To think that home schooling is a bit cult like?

[WobblyWellies]

This is purely anecdotal but based on a group of friends who are all home schooling now, it makes me feel like there is a cult like element to it. There's definitely a click amongst the mums. One of my friends in the group has changed quite a bit since she started home schooling. She's almost become a bit militant about the whole thing. She often posts things on social media about how terrible schools are for children and how home schooling is much better. I feel like she's stirring things up. I am in fact a teacher but I don't push school on people I meet or social media, it's totally individual choice how you want your child educated. I'm not sure if my friend is out to convert people.

However, I do see homeschooling as a privilege to a certain extent because it relies on a parent not working (or part time) and is self funded for the majority. My friend has a house with acres of land and woods, she does loads of outdoor learning with her kids which is great but I wouldn't say it's the norm to have that.

So this group of friends are very clicky over homeschooling and it feels like a them and us scenario now.

Aibu to say it's like a cult for some people?

its a bit of a minefield for child protection issues

@onlineteacher do you see that by it’s nature the only people that will be looking for tutoring are those that need it? So you won’t be seeing those students(home ed or schooled) who have no need for extra help.

The day we de registered dd we were reported to SS. I think the school were horrified a parent would choose to de the from them and reacted as such.

we had the BEST social worker who immediately started a CP investigation which although traumatic highlighted exactly where the problem was. The EHE department had to come out to see us too and concluded that the school was at fault it was hideously traumatic but had to be done I was just grateful SS did a good job.

Yes, I've got one friend who was on furlough and whose kids really blossomed with learning at home during the first lockdown. The eldest in particular I think would have gained a lot from being able to continue. But she had to go back to work once it reopened so they went back to school.

I'm not a qualified teacher but I managed to teach several GCSE subjects (besides the one I graduated in).
It really wasn't all that difficult. It took a bit of planning, some textbooks, past papers and a lot of initiative in supplementing with activities/outings. But I wasn't up all night lesson planning.
As I said previously, the stress was actually the responsibility, not the teaching.

I'll concede that I didn't teach languages and also they spread them out over several sittings, but it is possible (and I do know people who did manage it with languages, even though they didn't speak it themselves) and more people are capable of it (and do it) than you might think.

My children have several GCSEs each. I'm definitely not delusional and I'm not exceptional either.

This is a fair point and I'm sure it's skewed that way. However, I still don't believe that one adult, even a fully trained secondary teacher can provide a full range of GCSE subjects at a high level of quality teaching. It's likely an intelligent, educated, motivated adult can keep ahead of their children at GCSE perhaps, sourcing resources and teaching themselves first, but they cannot possibly offer the depth of understanding across the board of trained subject specialists who've studied the subject to degree level. And the time commitment of planning 3-4 lessons per subject per week to the level of a teacher who has been trained and doing it for years? No, it's not the same. I don't teach my own kids for this reason. I support them as needed in my own area of expertise or seek help in other areas from those who have that expertise if needed.

@SleeplessInEngland yes they are! However they are very different kinds of control. We don't get a sticker for doing our tax return or publicly shamed* for not doing it. Whilst we're at it, preparing kids for these types of adult 'controls' should be taught more in school! I had no idea how to successfully live in the adult world when I couldn't depend on my parents anymore and I was 23!!

*I'm referring to behaviour charts here and I don't care if you all think I'm dramatic - it is public shaming!

Also, I don't tutor. I teach. Very different.

Really interesting and eye-opening to hear this from the other side of what I see at school. Better get back to my lesson planning for next week though. Wishing all your kids success whatever form of schooling is the most appropriate for their needs. And well done to the homeschooling parents, I really couldn't do it and it's no small task done well, as some of you clearly are.

Academically i think home schooling can have significant results
Socially??? Jezus... Socially the kids will fail . Epically.
School isn't just about academics. And if you think you can teach your kids better than your teacher can ? Tutor them yourself after school time. But don't rob such important social skills from your kids. They will stand out like a sore thumb. They way you can always spot an only child.

I home educated until I became too ill to continue, and I completely agree.

I met hundreds of other home ed parents and the vast majority were anti-vaxxers, most of them also anti-covid nuts. Everyone was in uproar if someone from the local education department dared to check in on them once a year (encouraging each other to ignore them, DO NOT let them in, there's no legal requirement, don't show them ANYTHING etc). It was very heavily implied that people who sent their kids to school didn't care about their kids enough, just wanted to send them away so that they didn't have to deal with them. The MC mums were always vegan and very condescending about it. They'd all get really petty and territorial in the school holidays, complaining that all the 'muggles' were invading the parks and family attractions. And they'd always talk about their other friends who sent their kids to school, about how sorry they felt for their kids and spend a lot of time bashing public schools.

I do think that there's a lot of serious flaws with the school system, and there's a lot of kids who struggle with school and would be better off not going if their parents are in a position to home educate them. But yeah, it's definitely very cult-ish and holier than thou.

(There were plenty of nice, normal people who didn't buy into this crap and just got on with things of course, but these were definitely in the minority where I am)

And you can work and have children home-schooled. I know parents that work full time and leave their teenage children home alone to "home school".
You can also get childcare tax credits to help pay for childcare while you work and try to homeschool in the evenings and at weekends.
I am not advocating this, but it is what some people do.

There’s a big home schooling movement in our town, and from the ones I’ve dealt with there’s definitely a bit of smugness and a desire to ‘convert’ others. From what I’ve seen though, the kids aren’t any better off than schooled ones - a bit worse off when it comes to socially interaction…

Plenty of workers do have to ask their boss if they can go to the toilet.
Middle-class people though will not have to.

Sorry but it's nothing to do with class, it's just who you work for. There are plenty of minimum wage jobs (if that's what you're implying) where you can go to the toilet of your own free will. I'm in one of them. If children were given more autonomy in school then maybe they would advocate for themselves if they found themselves in shitty working conditions!! See the problem?! You're taught you need permission to pee then you accept that as an adult. Actually that's not ok. Just because it happens (I know it does) - doesn't make it ok!!

It sounds like your parents did not bring you up to be independent.
We get punishments as adults not rewards. So fines if we do not do our tax return.

I didn’t think Home Ed kids sit in a cage and never go out - but was wondering how you get the exposure to other people outside of your “immediate” bubble.
From what you’ve said, if I’m honest, sounds like you had a great upbringing - surrounded by other middle class kids. And I think that’s the point I was getting at.
@Trying20

Why do people think that home-educators only mix with people from their own socio-economic background?

My children's home-ed friends ranged from working class single parents to middle class Oxbridge families. They also had friends of different religions (well, we're not religious, so any religion would be different, I suppose) and different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds.

Home-education is not limited to one demographic.

It isn't only middle-class parents who home-educate. There are plenty of people on benefits and/or are single parents who are home-educating, too.

Most schools don't use sticker charts and shaming for this very reason

Maybe you just haven't experienced schooling recently

Just to add (again) my kids are in school. It's a good school and I'm grateful they are happy there. However I know there are issues with education and I'm hyper aware one of my kids might not stay happy in school. I wish things in the system overall would change to accommodate more children but I don't think they will. My kids mental health and well-being will always come first over grades.

@ILiveInAmphibia I am well aware there are plenty of minimum wage jobs where you do not have to ask permission to go to the toilet. But I have done jobs where you have to and it is not as simple as advocating for yourself. Working on a factory production line you can not just walk away from the line. Working in a nursery covering the outside area, I could not just walk away and go inside to the toilet. Working as a tram conductor I could not just walk away off the tram and go to the toilet.
Minimum wage jobs in offices are those you can go to the toilet at anytime unless your boss is a wanker. But lots of lower paid jobs are designed so that you can not just walk away to the toilet when you want to.

I find a lot of home schooling parents by choice have very outdated ideas of schools.

Maybe you just haven't experienced schooling recently

I have. In more than one setting too. However I'm glad to hear you haven't experienced it.

But that's not the reason tp send them to school

YABU. You're a teacher (as am I), and you feel defensive. I do as well, when I feel like someone is criticising something they don't really know anything about. Unfortunately, everyone feels like they are an expert on schools and education, because they went through the system. But it's very different on the other side!

And it's clique, not click. ;)

I find a lot of home schooling parents by choice have very outdated ideas of schools.

Again, not a homeschooling parent. One kid comes home with a 'phonics superstar' sticker regularly, the other comes home and tells me 'I was on a final warning today' (traffic light system, so red I'm assuming on the chart of shame)

& fair enough @antelopevalley but I think context is important here. I have had to ask someone in similar situations but not for permission, just to cover!

I'm a teacher and also dyslexic , there are threads now I just won't reply on including this one , I'm fascinated by home education. I just know anytime u mention ur a teacher and I will definitely make grammar and spelling mistakes , I get riped to pieces, so won't put myself through it.