to get annoyed when a home schooling parent...

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... can't spell?

My SIL home schools her daughter.

But all the time, she is posting "I just thort of a new idea..." or "We just need to get threw this..." or ^"I love home schoolling" etc.

Just makes me twitch.

YANBU. But I had to sit on my hands when my DD brought home a worksheet in her first year of school with the title of, 'All About My Family and I".

I've often wondered if it would be a good idea to insist on a minimum level of parental education (eg. a degree) to be able to homeschool, but I can't decide if this would be desirable or workable.

A degree to be allowed to educate your own child?

It really wouldn't work. And isn't necessary.

I have home educating relatives, and have been exposed to the home-ed community through them. Most I've met are fantastic, thoroughly involved and are raising bright, quirky kids.

Some, though. Yikes.

The day that you can guarantee that all schools and teachers are of the same, excellent standard, that education isn't to be used as a political football, and that teaching methods and content is in line with the recognised information on how children learn and child development...I will think about supporting enforced state education. Until that point, ALL parents have a right to choose and I'm amazed that some seem to advocate otherwise.

Meh, I could fill books with all the stuff my primary school teaches didn't know...

My kids have had teachers who couldn't spell or use grammar correctly,
I'm afraid my heart sinks when an English teacher tells any child "it's ok, I can't spell either"
🙄😳😡
And don't get me started on the letters that come home!
So riddled with errors it makes my teeth itch!
I assume your sil will be using resources? Workbooks? If so your niece will learn from them, surely?

Our Pre School Newsletter was littered with spelling errors. I think that I will be like SoupDragon in the future.

I doubt there are many school teachers who "thort something threw" like the home educator the OP talks about.

A degree to be allowed to educate your own child? hmm

Well some sort of indication that you're able to would be reassuring, surely? That you have the basics of the subjects?

If I home schooled my kids they might become good at maths, science and computer programming. However the curriculum is wider than what I would feel happy to provide.

I find it enough of a struggle to get kids to put their clothes in the washing basket. How on earth do home educators get kids to do boring, but necessary things like literacy. (Maybe they don't!)

The way someone types on the internet is not necessarily reflective of their actual spelling ability. In that sentence alone I've had to go back and correct several typos caused by fat fingers on a small keypad. Some are autoincorrects Others use text speak or slang because it's quicker.

Home educated children don't learn solely from their parents. Some take classes, some use tutors and most home edders are active in their community, learning about the 'real world' by being in it. A big part of home edding is not teaching in the waybthat a school teacher might, but rather facilitating, providing opportunities and fostering a love of learning. Both myself and my sister went to (the same) school, I am fairly good at spelling and grammar, she isn't. I love to read and devoured hundreds of books as a child whereas my sister wasnt a big reader, and i'm pretty sure that's what made the difference. If a parent strives to create a literacy rich environment and foster a love of reading then their child is likely to have good literacy skills regardless of how literate the parent is.

Studies of outcomes for home educated children have found that what is important isn't the parent's level of education but rather their level of commitment. A lot of parents of home educated children did not go on to higher education yet that doesn't seem to have stopped their children from doing so.

From a study by Paula Rothermel:

'In this study, parental level of education did not limit the children's attainment. At least 38% of parents in this study had been educated at comprehensive schools and at least 21% had no post-school qualifications. Whilst 47.5% of parents had attended university, at least 27.7% of parents in the study had not.
Common to all families involved was their flexible approach to education and the high level of parental attention received by the children. Children benefited from the freedom to develop their skills at their own speed. Thus, parental input and commitment, regardless of their socio-economic group and level of education, may be the most important factor in children's development and progress.'
pjrothermel.com/Research/Researchpaper/BERAworkingpaper.htm

Besides, let's not forget where these parents got their own poor spelling from - I'm guessing most of them went to school Perhaps they don't want to put their own children into the same system which they feel failed them.

Of what subjects? Who defines which subjects and what level?

"A degree to be allowed to educate your own child? hmm"

Maybe they should insist on 5 GCSEs including maths and English for primary school kids. I don't think that insisting on a degree or that the family employs tutors for secondary is unreasonable.

I would say, probably, Maths and English?

Things are only boring if you make them boring! My kids will happily read. Happily wrote stories, do abacus work...without being asked or coerced. Because they are naturally curious, and are in an environment conducive to learning and having that curiosity fostered and nurtured.

I'd be a crap teacher, it took me half an hour to work out my year 4 dc's maths question

I think people have this mental image of homeschooling as being parent and child hunched over the kitchen table with loads of text books fighting over how many more questions have to be done. Some people need a serious imagination overhaul. Just because you wouldn't feel capable of providing a solid all round education for your child doesn't mean it isn't easily achievable for others. People have different skills.

At my dc primary school there are spelling and punctuation mistakes...

• on the wall displays (ie the captions typed by teachers)
• in the newsletters
• in the letters from the headteacher and other staff
• in pretty much every email I have ever received from a teacher
• on the website
• in the comments handwritten by teachers in dc workbooks
• on the COVER of an exercise book labelled by a teacher
• in the info handouts sent home to parents
• on the LITERACY homework sheets sent home

...and so on. I am not exaggerating one bit. School is Ofsted-rated Outstanding

So I would not be desperately worried about a home educated child missing out.

I've often wondered if it would be a good idea to insist on a minimum level of parental education (eg. a degree) to be able to homeschool

Not sure about a degree, but they should certainly have the basics covered: i.e, maths, English, spelling, grammar.

I think people have this mental image of homeschooling as being parent and child hunched over the kitchen table with loads of text books fighting over how many more questions have to be done. Some people need a serious imagination overhaul.

Those two sentences work well together.

Jen I don't imagine it like that at all - obviously the people we might see posting on facebook about it are at the other end of the extreme, and no more representative than the kitchen table hunching ... but it concerns me that either and both can take on the task of trying to provide a rounded and useful education for their children with so few checks.

People on here are speaking as if school is the default, and families need to be 'allowed' to opt out. Which absolutely isn't the case. Schools are there as an option for those who wish to use them. No-one has to ask permission not to, and nor should they.

No, but in the interests of their child you'd think they'd want to be reassured at least that their maths and literacy skills were up to par before they take on the task!