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

@atankofskunks I think you’re being selective about what you’re hearing from @OvertheUnicornRainbow

She has explained her DS goes to a variety of groups and classes. He isn’t only going to learn what he and her DH know.

We are getting the snapshot that the OP is able to give in posts. I think people are taking some snippets and misinterpreting them.

I’m not sure why people are hung up on the number of GCSEs? Surely the whole point of HE is to get a different kind of education than a child would in mainstream school? My DD went to school, she has 12 GCSEs. She is now 22 and has a degree. She could just as easily have done that with 5 GCSEs as that was the entry requirement for sixth form. I am certain that her knowledge is not as well rounded as a HE person. At least 6 of the GCSE subjects she took, she ended up hating by the time she left school.

Tbf @atankofskunks even if my DDs decide to go to secondary school they won't be spending Feb half term in Europe with their school because there's no chance we could afford it so I'm not sure thats the best example of independance

@tankofskunks - I making nothing harder. Other children might get to do some after school hobbies he does that on top of more time for in-depth and wider subjects study. And I'm aware of that re Arts award. And what is so appalling about a 13 year old studying independently??

OP, it's interesting that you do this in a culture/system where degree results matter a huge amount. I'd imagine that it makes some home schooling easier and some harder.

Re: the former, it means you can prove aptitude, and I imagine a GCSE earned through work with you is no different than one earned by school. In terms of the latter, taking only 5 GCSEs may very well put him out of contention for top universities and/or cut off possibilities for certain competitive (particularly professional) courses; this means, of course, that he might not be able to reach his full professional potential.

How do you feel that the examination system has affected your own home school? Does it make it easier or harder?

@Gingerkittykat - If you read the thread I actually listed he would do English, English Lit, Maths, Science and perhaps History. That would be more than 5 anyway as Science will be double award.

So he is going to a class for 4 subjects like anyone at school would then.
The karate is the kind of hobby activity most kids do who do go to school.

Going to actual classes sounds much better than the usual learning through Khan Academy. Yes Khan Academy is well written, but it is still working through a subject alone at your computer.

OP one of the things I know from work as we have a lot of recent graduates, is that school and university emphasise a lot of "soft skills" like being able to make and present a powerpoint presentation to a roomful of people and being able to work in groups.
No idea how much time they spend teaching this, but all, the people at my workplace who are new to full-time work are very good at both of these skills.

Not triple science then OP, for your highly academic son?

@atankofskunks - I didn't need 10 GCSEs - I wish I could have just done 5 and had the extra time for in-depth study and study on subjects not covered by GCSE. I would have loved to attend lectures by professor s passionate about their subjects, been able to go to courses at STEM colleges and learn from the experts in Art galleries. I don't think you understand the motivation home ed kids have - they enjoy learning - they don't limit themselves!

@atankofskunks - having been taught by a teacher? Not sure he matters. Could you not be a,nurse if you've not been in a hospital? I'm sorry but you really have no idea about home ed. They want to stretch themselves! How exactly should I stretch him than he's already doing?

My daughter is at a highly selective grammar school. She did not get into that school without being massively self motivated. That is not a trait exclusively of home educated children. She is also not an GCSE machine. She attends lots of classes outside of school and has countless opportunities by virtue of also being AT school.
GCSE are, by definition, general. They are intended to be broad because at that time of your life a wide knowledge is what you need- a breadth that allows you to decide what you are passionate about and to then focus far more as you progress to A level and beyond. No 13 year old needs to be a specialist in anything. They need to discover a little about a lot so that they can chart their own course.

@Nancydrawn - we would certainly look at how GCSEs would affect choice of degrees. To be honest it was only Maths and English needed when I did my degree. However I know Uni's sometimes give home-ed kids unconditional offers based on their home ed status alone!

I think the exam system narrows studies so if we can work around that we will.

And on stretching a child, how on earth does a student of anything stretch themselves when they have no idea of where they are heading? Yes, they can be motivated enough to keep practising something or to try something out but you can't possibly expect someone with no direction from an expert to be able to know where the next step should and could be taking them.

Someone who is trying to learn something without a teacher is likely to do more of the same- probably picking up bad habits along the way. They are highly unlikely to be able to stretch themselves without knowing the subject well.
And how do you stretch motivated pupils? Teachers do it every day of the week OP. It's the very essence of what teaching is!

I don’t understand why people are so suspicious about the OP meeting her son’s academic needs. I have ten GCSE’s but I would only consider that five of them were actually useful, challenging subjects. The rest were Business Studies and ICT double award rubbish that the school pushed us in to because they were an easy pass so it improved their results. Home schooling is not limited to learning exam content. I was home schooled twice during primary/early secondary school and I always returned to mainstream schooling far ahead of my peers academically. I was bright and self motivated so it was a good match for me. There is a plethora of good, informative educational resources online for more instructional subjects like maths and science should he need it. When I was 12 I worked my way through an entire GCSE maths textbook independently. I completed the quizzes and if I got any wrong I was able to look up the correct answer and review the question to work out where I went wrong. There are lots of ways to learn besides a traditional classroom teacher set up.

Double award science is quite limiting though. Where is the MFL ? for an academic child that's quite impotant (it encourages different neural pathways) never mind the opportunity to study an ancient language. I would be concerned that in a child with ASD this style of education allows him to be too self directed (which is a pitfall in ASD anyway) and not sufficiently broad in his education at a relatively young age.

GCSE are, by definition, general. They are intended to be broad because at that time of your life a wide knowledge is what you need- a breadth that allows you to decide what you are passionate about and to then focus far more as you progress to A level and beyond

But that isn’t strictly true. A child who does not have traditionally academic interests is not well served by GCSE subjects. My DS is 14. He is interested in and is good at exploring how things work, taking things apart, fixing things. We knew this about him firm an early age. A GCSE is product design is about as near as it gets and he has no interest in that whatsoever. He also likes to learn about history but so far, has not enjoyed GCSE history.

Your DD by virtue of being at a selective grammar is partly a GCSE machine. That’s why they want her there. People with no GCSEs can achieve so much in life. You seem to suggest that only someone with a very Hugh attainment of exam passes is going to reach their potential.

@atankofskunks - maybe - if he wants. He's only Y8 - he doesn't need to plan everything yet. You are being quite goady - what are you jealous of - my DS's intelligence or that I get to home-ed??

I went to a super-selective grammar - I wasn't self motivated atall! You certainly don't need that to get in if you are intelligent enough.

Your DD may do all sorts but the fact is it will never equal what a home-ed kid can do. They get to go to museums when it is quiet and can do all the hands on stuff for hours while getting 1:1 attention from the advisors, they can go to lectures every week that schooled kids could only go to in holidays, they get to go on educational trips much more and not just a few times a year, they get to spend more time with real experts.

GCSE= General certificate. They do lots of them to provide diversity. Schools also offer vocational choices of course too which broaden the shift even further.

My daughter will undoubtably pass lots of GCSEs and do so well. She is likely to go on to a decent university and set herself up for what I hope will be a solid income and a good lifestyle. None of this takes away from the fact that she also has hobbies and interests unrelated to GCSEs, enjoys spending time with friends, goes on her iPhone (too bloody much) etc etc. She is by no means a "GCSE machine".

Your DD may do all sorts but the fact is it will never equal what a home-ed kid can do. They get to go to museums when it is quiet and can do all the hands on stuff for hours while getting 1:1 attention from the advisors, they can go to lectures every week that schooled kids could only go to in holidays, they get to go on educational trips much more and not just a few times a year, they get to spend more time with real experts*

You have a very strange view of a school education OP if you think that these things don't happen for pupils who attend school. How are you providing such opportunities whilst also being at work full time?

Re your son's intelligence, I worry for him, as should you, that he will have little to show for it.

That’s great for your DD but what I’m saying is that isn’t the only route to a solid income and a good lifestyle.

And not all schools offer anything remotely vocational.

@atankofskunks - of course you can know where you are headed! Have you never studied anything?? And if you read the thread he is around experts! I specifically asked how much more my DS should be stretched? There's little point doing A levels early. I wasn't stretched at school at all. I had to stay in my year group and found a lot of it very boring and lots of the teachers were neither experts or passionate about their subject!

Have you never studied anything??

I'm not sure I understand your point here OP but yes I have a collection of GCSEs, A levels, a degree, postgrad qualifications relative to my career and a masters degree as well as countless other qualifications connected to my specialism.

Ds (15y11) is going to NASA with the school. They also offer trips to Iceland, South Africa as well as the more vanilla skiing, France, Italy, Germany and Battle fields of WW2. TBH OP going to museums as an educational activity is something I'd associate with 6-12 year olds. Not 2nd half of senior school.

seaview.
Most schools offer some vocational courses these days to be fair. BTec courses exist in all sorts- engineering for example which would probably very much suit your child.

You are making Home Ed sound really attractive OvertheUnicornRainbow my little chap with ADHD and possible ASC is having a pretty dreadful time at a lovely school and sadly isn’t learning much apart from how to feel bad about himself.