Do you wish you had been home schooled for the first few years of high school?

[Higgeldypickeldy]

I'm just reflecting on what an absolutely shit time I had during my first two years at high school. Third and four year were slightly better and fifth and sixth year (I'm in scotland) were brilliant fun. I wonder how my experience would have been different if I had been home schooled. The trauma from those first two years (when now looking back I was still so very young)has stayed with me all my life. I'm probably in the minority but if my child seemed to be having a similar shit time I think I would pull them out if they agreed.

I agree, it was a very harmful experience for me.

No, I wish that I had gone to a better school that actually cared about it's students.

As much as home schooling sounds a lovely idea, my parents needed to work to afford to live and I was very isolated outside of school, so wouldn't have met anyone my age if I was home schooled.

Absolutely not - for both myself and DD the first few years of high school were the best by far. No GCSEs or A levels to worry about yet but just the right age to go and experience a bit of freedom and fun with friends. Loved it!!

The last few years were a whole other story with exam stress…

Year 7 and 8 were great.
Year 9 and 10 was when it was horrible for me.
Year 11 and six form were great.

No

I did go to a lousy school (state, non-denominational) but my mother had undiagnosed mental health issues and my dad was a self employed builder and joiner and struggling to work during The Troubles (Irish Catholic - London, it's complicated)

I wish I could have gone to another school, but home schooling would have been an absolute disaster

Wow not at all. I have to say I was probably opposite to you in that 5th and 6th year were my least favourite years! 1st-4th year were a breeze for me and I had a good group of friends.

Year 7 was hard at first because I went to a different school than the rest of my primary school, and I didnt know anyone. But it was a really good school and once I'd settled in I liked it.

Not for a second.

School was my escape, my safe space. Where I was treated with basic courtesy. I loved it. 🙂

No, for me primary school was awful but second and improvement, and 6th form was great. Possibly I'd have been happier at home during the primary years, but I doubt I'd have then been able to merge in later on. My mum probably wouldn't have managed either the academic or social development very well, so I'd probably have had a worse time when I did go back.

No

could your parents have had the means - knowledge and available time to home school you? Remember that online learning wasn’t what it is now…. I think you are looking through rose coloured glasses being home learning by a text book only would have been dreadful too

Fuck, yes. I had a horrific time all the way through.

I doubt I would have done any work though as I am a bit thick and completely unmotivated.

Then again, I did shit at school as I am a bit thick, completely unmotivated and spent most of my time skiving, because at school, I spent lessons being laughed at and picked on (by students and teachers, which was nice), and every second I wasn’t in lessons, breaks, lunch, before and for 15 mins after school so I wouldn’t be sniggered at on the way out, I spent in a toilet cubicle on the top floor. I skived because, let’s face it, eating your sandwiches perched on a loo seat everyday isn’t exactly something you look forward to.

However, home Ed comes with its down sides too. I’ve met a lot of very unhappy and lonely home educated children over the years, especially teenagers.

I’ve done it. My eldest was home Ed until year 6, my youngest is 3 and will be home educated for a few years. my middle child has always gone to nursery/school as she’s a very different sort of child.

I’ve seen the downsides of home ed, met a lot of unhappy children at all the groups I’ve been to, just like I saw the downsides of school.

(And don’t worry, I married someone who isn’t a bit thick and I used tutors for my home educated child).

No .
I would've been so naive if I'd been home educated. School doesn't just an academic education, it is a social education from your peers.

I hated school....really, really hated it, but don't wish that I'd been home schooled. Going to school and college every day prepared me for work: I don't like my workplace and colleagues either, though the satisfaction of doing something worthwhile, that I'm good at, and that pays my bills is overall positive.

Nope. The first few years were great making friends, finding your tribe, finding your feet, finding where your tribe fitted in your year group, finding your feet with teachers and schoolwork. The middle years we had tremendous fun, and all felt secure enough to start forging friendships with other tribes, and we ended up as a good cohort. That then stood us in good stead for the last two years when it was a focus on academics as we all had the social stuff nailed by then so that aspect didn’t cause disruptions.

Out of all my kids only one didn’t have the a similar experience that I did, they never really had a tribe that fitted and a lot of people would leave at the end of school year, and it was a lot of starting again because not to end up in the same place. They had solid friends out of school which I think was a saving grace, and their experience was not so horrible that they would have been better homeschooled.

No, I had a pretty good experience at school and would definitely not have wanted to be home schooled. Also both my parents worked full time so it would have been impossible anyway.

Another one here who hated secondary school. I would have liked to have attended a different school, especially one where learning was seen as something to be proud of. But I still wouldn't have wanted to be home educated. I can't imagine missing out on the opportunities that school provided, experiments, performances, extra curricular clubs, day trips, residentials and teachers who went out of their way to inspire students. In addition to this it would have been incredibly isolating, and I say that as someone with siblings, friends outside of school and lots of cousins.

I went to quite an academic single sex school. Even then, I had major issues in the first few years. I don't wish I was home schooled necessarily but like you, if possible, I would home school my dcs if they were really struggling.

I work in a secondary school now. This will be the third secondary I've worked in. Generally, there is more support than when I was at secondary and in nicer areas, the standard comps are honestly nicer than my all girls grammar was imo. So I don't envisage my dcs having the same issues as I did. I won't rule out homeschooling though, especially now there are things like interhigh available. I don't imagine it would be easy / perfect, but there are some kids who just don't do well in mainstream school but there isn't an alternative for them until they hit 6th form, or if they go to an alternative provision. That only happens in the extreme cases though. Generally they're expected to just get on with it

No, definitely not. High school is always a challenge but it’s character building. Kids now are too soft

No, I think it would only delay the trauma.

Me eldest sailed through school,but my youngest hated it, he suffered with an anxiety disorder. He much suited HE.

It makes me smile how MN think HE kids are lonely, they do tend to have brothers and sisters, and do exactly the same as other kids outside of school hours. My son only spent approx 3 hours a day studying, he passed all his exams with highest grades. He said it was the best part of his childhood. He still had local friends and online friends.

This! Those are the most fun years before GCSES start. My daughter is in Year 9 and has been loving secondary school.

No, not home schooled. I hated S1 and S2 at my school which was a large mixed comp on the edges of Edinburgh in the 80s. There were very few people "like me" in my class, most were there to mess around, tell the teachers to fuck off and bully people who did their homework. It was hell and I hated it. S3 and S4 were better as we were streamed for most subjects and it was so much easier to avoid the wasters. S5 and S6 much better as the wasters either stopped attending in S3/4 or left as soon as they were 16.

I wouldn't have preferred homeschooling. I would have been happier in a school with a different demographic where those of us who wanted to learn and were headed for uni were the majority not 10% of the class.

I was just thinking this last week.

I think I would have not suffered so greatly with my mh if I had been home schooled (tutors and groups)

Absolutely not. I really enjoyed school - large northern comprehensive. I was quite nerdy and studious and liked lessons. I hated PE, though.

Yes, absolutely, especially since seeing what a great experience my own kids had being home educated. School bored me to tears, and I emerged thinking that a large proportion of people are at least slightly nasty.

I used to fake illness so I could stay home and read, which I loved. My sister before me had bunked off school to go to the art museum. It's true that home education would have been isolating in those days, but it still would have suited me better than school. Hopefully a few sports and clubs would have kept me ticking over socially.

University was a revelation. People were nice, and normal, and friendly, and actually wanted to be there. Almost no one was deliberately unkind. I only had to go into class a few hours a day and could spend the rest of the time studying in a peaceful environment wherever and whenever I wanted. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. It would have been great to have had that luxury at a younger age.