To find the homeschooling fad really braggy

[Kudosss]

Am I wrong to think there's something braggy and arrogant about homeschooling?

I'm NOT talking about the parents of SEN children who may not have been able to access a school, or feel it's in the child's best interest. I'm not even talking about the quiet ones who just get on with it. I do acknowledge our school system has it's problems but...

I'm talking about the loudly wholesome parents bragging about their lives and day, how much richer their kids are for being home schooled, outdoors yahdiya.

I mean I would love to be able to homeschool but the reality is I a) can't afford to and b) quite like the little bit of sanity I have left and c) I'm not so arrogant that I think I can undermine qualified teaching professionals with years of experience.

It's almost like these parents are basically announcing their wealth and privilege to the world without announcing their wealth and privilege and making everyone else feel inadequate.

Where are they bragging? Get off social media. Or distance yourself if they are annoying you in real life.

For some people it works amazingly well. One if our friends is s gifted teacher, and her kids are doing well.
Another one is vocal about home schooling, but her kids do a full time online school with 5-8 hours of lessons every day.
3 others gave up after a couple of years, kids are back in school. 2 are doing great, one is incredibly behind (homeschooled until end of year 7)
Some others have kids with SENds and no choice

I mean I would love to be able to homeschool but the reality is I a) can't afford to and b) quite like the little bit of sanity I have left and c) I'm not so arrogant that I think I can undermine qualified teaching professionals with years of experience.

1. Home education is the usual term in this country - thus acknowledging the main responsibility of the parent to choose how to educate their child - at school or otherwise
2. You make assumptions about the arrogance of others whilst being entirely arrogant yourself about the skills,knowledge and intentions of others - in fact the most common professionals home educating are qualified teachers - because they have seen school from inside and don't want it for their children
3. 'You'd love to... but you'd lose your sanity' - so you don't have the capability or capacity to look after your own children and help them learn but you're happy to criticise those that can

The whole of your post says far more about you than home educators

It's not these particularly that worry me, it's the ones that are taking their kids out of school because of all the anti school rhetoric they're being fed that schools can't keep their kids safe and how teachers have 'gone woke' it's the future of these kids I worry about

Completely agree. Even worse is 'worldschooling' (ie an extended holiday) or 'flexischooling' which is basically an excuse to be able to take their kids on long weekends away during term time.

There's an influencer I follow (I only follow her because she's local to me and therefore does have some good recommendations for things to do with kids) who has been away abroad 3 times since September with her 'flexischooled' kids.

Not following influencers brings so much inner peace.
If you want to keep your sanity- so did I- why worry what others are doing?

A friend of the family homeschools her children. She’s also an online influencer with quite a lot of followers. I wouldn’t say she brags per se but she makes comments about the “poor kids who are stuck in the school system” and she wishes every child had the benefits of home ed that her DC have.

Before leaving mainstream education, teachers informed her that her 12 year old’s reading age was several years below his age but she isn’t worried because she thinks schools are obsessed with arbitrary targets and she isn’t going to force him to read. There are also behavioural issues with some of her other DC (I stopped inviting her youngest over for play dates because of his behaviour in our house) but she put it all down to the school environment and won’t address any of it🤷🏽‍♀️

I don’t think so - I mean I don’t know anyone who homeschools but it’s never seemed that way to me.

I think people who come across as braggy or arrogant are usually just quite insecure in their decision, which bearing in mind the enormity of taking such a decision counter to what the majority of people do, is understandable.

Each to their own, in my view.

(Although I do think there should be tight scrutiny of it, so that that minority of kids who are actually being abused and it hidden by HS can be picked up - as one child slipping through the net is too many!)

That sounds like classic insecure/ unsure of her decision/ needing to justify it to herself behaviour!

The kind of homeschool parents you're talking about have ALWAYS existed. The difference is that we didn't see them or hear about them. They were in their own little bubble and unless you happened to know them personally, you had no idea it was even a thing.

It's just that we see more of it now because of social media.

A woman I went to school with homeschooled her DC - she had her DC young so this was a good 20/25 years ago. She was also an early adopter of online blogging. Well, let's just say that there was a small but endlessly amusing chat between a small group of us whenever she posted an update....!

What even is flexischooling??

Do they go into school sometimes? Surely that’s not allowed? (Thinking I haven’t grasped this correctly)

I've never met or heard from one of these people. If you have people you don't like on your SM remove them.

Anyone braggy is someone deeply insecure.

The parents who genuinely enjoy homeschooling and do it efficiently don't brag about it.

The others are quite funny, seem to have to defend their choices all the time - when no one is asking them to, or care what they do.

I especially find if funny when on various groups, someone asks about activities/ events to do during half term, and some homeschooling parent always pops up "how lucky we are we can go to all the places at any time when it's quiet". Ok then...😂

I think one thing to bear in mind though is that these sort of homeschooling people, by definition, do not think the school system is fit for purpose. And therefore, all the rest of us who do choose to send our children into this system are, in their opinion, making a mistake. And, if we are completely honest, we all think the same about them - I choose NOT to homeschool because I truly do not believe my children will get a good enough education if I did.

So inevitably, it sets up a dynamic where the homeschooling family appear to be braggy and judgy. And they think the rest of us are braggy and judgy.

I intend to home educate my daughter. We are definitely not wealthy and live in a 2 bedroom flat so I don’t agree it’s basically bragging about being wealthy.

Flexischooling is part time school/part time home ed and yes it's allowed with the headteacher's permission.

I agree with you about scrutiny.

Homeschooling parents scream about freedom and all the nonsense, but it's not right that a child can go completely hidden from the world and no-one helping.

It's bad enough for the ones who are seen, and the help is not enough, but how can it be right that there's not welfare check at least twice a year.

Maybe they feel they have to extol the virtues excessively given that home education is generally seen in such a negative light and they’re fighting constant hints that they’re probably abusing their kids/curtailing their potential?

Oh interesting- it was a new one on me, that’s all.

Maybe they feel they have to extol the virtues excessively given that home education is generally seen in such a negative light and they’re fighting constant hints that they’re probably abusing their kids/curtailing their potential?

You must have a certain wealth.

As much as I think that school is not childcare, we stil use these hours to get a job to pay the bills.

You have to be wealthy enough to be able not to work, but to educate your child full time.
Wealthy enough to join all the clubs and activities so they keep a social life.
Wealthy enough to pay for tutors to add to your schooling when needed.

It's great for people who can afford it, but let's be realistic, for most parents it would not be possible (if they ever wanted to)

I think it's like anything else. There'll be some people who find a new thing and want to talk about it. They'll also get frequent questions and assumptions from others that might make them feel the need to be a bit defensive off their choices, often anticipating the assumptions and attempting to head them off.

There'll also be those who are going to try to make money as influencers whatever their 'thing' is. I guess by nature they have to see the good points and make it watchable.

Me I'm old and jaded having got teens thru GCSEs. I miss the earlier days of simplicity. Some days were shite and some days I'd get home thinking today is why we chose it. There's nothing to brag about in particular but the kids are basically alright and making their way in the world.

Yes that’s what I think. I mean parents have always been free to provide alternative education to that which the state provides - that’s what private school is after all.

But I don’t think children should be hidden from sight as you say. Every child matters equally, and if a bit of scrutiny that might seem OTT for those who are genuinely well intentioned is the price for making sure none (or as few as can possibly be achieved - obviously tragically even with children at school things are missed) slip through the net then it’s a reasonable exchange.

Yeah I'm talking about social media and also people I speak to irl who I know that flexi school...I could indeed distance myself that is true. There's just something kind of 'i'm better than you' about the whole thing that annoys me. I'm not here vetting and checking people's skills, or intentions...if they can afford to quit teaching and do it because they've seen the other side then that's amazing for them but perhaps it would be nice if they didn't sing it from the rooftops.

Less braggy when (obvs not all) they try to get them on a college course and can’t because they haven’t got any GCSEs because mum doesn’t “agree with that nonsense”…

everyone does what suits them, but if your child is capable of GCSEs they will need them to succeed in our society. .