As John Holt understood clearly (How Children learn) - it's about learning, not teaching. Once a child knows how to learn and given the wonders of the internet they only need resources and occasional help to learn whatever they need.

you already lost me at "unschooling". 😂

and yes, I have read a lot about education, and what is "homeschooling" in this country and others. People do what they want, but braggy parents are absolutely a thing.