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

[PennyRa]

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

Maybe.. people just have different views to you, rather than being thick as planks for disagreeing with you??

Because.. people are different and have different experiences and values?!? A radical thought I know.

For someone expecting tolerance you might want to practice some.

People hold very strong views on home ed, over the years I have had all kinds of reactions from people, most commonly people saying they couldn’t do it or saying they wish they had known about it because it would have suited their dc who struggled in school. Sometimes others are rude and almost insulted when they learn you home ed even if they have no knowledge of experience of it.

My dc have never been to school, I have one who would currently be in infants, one who would be in juniors and my eldest would be in high school. I didn’t particularly expect to still be home educating at this point long but everyone is happy and learning so we have continued. School will always be there if that changes.

No tbh. I actually think the medical absence service is a bit of a dead loss for mental health. From what ive seen It does far better for school appropriate children who are undergoing medical treatment for limited periods of time. Your child with transplant I think is the perfect candidate

DS is mentally too ill for education. Having a visiting tutor actually doesn't change that. He needs treatment and the right long term setting.

Which is actually what most children with mental health difficulties need. And to be out of the traditional school environment. I really am a firm believer in decent quality state provided home based online learning. I think we would have less mental health issues and greater continuity of eduction if this was provided as a normal mainstream option.

Eatos is going to become far more common I think.

My child would be much better served academically if she was home-schooled. She is not because she wants to be at school, despite it being a somewhat stressful environment for her because of noise and the behavior of other students.

she would add to the roster of homeschooled children who seem odd because our whole family is odd. It doesn’t matter where we are educated or where we work, we don’t fit in well. We are quirky nerds. I make no apologies for that.

I don’t do Facebook, but would be interested to see how things like ‘school plays’ are done. Who funds them, do you club together? How do you do all the different sports in the weekday and form teams to compete with others? I’m completely fine with the STEM subjects as it’s my job, but am clueless for the other things. Some of my best memories are playing cricket for the school team (as the only girl!), and the school orchestra competing against other schools and getting to play at the Albert Hall. I’m not sure how I’d replicate that?

Many of the home educators I've met have been ex teachers themselves. Largely because they've become so disillusioned by traditional schooling!

Who are you talking too?

Not my DS's speech and language therapist who took me to one side and said " you do realise education doesn't have to happen in schools"

Not my DSs Ed psych who when I explained the situation said "sounds like he needs an eotas package".

Not me. Whose Qualified to teach in school but firmly believes that school is not the only place education can happen. I don't tend to shout about that to other teachers though...

The thing is we have been educated to think that the school system is the only way. That quirky children will suddenly become less quirky in a school. That a child who naturally seeks only limited social interaction will become suddenly social in school. That you have to learn to socialise because how else will you function. That if it goes badly at school it would go worse at home.

And it's a lie.

Children can and do learn and thrive in a variety of education environments. Just because the majority believe something to be true doesn't actually make it right.

I haven't really seen it work like that, the drama and sport activities my son takes part in are with schooled children. He does music concerts but those are organised by his piano teacher and again the other performers are mostly schooled children. If you're looking to replicate those unique "school" experiences then home ed probably isn't for you.

Yes, I know a LOT of home educators, and many of them are teachers. I've never pressed them why they choose to home ed, but yes, there are more teachers in the home ed community than other professions it seems!

We home ed. We live in a place where a lot of people do, and its a pretty unexceptional choice. Most of the sports centres, theatres, etc. have daily home ed sessions and my kids have a wide bunch of friends who they see most days. They're on sports teams, choirs, drama groups, etc.

We're setting out with GCSE's and using tutors for the subjects we need to - the kids are enjoying their courses so far.

All of my kids do non-home-ed groups as well, so they have a reasonable bunch of 'school friends' as well.

I'm not particularly evangelical about it: we fell into it, thought we'd try it for a while and it works really well for us. We're pretty conventional, follow the curriculum and just crack on with what we're doing.

I'm 100% in favour of a home ed register. I know the home ed arguments against, but I've never been convinced by them, I'm afraid. Safeguarding kids comes first.

I'm with you on the home ed register, would be totally happy to be on one.

My area doesn’t do home ed plays and sports days but they do happen in other areas. I have a friend at the other side of the country who helps to organise them along with other parents local to her. My area does have drama groups and sports classes for home ed dc that run during the day and of course there are the usual extra curricular sports teams, music classes and drama groups.

I home educated my eldest for 3 years and my youngest for 1.

I didn't feel like school was right for them when they were due to start (age 4) so I HE'd until they were ready. Their primary school always complimented us and said that extra time at home was noticeable (in a good way, before you suggest otherwise! 😆).

I'm in awe of parents who HE for many years and especially for the high school years!

Most homeschooler parents are mums from what I can see. So it’s another way to get women out of the workplace to stay home and this then contributes to the gender pay gap. No thanks.

I hated secondary school too (which is such a shame after a lovely primary school) and the memories of that will be with me forever. I wish I’d been taken out and home educated.

I don’t plan on home educating but I see it as a Plan B, and that makes me a lot more confident about the future. My kids love primary school and hopefully we’ll find them a decent secondary school. Home schooling is there as a backup in case it fails so that my kids are never as miserable as I was.

Maths and sciences we could do easily between me and DH anyway but I know I’d need some help with English as it comes less naturally to us - I’d probably get a tutor for that or find a group to help with in a more formal setting.

Unfortunately not.
These same people will voice concerns over staffing issues, quality of teacher training, teachers having poor grammar, I remember a thread where lots of posters said their child's correct work was marked wrong.
However they also dismiss any alternative.

Oh and how school creates many mental health issues... the assault and harassment of girls in schoo lIt makes no sense they are so against not sending your child to places there are all these problems.

I completely understand it. I just don't believe that it benefits children except in a tiny minority of cases. I can't see how teaching children that schools are bad places is ever productive.

I still work, thanks.

That's not what home educators do.

I think OP is stirring with this post.

I think anyone claiming that they have knowledge on the same level of a teacher is arrogant. There's various subjects and then there's the whole school experience of making friends in a school setting.

I don't even think this is worth the debate.

I really am a firm believer in decent quality state provided home based online learning. I think we would have less mental health issues and greater continuity of eduction if this was provided as a normal mainstream option.

I don't believe this would work well for many children.

Then why not send your child to school?

Actually I agree.

For all the reasons I outlined in my first post. I don't like schools. I think many individual teachers are wonderful but I do not like the school system. However, I do not teach my son that schools are bad places! On the contrary, we are always very careful to be positive about school with him. If he wants to go to school we will send him.

However, I do not teach my son that schools are bad places!

Of course you do! How can people be so un self aware 🙄