To think home education will surge in popularity after this?

[Julyalready2020]

I realise lots of people aren’t able to home ed- or wouldn’t want to in a million years! - but for those who’ve considered it, AIBU to think there will now be a rise in them taking the plunge?

Time off school - without the school run, stress of homework/bullying, tests etc... kids able to pursue their own interests and lead a more relaxed life - maybe this will appeal to some?

For context, I don’t home educate (beyond lockdown!), but have considered it in the past and will again if the return to school doesn’t go well... I do also think school (esp in its present form) doesn’t suit all kids.

I don’t think I will home educate. However, I have really enjoyed the more relaxed pace of life. Life without all the stress of homework, balancing play dates with my work etc etc. And my child has been happier. It’s been nice! But I couldn’t logistically do it permanently. I think we will change the way will live though, less activities and less pressure on ourselves to go somewhere (play centre/ national trust park)every weekend etc.

Perhaps for a small minority who have one income sufficient to support the whole family, and one or two primary age children.

For the rest of us, trying to juggle our own jobs with "homeschooling" and trying to get multiple children, all of different ages and stages, to do their work, a lot of which is in subjects you haven't a clue about - impossible.

There is a very good reason why the majority of people choose to send their children to school.

My initial reaction is fuck me, no! However once I get over that maybe a little yes, I actually have one friend who is enjoying it but she has a very bright child who likes learning, she will be sending the child back
to school though. The rest of us all seem to feel it's a huge stress on our sanity and relationship with our children. I'm talking about primary age, can't think further than that I'm afraid.

I'm sure you're right. This will be the case for some (many). For me personally it's just highlighted the fact that I'm a useless teacher. I can't seem to get the get the kids focussed or engaged with their work. It's rushed through so they can go back to their gadgets. I have to drag them out for daily exercise. They usually enjoy it once they're out but it's a stressful hour or so if me nagging and cajoling them. My children are much better off at school where they learn in a structured way and get to socialise with many other children from different social, religious and ethnic backgrounds. I admire parents who homeschool and can get their children engaged but it's really not working for us.

Perhaps in a small minority of SAH parents.

I teach part time. At the moment my DCs and I go to school 2 days a week as per my contract and key worker entitlement, and the other 3 days I home school them using the work the school sets, plus my own ideas where I can see the need. 2 hours a day maximum.

The plus sides are the 1:1 teaching they get from me, the relaxed mornings, the freedom to follow their own interests, more family time.

Downsides are the difficulty getting them to do the work when they're not in the mood, obviously as their mum they have a different relationship with me than their actual teacher and will say it how it is! 'I don't want to do that, ugh can we skip reading today' etc.

Overall I quite like the part time blended learning model for our particular family but only because I don't work from home simultaneously, we have enough space for DH to WFH and for us to go on the computer etc, I'm trained and experienced in primary teaching and the work being set by the school is decent quality.

For other families it could not be a long term option.

I've long thought HE would suit one of my DDs. This has sort of confirmed it. But a lot of what makes this situation doable won't exist after lockdown... Bitesize lessons, the random YouTube/Facebook Live talks on various subjects, her sister being around (HE not suiting my other DD!).
I'm still dubious about her successfully transitioning back to school. She had a lot of anxiety around school pre lockdown. But we will try it. (Not helped by pretty much every family member saying I'm worrying about nothing, except her GF who has done drop offs and seen it happen.)

For me personally it's just highlighted the fact that I'm a useless teacher. I can't seem to get the get the kids focussed or engaged with their work. It's rushed through so they can go back to their gadgets

I'm an actual teacher and my DCs are like this quite often. It's because at school they are socially conditioned to want to please their teacher, to conform in a group, and there are consequences if they don't. If they do well they might get stickers, praise etc.

At home children are more relaxed, as they should be, and without the school construct they will just be brutally honest they don't like the work. The teacher-pupil and parent-offspring relationships are very different, so it's not your fault they don't engage. The home environment has distractions as well, toys, TV, consoles, whatever.

V much doubt it.

@Bluewavescrashing

For me personally it's just highlighted the fact that I'm a useless teacher. I can't seem to get the get the kids focussed or engaged with their work. It's rushed through so they can go back to their gadgets

I'm an actual teacher and my DCs are like this quite often. It's because at school they are socially conditioned to want to please their teacher, to conform in a group, and there are consequences if they don't. If they do well they might get stickers, praise etc.

At home children are more relaxed, as they should be, and without the school construct they will just be brutally honest they don't like the work. The teacher-pupil and parent-offspring relationships are very different, so it's not your fault they don't engage. The home environment has distractions as well, toys, TV, consoles, whatever.

This is one of the things that’s bothered me about home schooling in lockdown - the fact that the kids often don’t seem to enjoy the work?

I feel a bit sad thinking they spend most of their lives doing stuff they don’t enjoy- but maybe they do enjoy the work more at school? I don’t know.

We home ed. I suspect it will for some and will put others off. The current circumstances aren't regular for home edders either. Meets and activities cancelled, library, parks and museums closed, no support from friends/family. It's not the same. I think a load of people will associate learning at home with these stressful times.

Also most of us are more relaxed rather than the timetables etc that were being shared everywhere on social media, which I think set folk up to feel like that was necessary and they were failing if they didn't stick to it.

My DD, although bright, fluent reader, interested in maths, was not ready for full time school Sept 19. It took until Feb HT to get her only just settled. She could have done with part time school at the very most. She liked it mostly, but couldn't cope with 20 odd children and went to pieces if the teacher got a bit firm.

She claims to miss school as a delay tactic at bed time but never talks about school in a happy way.

Whilat frustrating for me because I was about to start a job, I taught her to read/basics in her precschool years quite well. I don't think I can continue in Sept.

Overall, despite everything more HE has been good for her. She's missing her activities more.

I've actually really enjoyed it, to my great surprise, and would love to give it a go under non-lockdown conditions, when we can actually get out and meet other home-schoolers and have educationally enriching experiences.

DS was getting badly bullied at school before this and getting away from that has vastly improved his mental health - I've decided we'll see how he gets on in the next school year, and if the bullying continues, reconsider home-schooling.

However, I have two main concerns - both DC, for different reasons, struggle socially. They're hugely academic but DD is autistic and doesn't pick up social cues at all, and DS is incredibly sensitive and finds it all a bit much. I'm not sure pulling them out of school would help with that. And secondly, it would mean pretty much giving up any hope of getting my own career off the ground.

It's not a decision I'll be rushing into, put it that way.

We enrolled my son at an online school during lockdown and it has been fantastic. They had 4 or 5 new joiners in his class alone during lockdown and so I expect that will really grow
He does on average 2-4 hours of lessons a day. There's a fair bit of homework on top. But all the lessons are recorded, so actually you have total flexibility.

I think we will stick with that for him for at least the next few years, as he got really fed up of all the children in his class at school who didn't want to learn.

Maybe for a few people, but I think the new found "love" of home education will wear off pretty quickly once teachers stop setting work and parents have to do the whole thing themselves. At the moment it is more of a taster of the environment with teachers still steering the curriculum.

It helps though that between DH and I we have delivered our jobs so successfully from home that there won't be any expectation that we are in the office full time after the pandemic.

No way. My children are in secondary and the work is so varied and taxing. You have to know a huge variety of topics in quite a lot of detail.

One of the things we’ve found the hardest is not having discussions with others. Generating ideas and getting other people’s points of view.

The current circs arent a good reflection of home schooling, so I hope ppl aren’t rushing in on the basis of this experience.

As for me, not a chance.

I doubt many more will willingly, perhaps for medical risk.

I know I look at school differently now, as some thing doled out to the lucky. Which bugs me to see it that way. Can’t wait fir full school to return.

The y5 isn’t bad and we do stuff together, however he loves school, but y10 really needs school.

Lol, not in this house! Nor in any of my friends' or acquaintances' houses 🤯

I think for some people the opposite might happen. Most kids I know are chomping at the bit to get back to school rather than homeschool. I wonder if the dc who are always homeschooled are wondering what they're missing out on.

I haven't met anyone, even those for whom lockdown schooling is going well and they're enjoying it (I am myself) who doesn't feel that school is better for their dc overall.

Im in Australia and have chosen to home school the kids for the rest of the year. I fund the work set home from school really stressful and unmanageable so developed a plan myself. Although have since found a program that covers the syllabus based on good book.

We arent well off but will manage on my partners salary if my part time work stops being possible from home.

Its not all roses but our life is better now without the stresses of school.

I've not come across a single person who is enjoying it. We're all finding it incredibly stressful. But most of us are trying to work at the same time so it's not an option for us anyway.....and us why we're all so stressed!

I think there'll be just as many people who once viewed Home Ed as a nice idea they were open to considering but now realise they really REALLY couldn't cope with it loñgterm. It does also assume a high level of SAHPing, a certain level of parental education and money for activities & resources obviously

Agree with what Sockyarn said. It depends on the age of DC & if you have time available. For those wfh home schooling on top is an added pressure. While it’s nice to be away from some of the disruptive children in class my child is missing being around friends most. I have one DC at school (in the cherrypicked years) who is really benefiting from class discussion & motivation from teachers / being in the school environment.