Why does home schooling appeal ?

[SeptemberFlowers]

I myself would be far to scared to do it with my dc's as I'd be needing to reach for the 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 ?

Just

Thank you for that, of course I only know about the relatives my extended family have told me about. It seems they are still doing it like this. I was born 60's so schooled in 70's. I have heard that female cousins my age were taken out of school at the end of primary. They were told it was so they didn't mix with boys and to stay with their communities, but seems like it was to disinterest them in a life of work outside the home.
To me it isn't H.ed as this was where their education stopped in terms of academia. It then became washing, cooking, childcare preparation. I suppose they were educated to care for the family.

Tamer

What checking do you mean?
I agree that ime the expectations of the same mix you state are exactly what I have found.
I don't think H.ed changes the natural ability of a child, although I'm happy to be proven wrong.
I think it can give the opportunity for a child to thrive as much as a good school can for a schooled child.

Mama - it sounds as of those kids just hasn't taken the qualifications they'd needed? I have thought about home edding at secondary if we couldn't get the schools we wanted for ds2 & ds3 (ds2 got his first choice & loves it, ds3 only in year 4) but I'd do the academics via Internet school so it would be quite similar to school.

Quite a few in the US HE due to religious reasons (faith schools are fee paying) or, increasingly, due to very poor public education in the areas they can afford to live and not being able to afford private school fees.

Bunbaker - if she is A* potential but not interested then potential is a pretty useless statement isn't it ? . Most of GCSC maths can be taught in a functional perhaps more interesting manner - I sorry if I did not make that clear - just because you learn percentages by talking about mortgages and credit cards does not mean that the skills are not transferable. Showing how maths is used in real life can also spark an actual interest. I was trying to get across that there are lost of different ways of teaching the same things obviously unsuccessfully.

''Interesting point about children from low achieving families doing well with home education. Who educates them'' - Erh they are home educated by their parents - just because the parents did not achieve at school does not mean they are incapable of teaching or more accurately facilitate their child's learning - A lot of HE kids do A levels almost on their own - they are generally much better at independent learning than schooled children. many Uni's accept He kids with no A levels.

"Also perhaps if you spent more quality time with your kids you might like them more and be able to stand their company" - was actually said to someone else who implied that ANYONE who wanted to spend all thier time with their kids was a bit bonkers -

And yes you are very right about school /HE fit for different children - I have some of each type

The thing I guess I admire the most about home educators is the sheer level of commitment it must take. Not just in terms of time spent with your child doing the actual educating, but also the amount of research it must take to ensure you are covering everything sufficiently at every stage etc. I assume that most home educators don't work?

I am a primary teacher and I wouldn't want to do it, particularly past year 6, eeeek!

I do agree that home education is just a different type of education and for some kids it is by far the best - but in that case, shouldn't it be monitored in the way that all other types of education is? Or is it because the education is being done by the parent that it does not need monitoring?

Mistermaker - Most HEdder's I know one partner is a SAHP or they both work part time -

Some HEdders's use curriculum's there is a host of them available - most are just happy to follow their child's interests - It can surprise you as a teacher how much more they learn in a shorter space of time when they are fully engaged ?

A lot of the national curriculum is bollocks anyway really ;)

By checking I mean the LEA paying occasional visits to make sure that the child is receiving an adequate education.

"Showing how maths is used in real life can also spark an actual interest. I was trying to get across that there are lost of different ways of teaching the same things obviously unsuccessfully."

Sigh, not being that great at maths myself I struggle to teach DD the "how to". I am considering getting a tutor for her. If she finds someone she can engage with I think she will do far better then she does now.

Actually, that has raised another point. Do any home educators on here engage tutors for subjects they struggle with themselves?

Every child has the right to a decent education, not every parent is up to providing it, even if they think they are.

mistermaker

I don't educate dd she learns herself really. I don't think teaching a subject or topic helps really, the child has to want to and put in the effort to learn. I'm not sure what you mean by stages, sorry.
I don't work, but there are many H.edders who do. A couple of hours a day usually equates to a full day at school, and of course you don't have to sdhere to 9am - 3pm time tabled structured work.
We are part structured part autonomous as this suits dd.

Why would universities accept HE pupils without A levels?

TamerB - If they can't ensure that is schools how are they supposed to ensure it in an odd home visit ?

"I would fully expect HEed children to have the same mix as schooled ones, those well ahead of their peers, those moderately ahead, the average, the slightly below average and the very much below average."

My personal observation, of primary aged HEd children vs schooled children of the same age from pretty much identical home backgrounds, is that the spread in terms of 'outcomes' at that point was wider, though the 'input mix', as you say, was very similar.

I entirely agree with other posters that this does not imply that the 'school leaving age' range of outcomes is wider, nor that the 'eventual life chances' range is wider. Simply that, at that age, HE - and in particular the range of philosophies of HE, from intensive hothouse coaching to develop a particular skill to wholly autonomous child lead learning or unlearning - gave a wider range of outcomes in mid-primary age children.

Oh and tamer B - If you research and read most HE kids do better than average than schooled children - in particular those from families with parents with low educational achievement - very specifically the group that school fails !

Perhaps every child deserves a Home education ?

The family I know do it as it's 'gods will' and their priority can be teaching the bible and teaching that some people believe that dinosaurs came before people but in fact they roamed the earth at the same time as everything was created in a week.

There's a good TED talk of a boy who is clearly being given an amazing home education, he doesn't go to school but goes to lots of educational groups, the work place related to interests and learning his preferred style

Schools have regular checks, I can't see why home educators don't have the same. One visit and a chat to the child gives a pretty good picture. Inspectors in schools talk to any child they wish and the child is completely free to say what they like. They also see work. If the child is shy they can still see evidence of work.

ilovesooty -
Erh because they can recognise talent and the ability to Study without being spoon fed information ;) They know how to use google homeeducationheretic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/dramatic-news-about-home-educated.html

BunBaker

Yes, we have a tutor for Italian, not that we struggle moreover have never done this language ourselves.
I struggle with maths and it wasn't dhs strongest subject.
She does a lot of maths through practical application and I too worried about this. If we get to the stage where we need one, we will get a tutor, but fine for now.
I met a professor of Maths from Man Uni this week and I know they wouldn't mind me twlling you they were most impressed by dd learning maths in a practical way. Apparentely, kids struggle at GCSE if they haven't learned how to relate maths in practical situations.
So I asked for confirmation and he/she said.

Cooking, playing board games, bus time tables, shopping, and more I forgot, sorry.

I dare say they do Mellow, the parent has to care to HE. Sadly a lot of parents with children in school don't care.

A child in school with parents who support and care will do just as well as one in HE. You have to compare like with like.

We DO have visits and a chat with ds etc Tamar. I engage with them but understand why many do not wish too.

TamerB - Ofsted spend days at school and many school are clear in the fact they believe Ofsted do not give a clear image of what their school is like or what real say top day effective teaching looks like - read a bit of the TES

How Do you think a quick visit is going to give a clear picture ? How will it asses Special needs or dyslexia?

School is a partnership- you can't just send and abdicate all responsibility. You have the child far longer than the school, you are in effect HEing, just with 6 hours a day, five days of the week, 39weeks of the year missing. It gives you at least 6 hours a day, with 2 full days and 13 full weeks- far more than the school ever gets and therefore the parent is the most influential element.