I home educate - my DS has never been to school - AMA

[OvertheUnicornRainbow]

My DS is almost 13, always been home-educated and is thriving. Ask me anything

@FennyBridges - are you replying to my post?

I always thought the full stop came before the brackets. Like inverted commas. This is what I'm pretty sure I've observed in published writing.

(If a full sentence is in brackets, the full stop is within the brackets.)

If there is not a full sentence in brackets, the full stop is outside the brackets (like this).

I don't normally point out other posters' SPaG errors but the OP's are relevant here, and @elenacampana attacked me for suggesting this, told me I had made errors and she was an expert, while making her own errors...

Put the full stop INSIDE the brackets when the words in brackets make a full sentence. Put the full stop OUTSIDE the brackets when the words in brackets are part of a sentence.

Yes thank you @tenlittlecygnets and @janemaster

Apologies to everyone else.

@Isabellaswann I did think that too, however, people are very impassioned about their children and their life chances, and education is the first route to a life chance, however it is achieved.

I wouldn't recommend name-calling as a method of persuasion however, @Branleuse

@FennyBridges - we don't isolate them from expertise. Also I care about Maths - it's not only Maths teachers that do, even if you don't. Safeguarding comes from Social Services. You only have to look at big cases to see the vast majority of DC in these cases were at school. Home education is not a safeguarding issue.

I never knew that about the brackets! I have published quite a lot....

Every day is a school day, wherever you are educated!

Home education is not a safeguarding issue

See, I disagree there. I would like to see a register of HE children and basic welfare checks done.

Of course most abuse cases went to school, most children go to school. That doesn't mean HE children would be immune to abuse, does it? Especially if they have fewer contacts with outside people which your son does not but many might, especially if they deliberately wanted that.

It will only take one Baby P type scandal to change this IMO.

I also proof read so grammar errors stand out a mile off to me

Ive always thought it was 'grammatical errors'.

@Nanamilly - the quieter environment is so important!

@FennyBridges - those things are all available in the home-ed community. Yes, it takes more input on the part of parent, of course. But those things are definitely not all available at the average school. I'm not sure how social interactions are limited? In my experience they are much more varied which I think is a positive.

Home education is not a safeguarding issue

I don’t think you gain much by saying things that are obviously wrong. In countries with no HE inspections safeguarding is very much an issue as is using HE to deny children a meaningful education. You just have to look at the legal challenges to the Amish requirement to remove kids from education to see this as well as the religious lobby for HE in the US in general.In countries with close and demanding HE inspections, like France where HEers have to follow he national curriculum, HE is really rare.

Sorry cross posted.

In terms of safeguarding, it is everyone's business, not just SS. Anyone who attends a basic safeguarding course as I have will be told it is their business.

It is such a shame how this post has gone. I get asked many questions day to day about home ed, people are often interested, some are positive and some negative(which is fine by me I don’t expect everyone to agree). Often it leads to interesting conversations.

If anyone is genuinely interested in how home education works in practice I recommend looking up some home ed blogs and maybe joining a couple of the larger home ed groups on Facebook.

I would recommend reading this, they advocate for responsible HE.

responsiblehomeschooling.org/

Thank you for starting this thread OP its fascinating

It's really opened my mind to another way in life. I've often thought school is for some children something they spend the rest of their lives trying to get over rather than the postive learning experience it should be.

There is one person I know who would have been absolutely suited to HE and could have avoided years of bullying and unhappiness.

I think alternative paths should be considered rather than the belief there is only one way to success. Its makes me chuckle really reading all these rigid views about the school system, Uni and future prosperity. In my circle I know two highly successful individuals who came out with no qualifications from school and are now high net worth individuals with global companies. On the flip side I know graduates who can't get anything more than a minimum wage job because they have no work experience and there is so much competition. I'm not saying one way is right and the other wrong, just as an individual its is better to follow your own path to effective learning and mental wellbeing. What society thinks is largely irrelevant as it doesn't actually experience what the individual will nor will it pick up the pieces of an unhappy childhood.

Of course there should be safeguarding measures in place to protect vulnerable individuals but this can be to support HE. How many children are not safeguarded from bullying and physical violenece in schools? Probably a higher percentage I would guess. Pastoral care and safeguarding should be more effective on both sides, neither have got it right in my opinion.

Both my children will go to school. It currently suits my son as he is gifted in maths and is stretched at school but if it doesn't in the future or my daughter has issues I would considere HE.

Good luck to you OP, I for one think you are admirable in adapting to your sons individual needs and giving him the tools he needs for success in life.

@OvertheUnicornRainbow I do care about maths. What I'm arguing is that the minutae of maths - for example - the nth number is difficult and I'm sooooo relieved it is not a concern of mine because it's the maths teacher's concern!

It's like the critique above about metaphor, simile and personification. Yes, perhaps useless in adult life (not my opinion, but there you go. I'm biased.) However, as a GCSE examiner, you have to master them as one third of your overall Language grade.

Maybe I should applaud home-schooling parents because you do everything and have to do it do well all of the time whereas my secondary and primary school child right now are woefully neglected by me because this week I've needed a break and they've not done anything academic apart from reading books and The Week.

And I agree with the post above. It is admirable to do everything with and for your child. I couldn't.

I've never understood that nth number 🙄

@Hercwasonaroll - what age do you teach? I have a few teacher friends and value their input on my DS's education.

@Sillyscrabblegames - thank you! I think I do have a lot of confidence in what I can provide for him due to how well he is doing. But yes, it is important to recognise our limitations. But, I'm not adverse to teachers, tutors, college etc stepping in as I think I've evidenced. That's a shame about the adults you talk about. And yes, sometimes you have to do boring stuff to reach your goal. But if it is your own goal that gives you motivation to suceed. Unfortunately many DC at school are sitting through lessons because they 'have' to and have no personal motivation.

@Onceuponatimethen - makes a good point about social skills. The number of SEN DC being home educated is massive.

@FennyBridges - it is called home-education. But our DC don't stay at home!

@CuckooCuckooClock - yes, I often look at TES. The teachers for his GCSE classes are traditional teachers. The Science class is a Scientist, one of the Art classes is taught by professional Artists and the other by a parent keen on Art. We have dipped our toe into some of the 'alternative' stuff available. Like you I am very interested in how DC learn and all the different possible methods. I've used bits from different theories as suits. I did a lot of Montessori stuff when he was younger. What alternative methods did you use?

Im not trying to persuade anyone to home educate. It wouldnt suit everyone. I want people to actually open their eyes to the fact school is not suitable for all kids by people who are clearly deluded, willfully or otherwise about the reality of the broken system we have now.
If I could find a school that wouldnt break my child, I would send her there. In the meantime, the thought of her not being able to go to a RG university is so far removed from my reasons its unreal. Some of the judgemental comments here about home educated children and how odd, weird they are, how the mothers are doing it for their own reasons, not the childrens, are just bonkers and dont reflect the reality that a lot of parents find themselves in with a school system on offer that doesnt fit that child. Home education actually saves a lot of children.

@tenlittlecygnets - so you don't consider most English teachers able to teach English? How fair would it be for me to worry about your business based on typos on here?

@Nearlyalmost50 - but in the Baby P case he was seen by many, many professionals. That is the case in pretty much all these tragedies.

@janemaster - thats interesting about safeguarding under 5s. It seems like HV need to have a body to hand over too - like the school nurse gets all children in a school district plus all home ed children and could play a similar role.

@Booboostwo - that is the opinion/advice of the government after the latest investigation into home-ed. I would imagine they have more knowledge and insight than you. So imo you are wrong.

Thank you @OvertheUnicornRainbow. I suppose home-schooling is a dichotomy and home-educate isn't!

@janemaster - yes, that's quite right safeguarding is everyone's business. Home-ed DC have lots of people around them that could potentially raise safeguarding issues.
@Upstartcrones - thank you - and thanks for your interesting insight. I hope your DC continue to thrive.