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Original poster

Why does home schooling appeal ?

456 replies

SeptemberFlowers · 26/01/2014 09:36

I myself would be far to scared to do it with my dc's as I'd be needing to reach for the Wine most weekends of having to teach them curricular that I was shit at at school.

Why does it appeal to so many people ? There are a few children in the next village (live in a rural location) who are HE but only because their mother doesn't trust other adults with her children. I know this an extreme case but the only one I know personally.

How would you know your child is learning all the correct syllabus for different subjects ?

OP posts:
wobblyweebles · 26/01/2014 18:37

I would like to know where all these failing HE children are that people keep talking about, who are not receiving a decent education. Do any of you personally know any? Especially those with a very negative view of HE. Is there somewhere we can read about them?

My nieces were home educated and they were barely literate even as teenagers. Their mother believed that all they needed to know was how to cook, shop, knit and sew. They are very bitter about it, and now both in their mid-20s trying to catch up with their education in evening classes while holding down day jobs.

I know this isn't typical of HE, but it certainly happens.

Sparklysilversequins · 26/01/2014 18:43

I was just going to post those links mellow Smile

MellowAutumn · 26/01/2014 18:44

Bloody millions of them Sparky - but hey they are the Times and telegraph etc so probably biased :)

morethanpotatoprints · 26/01/2014 18:44

Whilst there are cases of H.ed dc gaining places at unis without GCSE's and A levels there are just as many who do gain formal qualifications, some earlier than their schooled peers.
It looks like dd will opt for secondary school, as I said up thread a specialist school. If however, she doesn't, I'm not at all worried about her continuing H.ed for as long as she wants.
I think it is amazing that in just over a year she has gained the skill of self motivating study, an enquiring mind, reading and writing for pleasure. There is no spoon feeding required, I was unable to see this in any of my A level students when teaching. They hadn't been given the opportunity to think for themselves.

Commander6 · 26/01/2014 18:45

If I am not mistaken, those 2 links dont have anything to do with HomeEd do they.

Will scroll back and read the Guardian link

Commander6 · 26/01/2014 18:47

My time is limited. If you like, can you please relink the guardian one, if it is relevant to HomeEd. Thanks.

MellowAutumn · 26/01/2014 18:49

Commander6 they were in response to wobblyweebles about basic skills - it had her name on and you don't like reading HE posts anyway do you ?

morethanpotatoprints · 26/01/2014 18:49

Commander6

Are you considering H.ed? It can hugely benefit children.

MellowAutumn · 26/01/2014 18:50

ODPO 'my time is limited ' ?? well guess what so is mine - I hav e kids to educate who have a brain and enquiring minds and dont expect to be spoon fed

MissBetseyTrotwood · 26/01/2014 18:50

We are seriously considering this for our DS2, who has SN. There are two local schools in the place we are about to move to. One has no places in his year. The other has just failed its Ofsted because pupils with SN make poor progress, the inclusion policy is 'systematically flawed' and the SENCO is not deemed capable enough to be part of the senior team. Said senior team remains in place, along with the same SENCO. We visited; the 'remedial group' ( Hmm ) were doing a literacy intervention programme that went out with the ark and has been shown in research to be of little effect. It was dry, decontextualised and boring. To all which DH and I say a resounding 'No thanks' for our child.

As long as we can find a Home Ed group to socialise with, we will try that road.

DS1 loves school however - it would not be the right choice for him.

MellowAutumn · 26/01/2014 18:56

morethanpotatoprints - put it much better than me ;)

wobblyweebles · 26/01/2014 18:56

MellowAutumn I was simply replying to the question 'where all these failing HE children are that people keep talking about' which implied that they do not exist.

They do.

MellowAutumn · 26/01/2014 19:03

Of course they do - but there are rucks of school kids failing. Sorry if it came across offensively though I did not read your post properly. Just a bit fed up of well I know one he family and people extrapolating it to cover all he families.

TamerB · 26/01/2014 19:07

I know there are failing HE children - I also know that there are very successful ones.
There is no way that my husband would have got to a top university for science if he was self taught- he couldn't even manage the homework! He got there because he had an excellent education and he managed to cope with the homework in time. He wasn't left by the school to flounder on his own.
I know an HE'd girl at the moment who wants to go to university, her mother thinks she can walk in without any formal qualifications. Last September she decided that she needed them and is now in a 6 th form.

teacherwith2kids · 26/01/2014 19:07

Mellow, saying that school does not perfectly equip school leavers for the world of work isn't, by itself, an argument for HE.

Even as an ex-HEer and thus a supporter of the principle, I can see that more is needed in the form of a positive statement that 'HE children possess better skills / equal skills in this area to schooled children' for those articles to be quoted in support of HE

Pumpkin567 · 26/01/2014 19:08

Met some home Eders once. They were lovely and it seemed so interesting. One child was 8 and couldn't read, this shocked me as my three year old was reading. Mum was so laid back about it, much more forcused an how well he could climb and run, they were really nice.

I went away to red up on the subject and I think one of the ideas and ideals are great. The flexibility would be fab, the ability to work at the child's pace, focusing on their interests. Not wasting so much time.

However for me I am amazed everyday at what my children learn at school, I would be exhausted having to organise all of that. I fear we would cherry pick the best subjects for us and would miss stuff out. I would be concerned that mixing mostly with He children would be too insular. I would worry that I was not doing a good enough job and Had made a choice that made my children too different. I would be very anxious if mine couldn't read and child led HE would not work for me.

I think I would like to see a bit more flexibility in schooling. A four day week would be great for us. As it stands I would rarther I teach them in my time and school teaches them in theirs. I think that makes for the best balance.

Pumpkin567 · 26/01/2014 19:09

Some of *

TamerB · 26/01/2014 19:10

All my friends children have done very well at school, it has opened all doors, which is all you want. None of them have failed.
My son is severely dyslexic - He has had an IEP all through school and it is mad to think that I could do better without experience, he was much better with experienced teachers. He has done amazingly well and I am
very proud of him.

Sparklysilversequins · 26/01/2014 19:12

I don't think mellow was saying it was an argument FOR HE specifically, she was countering other arguments against it, that sometimes HE children fail, showing that sometimes children educated in school do as well.

Commander6 · 26/01/2014 19:12

Quite teacher. That is what I was trying to say also.

It is like people saying well b is worse than a so dont do anything about b. A non argument.

Commander6 · 26/01/2014 19:14

Actually I may have got that sentence wrong!
I am tired. I will try again.

It is like people saying well b is no worse, or as bad as a, so we dont do anything about either of them.[hope people understand this. I think I will leave the conversation for the time being].

TamerB · 26/01/2014 19:19

I can't see why it is a case of better. It is merely a system that suits some people. It can't suit all - nothing can. One person's perfect system is always another person's nightmare. I am self taught in lots of things and get by perfectly well, but always feel at a disadvantage when next to the person who has been properly taught. I need a good teacher. Not everyone feels this way- why should they? We are all different.

MellowAutumn · 26/01/2014 19:22

Again I have schooled kids and unschooled kids , I have kids with SN and dyslexia, most teachers know very little about dyslexia actually, some also have very little sn training as little as 3 days on some teacher training courses. I am not saying he is perfect but it tends to have better over all outcomes especially for children from lower archiving back grounds. That is all really I think I have said and tried to evidence.