I home-educate my four kids,AMA

[wiziliz]

Used to be a primary school teacher, now I home-educate my kids . Ages 12,8,6&3 (no special needs)Ask Me Anything.

What on earth does little hot house mean? That's a pathetic, subjective phrase. And what the op has outlined doesn't sound like that in the slightest

The OP can't win, either she's not doing enough and is failing them but mention tutors and it is a 'hot house' 😂

Some, few. home ed. households are like that, by all accounts, Martha. Very early GCSE is not uncommon. OP doesn't sound like that, though.
They're very diverse, is what I've found, home educators. Some of interesting examples of children home educated I've come across are the music prodigies (e.g. piano at university level, approx age 11), the children doing elite sport (tennis, gymnastics), elite dancers (where they're attending so many associate schemes and competing that home education makes more sense.
Those are the few examples I thought might interest. Real children.

I understand home edding in a context where kids have SEN. Equally I understand home edding in a context where the kids are tennis players or gymnasts or have any specialised vocation which requires different treatment. I probably even get home edding at primary school level because all they really have to do in academic terms is reading writing and arithmetic. There's a bit of disclaimer with the primary age home edders because you need to get them interested in music and sports and some foreign language education is helpful.

But what I really do not get is home edding at secondary level. It's not mainstream and it is safe to say that none of the graduate applications that I see are from home edded children. If you do this, I think you are ensuring that your children have a life in the margins.

In your very limited experience that may be true pearls.

Broaden your horizons and research the subject. Outcomes for home schooled kids. Those who are properly educated not unschooled.

From your posts it seems you very much rely on your own, narrow experience.

You are indeed right that i have no experience of homeschooled children. As i say, no CVs of homeschooled children ever cross my desk. I'll leave you to wonder why that might be the case.

But I do have personal experience of one home-schooled family. A (teacher) friend of mine has a fairly disastrous relationship with her DIL who insisted on home-schooling her kids. The kids in question have no SEN and in every way this is parallel to the OP's situation. The kids were not able to pass the requisite exams to get into university (spanish then french system) and have no skills that will enable them to do anything other than pick olives on their olive farm. My friend is literally at her wits end.

I don't think my POV is narrow. On the contrary my primary objection to the OP's actions is that she is narrowing the options available to her DC.

Pearls, I don't know what you recruit for, but I have one DS who is an ecology graduate from the country's top uni, one who is studying Sound Production and a DD who is studying to become an aeronautic engineer. They are all home educated, and not in a structured, school-at-home fashion.

What do you look for in a Home Education group?
I'm an ex teacher now private tutor, and my step children are home educated. I'm looking to access the home education market for both tutoring and to set up groups for people to attend with or without their children.
Thank you

There are so few children who are home schooled that of course it says nothing that you haven't had any applications from any!

And you quote one case of home schilling gone wrong. I can quote several cases of pupils who attended school settings and left with few qualifications now struggling to get a job. That doesn't mean it's the same for everyone.

Both settings can work. Both settings can fail.

Surely you can admit that when so many on here have seen it for themselves. You are ignoring concrete evidence that of course home schooling can be a success.

The test will be in 15 yrs, not now. There weren't as many home ed kids 10 years ago who would now be coming through to employment.

There are so few children who are home schooled that of course it says nothing that you haven't had any applications from any!
Very true. That’s been mentioned more than once in the thread. They’re in a tiny minority.

I’m quite confident I could teach secondary level to high standards, in all the necessary subjects. I suspect I’m not alone in that.
A’level (which is even rarer to find home educators undertaking) not so much, unless was the subject I specialised in post graduate.

Some posts on here are bizarre. Of course you don’t need to be a secondary trained teacher to support your child to learn to GCSE level. I’m a primary teacher. My children aren’t HE but I am very confident I could teach to GCSE any subject. Anyone well educated with enough time could, you just study the material! I tutored a young boy in GCSE maths, he got top marks. 1:1 without marking and assessment workload is just not the same demand as being an actual secondary teacher. As for enrichment, my experience with friends who HE is that their children get a lot more artistic experiences than mine do.

"I’m quite confident I could teach secondary level to high standards, in all the necessary subjects. I suspect I’m not alone in that."

I couldn't. I take my hat off to anyone who can.

How would you deal with the practical element of the science subjects?

How would you deal with the practical element of the science subjects?
Do you mean for the exam assessment or general learning?
he-exams.wikia.com/wiki/Science_Practicals

This thing about practical science is a bit of a red herring. Where I live schools do not do practical experiments or lab or in science. Kids have to do a National 5 in what's called Lab Skills to get any hands on science at all and the art majority of the bright kids who go on t do science degrees do not have space in their timetables for that. They are far too busy doing physics, chemistry and biology classes. It is definitely case that my children have done more experiments at home using things like chemistry sets, electronics kits and basic household items - measuring the speed of light with cheese on toast or making "fireworks" with crisp packets and a microwave, for instance - than another of their friends who went to school.

Just to address the earlier point the OP made about home schooling being more efficient, as so much time went on controlling the class and dealing with behaviour issues. A couple of posters implied that the OP must have had substandard management of her classes. I think this is totally wrong. One of the major advantages of home schooling over primary school is that it IS more efficient time wise. It stands to reason that it is quicker to do an activity with one child than it is with thirty. Resources will be simple to organise in comparison, you can respond to one child and not thirty at once, you can extend the work or take a step back as the individual needs.

I am a primary teacher with excellent class management but I can still see that one could get through an entire day's worth of school work in a couple of hours with one to one at home.

I am very confident I could teach to GCSE any subject. Anyone well educated with enough time could, you just study the material!

This really worries me. Many bright people could teach a child to pass the exam (though realistically, not well across all subjects). That is NOT the same as being educated in the subject, truly understanding the subject, fostering a love of the subject. It's not about 'teaching to GCSE level' and if people think that's all that secondary teachers do I'm concerned.

As I've said though, I am a bright person and highly qualified, but even I don't have the arrogance to suggest that I could do what you claim.

Same. I used to teach A level and could probably get a child through a lot of gcses with workbooks etc. But the thrill of being in a class with an actual subject enthusiast cant be matched in my opinion! Of course many home edders access specialist groups and courses etc.

Similarly working in a group for an hour to produce a presentation takes an hour. Yes you could learn it by rote at home but the group learning is much more fun! Group discussions and varied viewpoints are fantastic. I loved this aspect of teaching!

Sadly learning to love a subject certainly isn’t a given at secondary school. Since I’m interested in a wide range of subjects and read widely I’m sure I could not only help them pass the exam but also direct them to other high quality sources of information and support if they show a flair or special interest. Maybe it does depend on the person and resources they have, but I’m sure lots of people could do it. I don’t intend to. My children will go to secondary school but I can see very easily how it is possible. That doesn’t mean I think I could waltz into a secondary classroom. The job is hugely to do with managing the admin, management and school/ofsted politics. In the same way, I think many parents could home educate their primary child but couldn’t do my job as a primary school teacher. It’s a different kettle of fish. Secondary maths for example, isn’t very hard! I very much doubt I could teach degree level anything except my subject and those related to it, but GCSE in a wide range of subjects is the base level we expect from well educated people. It’s not rocket science..

I am very confident I could teach to GCSE any subject. Anyone well educated with enough time could, you just study the material!

Quite agree. That is what many home educators successfully do. Taking the exams very early is also not uncommon (though I suppose some would say that was hot housing).

Did the OP ever return? I don't blame her really.

I could study most things independently and sure my kids could. Its just boring. like Open Uni vs groups and lectures (Ive done both!). Studying at home makes sense if limited by ill health/oppotunity (in my case childcare with my second degree - OU) but I wouldnt want my kids to miss out on the class experience at secondary.

However we have some fab secondaries I have knowledge of and it is fab. I can see I'd feel differently if not.

"But the thrill of being in a class with an actual subject enthusiast cant be matched in my opinion!"

I agree. DD took GCSE geography because she had a subject gap to fill. She had such a lovely, insoirationnal teacher that she achieved an A* and went on to do it at A level. Her A level chemistry teacher is brilliant and inspiring as well. DD struggled with it at first, but over the 2 years her grades gradually improved. I will find out next Thursday how she has done (bites nails).

As a parent I just don't have the skills to inspire her the way these 2 teachers have.

That's assuming you have inspiring teachers and schools.