The worst ad ever for Home Ed

[Allthebestnamesareused]

So I just saw this on Facebook

www.comeonengland.org/2017/02/02/mum-homeschools-kids-by-letting-them-play-video-ga/

Each to their own and all that and I assume she is being checked to see that she is really home schooling but AIBU to say she is not doing home educators a massive favour here?

[Cornucopia55]

Home educators can obtain just about everything you need for GCSE sciences for home use. Some of it takes a bit of hunting around, but it was surprisingly do-able. Often groups of home educators get a science tutor to run classes which include practicals, or co-run science practicals groups. We have already done all the core practicals in the new 1-9 Biology GCSE from home-ed and, honestly, there's nothing in there that you can't easily obtain from eBay. Chemistry is a bit trickier but we were able to obtain all we needed, and in fact we ended up inviting some schooled friends to join us for some practicals because their teacher didn't have time to do many in lessons. If you're genuinely interested, look on the HE Exams Wiki at he-exams.wikia.com/wiki/Science . On the individual science pages there are resources for carrying out practical work. Some families don't do many secondary-level practicals at home, but attend workshops - eg the Royal Institute offers great hands-on sessions. You can also watch videos of all classic practicals on YouTube, and while obviously this isn't a substitute for doing it yourself, it is an OK substitute which is used in many school lessons too.

[Cornucopia55]

IGCSE Sciences correspondence course with tutor support and kit to carry out the practicals included in the course: www.echo.education/index.php/costs/

Most people go to college to do A-level sciences though; it's just too much hassle to do from home.

[LovelyBath77]

On the subject of awful teachers, most teachers are good, at DS school they got all the teachers with sons at the school to stand up and that was about half- so if they are happy with their cons being taught there I would be too. I guess if you live in an area with bad schools it might be something to worry about. Class sizes are around 20 in secondary which I think is OK.

[witsender]

Most teachers try really hard. It is the system, and Ofsted they are crippled by.

[StrawberryShortcake32]

Those poor kids!
I must admit I'm against home schooling as a whole. Mainly due to the lack of social aspects.
My cousins were homeschooled. They are both highly intelligent but really struggle socially. The female cousin in particular. The kinds of things we learn as kids, how to make friends, how to deal with bullies and people talking about you behind your back for example. She just plain doesn't know how to deal with it and shys away from social situations as a result, when she does attend them she doesn't know how to talk to people. Happy to sit in silence in the corner. It's so sad!

As a gamer even I find this homeschooling method awful! It's such a cop out. Lazy lady who finds it easier to shove her kids in front of a computer than take the time to teach them herself.

[BITCAT]

StrawberryShortcake32 not all home schooled kids are isolated. We go to many clubs and social occasions. They do socialise with kids on the street too. We are out more than we are in. As there are many other kids we know who are also home schooled so we may attend local parks as a group..local museums of which we are lucky to have on our doorstep.

[NerrSnerr]

Just leaving this here
kellyallenwriter.com/2017/02/02/because-everybodys-got-an-opinion-especially-on-home-education/

[allowlsthinkalot]

Yes because everyone who went to school has amazing social skills, shortbread!

[Alfieisnoisy]

Her children have mastered reading in a self directed way with support from their Mum Strawberry.

The local authority would be all over her if her kids were not being educated. You might not agree with her methods but her children ARE learning.

I am also shocked at those who think "no GCSEs = no job". If that's the case then children like my DS will be a lost cause. He is autistic with moderate learning difficulties and will be perfectly capable of working. He is unlikely to have more than a certificate in Maths skills and English skills. Okay he won't be a brain surgeon but he can certainly work for a living with both those certificates.

[Alfieisnoisy]

And my friend is home schooling her son, he has a great social life...meets up regularly with other home schooled children of all ages.

[StrawberryShortcake32]

BIT CAT It's good that not all homeschooled kids are isolated. Appreciate not all homeschooled children have the same experiences as my cousins. I just see how much my cousins struggle as adults and it makes me really sad for them.

Allowisthinkalot I didn't say they all did. I can only go by my own experiences.

[deblet]

Strawberry Shortcake were they home educated because they had problems with socialising perhaps?

[EnormousTiger]

I haven't home schooled but I feel very strongly we should continue to allow it as a human rights matter for parents to take their own decisions about their children.

[StealthPolarBear]

Singing in the rainstorm your posts are incomprehensible? Are you offering free learning resources?

[StealthPolarBear]

Sorry for random ?. Had to happen.

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

I think it's related to the talk about his easy it was to get science stuff

[StrawberryShortcake32]

Deblet that's exactly the case sadly. Taken out because of bullies. Tricky choice I guess they both come with downsides.

[deblet]

A lot of us remove our children because of the social aspect tbh. My son had ASD and was bullied badly so it was the best option for him. My other son also has ASD but is far better protected in a state school with an ASD unit He still does not socialise with anybody. He endures the day because he is so bright he wants GCSE's but only socialises online. So home ed probably did not change them it may well have saved them untold misery.

[corythatwas]

She doesn't sound like any Home Ed'er I have ever met. But then there are lots of mad bloggers who don't sound like any human being I have ever met.

The ones I have met have done lots to provide both a social life and the chance to acquire enough formal qualifications/experience of different types of learning to give them the option of taking up higher education if they had the ability.

In the case of a child who is bullied and/or on the autistic spectrum, HE may well be the only chance of giving them a social life and a chance to learn.

And that, I think, is a crucial point, Alfie. It's about the wilful denying of options. Totally different from accepting circumstances you can't change,

Your ds has done very well given his situation, my dd has also done well to scrape a few GCSE's despite her illness. No doubt they will find jobs and be perfectly fine. But it's pointless to deny that they have fewer options.
While I am perfectly happy to accept that dd won't be able to be a doctor or a lawyer because of the cards she has been dealt, I would not have felt justified if she had been capable and those options had been cut out simply because I thought it might be nice to let her play computer games.

[TurncoatEwok]

The social aspect of HE really worried me TBH but the DCs' social life is far better now. DS never had friends in school at all in fact - but you'd never know that to look at him now!

I guess it partly depends on the local 'scene' though, we are so lucky here that there are heaps of us home educating (tripled in our town in two years apparently) that we are never short of things to do and friends to see.

[OneWithTheForce]

I always find it a bit odd when I hear people asking how HE kids get socialisation and make friends. It makes me wonder if those people don't actually socialise their DCs at all and just send them to school and nothing else. Otherwise I can't imagine why they would ask that question.

[TurncoatEwok]

Indeed Cory I don't like the idea of just ruling stuff like that out. What if you miss something and they had potential and interest in an academic subject that never got unlocked?

DD is 9 and is vaguely familiar with the idea of exams due to my DSCs having done them. She wants to do Japanese GCSE and anything that will help her become a palaeontologist. Both of those interests came about through play and watching anime :o but no reason we wouldn't turn them into a qualification.

I know a very few HE families who do shun anything like that and around here at least that is certainly not a popular view. Most of us talk a lot about future plans and how to access exams etc

[corythatwas]

OneWithTheForce, to be fair, as Turncoat says it does depend on where you live, how many other people are free in the day, whether you have transport etc.

I did reflect on it, but realised it would be a no-go for us because dd is the kind of person who wants to be part of a crowd, I don't drive, most of the people available for socialisation purposes were at school all day, HE'ding circles depended on car driving for meet-ups and most of my own social circle consists of people I work with, which is some distance from our home. Also most of the HE'ders I knew were people rather similar to myself in education and general outlook and dd needed more variety. No doubt she could have been socialised (as in taught social skills) by simply going to after-school activities but she would have felt very lonely in the day. Which wouldn't be a problem for a more introvert child, but a big problem for her.

For somebody else in a different situation, none of those things would be issues at all. Most HE'ders seem to do very well on that score. But it's all individual.

For my friend who pulled her ds out of school when she realised he wasn't interacting with anyone or learning a thing (ASD), HE meant a massive improvement both in terms of social activities (being free of the stress of school, he could cope with extra-curricular activities) and of learning. He is off to university in the autumn, having done very well both educationally and socially. Doesn't exactly look like a failure from where I'm standing...

[OneWithTheForce]

Yes fair point cory, but I'm guessing those are things you considered from the point of view if HEing in your own specific circumstances. When I hear people ask it generally it's not a "specific to them or me" question where they or I don't drive, live rurally and there is no HE community if that makes sense. It's like they have assumed HE means no school which means no socialisation.

[corythatwas]

Absolutely, One. In cases where the practicalities have worked, and both the child and parent have wanted it, the examples of HE I have seen have seemed very successful. Like my friend's ds: there is no way I could see him having a similar level of success and personal fulfilment if his mum had just kept him in school.