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.

There has been a home Ed AMA before. I am not brave enough to do one, I enjoy talking about it and answering questions if people are genuinely curious but I find some on mumsnet are just so anti home ed and can be pretty nasty.

@stoptheride that’s great if a timetable is working for you. The majority of long term home educators in my experience don’t have a strict timetable but of course there are some who prefer that approach.
It is sad that my local home educators to us are sticking to their bubbles, our local groups are usually very welcoming to new people and those considering home ed but naturally our children also want to see their friends and meeting in smaller groups means we are going to be meeting those we already know. Some are protecting vulnerable children or family members too,

And you don't need lots of money. Most I know do work at least part time or are a family who live on one income. It can be done in many ways bites working part time, one working one full time, I actually do know a family where both work full time but their kids are older now and they work opposite each other but that is very hard to do.

People who say this refuse to think outside the box. Ie home ed is not done 9 till 3. It can be done 6 till 8 on weekdays for instance .

I think that once you can think outside the box then the possibilities are endless.

Also lots of home ed families are large families and it still works especially if your kids never went to school as it's a more cooperative way of life and everyone pitches in. It is not rigid but extremely fluid and adaptable.

Thesearmsofmine yep I was going to say that there was good ama last year but mumsnet has usually piled onto home ed threads and been so rude and mean at times. I think it is usually very anti home ed on here.

Flirty what resources do you use? Eg do you download something to help teach maths
Right now ours consists of online teaching that I do with ds - what do you use usually?

I think it is usually very anti home ed on here.

usually someone pops up on these threads pitying the poor children who are being sent to prison-like schools to be brain-washed to fit in tiny little boxes with no critical thinking and waste their time... or something like that.

As it is exactly the opposite of what real school look like for most children who are happy and thriving there, of course there are conflicts

Yep the bubbles are sad but hopefully will disappear as covid eases. It will be very hard for someone to start home ed and not be able to meet up with other people due to closed groups.

I found just moving to a new place and the groups are closed due to lea interference and mistrust. It's been so hard to find and contact groups year alone meet up regularly.

I've decided to stick with my old groups as up until covid, I went back to visit my mum most weeks and just scheduled activities on those days. I am also planning to move back closer as my home ed network is priceless to me and my child, which I did not realise before I moved. I naively thought it was the same in most parts of the country and though I researched groups in my new location, they are either closed or closed to new people.

For someone trying to home ed in the days of covid it will be like this this and not really what home ed is like for most people.

People who say this refuse to think outside the box. Ie home ed is not done 9 till 3. It can be done 6 till 8 on weekdays for instance .

you still need childcare during day time
you still need tuition, and clubs, and activities

In some areas or ways of live, home ed makes sense. In others, the cost is really high to provide your child with the best resources, however fluid you are.

Nothing wrong with home ed, just saying it's not such an easy choice for everybody.

It's cleared up any dreams I had of home educating or felxi schooling.

I know lots of people who home educate who put forward good reasons that I've listened to and often agreed with.

This situation has debunked a lot of those reasons for me.

I have found it impossible to be a good, responsive parent and a productive, reliable employee at the same time. This has created stress, tension and upset in the relationships between all members of the family.

Our home has been converted to a workplace and school and it's really hard carving out spaces to relax and switch off within the same 4 walls. Home is no longer our haven where we all come back together and I resent that.

My dc love the structure of school, they value the input of other trusted adults, they've ibky done school work because it's been planned and marked by their teachers. That will all stop.

I've realised just how much is covered ins chool. The breadth would be v hard to replicate as a family.

I can't wait for mine to go back!

@JaniceWebster it drives me mad when home educators talk about schools like that. The majority of us don’t think that way just that vocal minority who like to be heard. It reminds me of the people who are furiously anti formula and act like it is poison.

MarshaBradyo

Before I used work books, video rhymes on YouTube, the maths bingo app and app like komodomaths, khanacademy maths. Home school pop on YouTube is good for some maths but has lots of other videos.

BBC is good.

Current the websites include the khan academy,
Whiterosemaths,
oppia.org,
oak national academy,

e learning for kids and
the maths factor.com.

I used far more apps before and games for her to learn the basics, unril around age 8.

Then I was using learning books and videos. Currently doing all of that plus working through websites. Got some good maths books that are puzzles and a couple of detective series that you solve with maths and will start those in September.

Maths is her least liked and least confident subject so we are doing almost exclusive maths for the last couple of weeks. She cannot get to grip with adding fractions and has still not learnt all her times tables.

The target for her last few times tables was age 11 but she missed it turning 11 in mid June. I have let it go as I am mainly very relaxed. I should probably have not told her the target. It will now be end of September, but I'll keep that target to myself.

I think the opposite actually! I have thought before that I might HE my son but in fact he struggles at home. He needs the interaction with his peers to learn and he respects teachers more than me when it comes to learning! It's been stressful on us all and I can't wait until they go back.

JaniceWebster
I was responding to the person who didn't think home ed could be done with woh.

I know that people can absolutely think outside the box and I'm not anti school. My older child went to school. Then was home ed a few year and then part time school and home ed for 3 years before more sole home ed. And then finally 3 years of college.

Everybody has to make it work for themselves and I think school is brilliant for lots of children. Some people can't make home ed work or don't want to home ed, that fine as they don't need to home ed as like school, it won't suit everyone.

Thanks Flirty great list.

We are using Oak Academy and 11 plus papers, having tried Whiterose and BBC. We are in a much better place now he has something which stretches him a bit and just check he can do all the school sent worksheets at a glance.

Y10 boy absolutely needs school but y5 learning ok now, it’s more the at school element he misses as he enjoys that kind of learning too.

I have to do Oak with him, it’s really quite good, find I’m relearning atoms and history etc

I think a lot of children may be de-registered from their school. I'm not so sure these children will be home educated. I know home ed parents, they are wonderful and incredibly committed to their child's education.

The 2 boys that have left our school in the last month for home ed do not have parents like these. Councils need to be hot on this.

My dc’s prep school went back last week. They seemed pretty happy at home, but since they’ve gone back to school I’ve actually noticed a big change in them - much more confident and content. Being with their peers in a school setting is invaluable

Have all years gone back?

@aventurine yes, nursery to Yr 6

Oh i thought only certain years plus keyworkers were allowed to return including private schools

The education side is stressful and Difficult especially trying to motivate everyone to do their work. However I have enjoyed not having to deal with the school and their strict and inflexible rules. I don’t miss the school runs, endless requests for money, school uniforms (no one can convince me an 8yr old needs to wear a tie to learn), homework, and all the their things you have to remember for our 3 kids at 3 different schools.
But I would not think twice about sending them back as school can offer so much more than what I can provide. I’m not a trained teacher and they need to be around their friends.

No probs MarshaBradyo take care

Well some might, I guess, but from me it’s a “hell no!”

I don't cut my own hair, or service my own car, or fix electrical faults in my house because there are experts who can do a much better job than me, and so i don't teach my own children, much as i love them. I imagine a lot of people feel the same way.

@aventurine

Any school can reopen if they have sufficient room for social distancing (Max 15 in a class). I think it was left at the discretion of the heads?

At my dc's school, it's certainly been a great success, I'm hugely grateful that they made the effort to open for all years.

I don't want any direct responsibility for educating my child, but I am now wondering whether an online school would be an option for secondary. We're considering London private schools anyway, so cost isn't an issue. (Whether she can get in is though.)

I don't know if an on-line school can do the most important part of the job, motivating the pupil to actually do the work, without needing any backup from the parents.

I'm extremely impressed by the attitude of one private school I heard about, which is that parents are not allowed day-to-day involvement in schooling. Not allowed to know what homework is being set, no say in what activities the children signs up for. These things are all between the child and the school, apparently. I need an online school that will take responsibility in a similar way. (Obviously I'd need some way of knowing they are doing their job though. An online school won't have the track record of an established private school.)

That sounds kind of the opposite of home education @RandomLondoner!