To think that most people actually do understand, and therefore support, home education...

[PennyRa]

And it's just a loud minority that are ignorant?

I have some reservations but I can see how it may benefit some children if done properly

I'm sorry but I don't.

The main reason being socialising .

A friend of mine home-schooled all four of her children. They were very precocious , albeit very clever, but had no real friends, mum was desperate to find friends for them, but none lasted.
They were overly confident but extremely competitive. Due to mum who was worried that she might fail them.

Last I saw of her was in a supermarket with her eldest son who looked broken and was helping her with her purchases. So very sad.

I home educated my son out of necessity. Due to his disability I had to let him lead.

Very few people supported it.
Surprisingly the EHE team were very encouraging and helpful.
Many people ignored me over it and blanked me rather then chatting, as they had before, some were downright rude and very vocally against it. Only a handful were actually supportive, and I’m very grateful to them as it made a huge difference for my son and me.
My own experience has led me to believe that most are against it.

As a professional who works with children's I've never met anyone within my field or similar professionals who feel homeschooling is a good thing.
So majority? No I don't think so, sorry you are deluded

I don’t think it’s ignorant to not ‘get’ why people with zero qualifications can educate children full time and keep them at home where they won’t make friends of socialise.

Someone not agreeing with your life choice /= ignorance

As a teacher, I just can not see how home learning would be preferable to school for the vast majority of children. I don’t consider myself ignorant, I respect that as parents, everyone is entitled to make their own decisions about their children But I also can’t see how it is viable for working families!

As someone intending to home educate, sadly I think the majority have too many misconceptions about home education - such as the ‘home educated kids don’t socialise’ already seen in just a few posts here, when most of the home ed community know there’s so much socialising available in most places families have to choose what not to go to.

I don’t think ‘most’ people have an opinion beyond ‘no way!’ but when they do go beyond that it doesn’t take them long to find reasons why they themselves couldn’t and wouldn’t do it. There’s a general feeling of each to their own but that doesn’t translate to actively supporting it.

Sorry but I have never met a home schooled kid who isn’t a bit odd. Maybe it can work if you make a huge effort to make sure they are socialising with their peers and enrol them in sports programs so they can learn about teamwork but otherwise it’s a huge no from me.

@LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet facilitating the education of your own 1/2/3 children at home is an entirely different prospect to educating 30 unrelated kids in a classroom setting. They’re not even slightly comparable. There’s also an absolute excess of opportunities for home educated kids to socialise, play and learn with other kids in most areas. I think people would be amazed if they actually knew

Yes socialisation seems to be a real issue.
For ds he had far more normal socialisation once out of school.
Being in large groups of children your own age is a nightmare when you’re autistic. I can see how school would be considered more convenient, but there are many children who don’t thrive in a school environment.

You've literally demonstrated said ignorance- vast majority of actually home educated children are not kept home - HE occurs everywhere and when home, many home edders have others over, or have online lessons, or a tutor in, or they're engaging in activities be it baking or woodworking etc.

HE kids are mostly very very socialised. My child went off to secondary but is still in touch with the friends she made through home ed. We met so many people.

Good thing most of us embrace our oddness- you are aware a number of home ed kids are neurodivergent and either have had appalling experiences of school or would drown in a school environment? Thanks for calling them all odd - they're just wired up a bit differently. Or just otherwise their own people rather than moulded into what the school system wants them to be.

Every child I know who has been HE has been autistic or had difficulties settling into school.
Most started school and we’re bullied.
I honestly don’t know 1 person who had a typically developing child and made the decision to take them out of school.
Maybe try to take that on board before calling our children odd, and try to understand that adults who consider them odd often have children who learn from their parents and decide to make autistic kid’s lives hell in school because they’re “a bit odd”

@Clarabe1 I’d suggest it’s more likely that people who go to school are indoctrinated into feeling they have to act/appear a certain way to fit in, and home educated people haven’t had this.

For me home education is not synonymous with middle class lefties wafting around museums and taking GCSE maths five years early but the ‘lost children’ who are missing from education due to anxiety or I diagnosed special needs. The children who are so difficult to manage that they are encouraged to be homeschooled which = no school.

I think it should be subject to much stronger checks and measures but really I do not support it at all.

I think there are a lot of misconceptions about home education. There are loads of social meetups as well as home education centres with specific days for science, history, other subjects etc often run by parents or specialists who often have teaching qualifications - like school but you choose which ones to attend. It does cost money to send your kids to these things though. My DS is only 1 so nowhere near school yet but I have considered home education for him. I was a teacher which I think will help. I can see the benefits of it but there are pros and cons, just as there are for school.

Also in regard to socialisation - I hated school and was bullied relentlessly. My socialisation at school helped sink my self esteem and gave me chronic anxiety. Luckily I found college much better and went onto meet good friends but I don't speak to a single person I went to school with and don't look back at my school years fondly at all so it isn't always right for everyone.

I think that some people home educate because they can’t find a school that meets the needs of their child(ren). I think that some HE because they don’t think their child’s school is good enough.

It really depends on the reasons why. It’s simplistic to say that people who don’t agree with HE are ignorant. I think it requires a great deal of research beforehand and a thorough understanding of what is available for the HE community.

I think that children require a broad curriculum and if that’s possible in HE, that’s fine. I’m not sure, that for the majority, it is.

In my experience most people disapprove of home education, and lockdown 'home learning' - which was nothing like elective home education, for the record - has made things worse. In my experience as a home educator of ten years and someone who knows many many home ed families, the vast majority are happy, thriving children with good social skills and a wide range of interests. The ones who aren't I suspect would have struggled just as much in school.

No I don’t support it, I can see why some parents feel let down by the system and think they have no choice, but it is ripe for abuse by parents who want to cover up/hide abuse/religious fanaticism etc.
As a teacher I have taught numerous previously home edded kids ( who have come to our school at eg y7, y10, y11, y 13 etc) and they have all had large gaps in their knowledge coupled with a rather superior attitude.

Only thing i know is that i would never have the strength and the patience and the discipline to homeschool. And i am always wondering how is it possible that other mums are able to do it succesfully, because I would fail so bad and it would drive me totally insane.

After seeing 7 families try, and 5 failing very badly, and 1 not that great either, no, I am over Home Schooling.

What’s your answer for children you literally cannot get into school?

I instigated contact with our local EWO for support and advice - which amounted to “just get him in”.

I’m afraid some are woefully misinformed and/or ignorant on the reality of education for SEN children and the pitiful excuse for support that they are offered. Don’t get me started on the hoops that already knackered parents have to jump through to start the ball rolling for an EHCP, and that’s not even taking into account actually getting through the process and getting one that’s taken seriously without any discrimination towards our children.