sick of it all

[fedupone]

I am about to state that I am sick of home-edding, fed up to the back teeth of it. Home-edding has become a sacred cow that you are not supposed to get fed up with. After three years of busting my gut, and virtually shouldering every aspect on my own I am finished both emotionally and physically. The home-ed social scene round here is dire they struggle to meet once a week. We often just spend afternoons on our own. I am sick of the lack of respect from, husband, government and society at large. I do not earn money so therefore do not have the right to breath air according to some.

Vent over

well-don't blame you for being fed up.

would you consider school?

my child goes to a lovely school and has a lovely time.

Yep me too ,I hated every minute of it and so did my dd.
DP promised to help out and didn't .
I would never ever want to he again .

You have to decide what works best for your family - HE is good, but school can be good too. If it's not working out, and you can't see how you can fix it, then you don't have to keep banging your head against a brick wall.

I am a coward as I have namechanged.

The fundamental problem I have is that I am a christian and have very strong beliefs about the bible. In schools they want to teach what I regard as 'untruths' and also general over the boundries sex ed. Im between a rock and a hard place arrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh.

what kind of 'untruths'?

Can you consider letting them go to school but making sure you are clear about which parts are not compatible with your beliefs? I guess the sex ed one is trickier, unless you keep them out of the class - which tends to make them a bit of a target for being "different".

LOL@ riven.

Untruths..well I suppose that would be anti-creation stuff. (not up for a discussion here though). And yes my options are dire, my local school has 25 different languages, its not that its a bad school its just bogged down with teaching spoken english. My son was in a good school (i had to drive for miles ) but could not cope with the amount of noise etc, could not concentrate was always upset. But now we have hit pre teens. I am always the 'bad cop' and dad is the 'white knight'. Dad is academically very very clever and sees no reason that son cannot be the same, problem is I cant do the 11+ test online (maths). I did teach him to read and write but I feel like the higher stuff is beyond me, even though I understand it and can do it, I cant articulate it in the way of a teacher who has a love for teaching...know what I mean...also am lazy beeeech.

Can you get/ afford 11+ tutors for them if that is what you are specifically aiming at?

Do you maybe just need a change in how you do the HE? Could you look at textbooks, tutors, curriculum-in-a-box type things? It doesn't have to be about you teaching him, if that's not working. Or could Dad do some subjects with him in the evenings or weekends?

Have just changed it.

Just then....marked childs maths...argued he had a sum wrong...he said no its right...i double check...I am wrong he laughs me out of room. Is this a sign?

Well, it sounds like he's beyond what you can teach him - but you can still help him if he learns from a book or something else. My "helping" DS with homework now consists of him telling me the question, then him having to explain the background to the question, then him telling me how they usually deal with that sort of question, then him realising that he knows how to do it anyway . I'm learning quite a lot, really.

(HE but still has homework - internet school)

no its not a sign try not to beat yourself up over it how many children have you got? can i ask with out sounding rude, what method you have just changed to? did you have a break for the summer? it could be just getting back into the swing of things???
mt3 x

Have you considered an online school fedupone that your ds could attend full time or perhaps just for extra support in certain subjects.

My ds now goes to an online school as I was struggling with teaching him French and Spanish as mine was very rusty and he is doimg well amd enjoying it.

how about you hire a maths tutor for a couple of hours a week.

I can't help a lot except to say I have fantastic days when I love it, but I do get bad days too - I just don't talk about them so much! You may not be as alone as you think.
As regards the school thing, I know where you are coming from as we are a Christian family and I felt such a sense of relief when my eldest came out of school and we didn't have to suffer lessons which sometimes gave out completely different beliefs to ours. Having said that, I still think it's what goes on at home that counts. We used to use it as a way into discussions on various issues, so I wouldn't worry too much about them teaching such stuff - it doesn't mean they will take it on board. Alternatively, are there any faith schools near?
Alternatively, the online school suggestion sounds good. That way, he gets on with it himself and you have more time for you.

fedupone I don't he but I know 2 families that do (close friends).

I am usually by the general comments made by "society at large" as you put it wrt he. A lot of people somehow seem threatened by parents that make that choice as far as I can see. (I am sure you have heard many more negative comments than I have though). People somehow think it is their business to comment very rudely and ignorantly after making various assumptions about he.

I am sorry to hear that you are struggling.I've probably not got anything constructive to say, just wanted to give you a supportive post and say that I hope you find some solutions.

fedupone - you are making your life and that of your DCs unnecessarily difficult by trying to live up to standards (both in home education and in religious belief) that are exceptionally high.

Lower your standards. School isn't perfect - but lots of children adore it, and being out in the world with others and challenging the belief system they live in at home is good for them.

Your beliefs won't necessarily be your children's. They are also very flimsy if you think being exposed to a nominally christian comprehensive school education will damage them.

'being out in the world with others and challenging the belief system they live in at home" exactly Anna - all kids do that, or should do; in order to develop their own views and beliefs as a fully functioning individual. Far better to allow them to experience other views and to talk about it rather than trying to keep them away from it, which is impossible anyway

If you are thinking about the 11+, are you considering grammar school for the future? Or is this just a measure of whether he's covered the maths he would be doing at school?

I fully understand your point about HE being very tough going at times - DD was HE over the summer term. It was hard work for me, and she has now returned to school as I feel I simply do not have the patience and support network to continue HE.

But I think children, as others have said, really need to have a rounded education and to have experience of how others live/believe. I am an atheist but consider it important that DD learns tolerance towards the beliefs of others, and to question what she is taught.

And are you not concerned that he will have trouble passing the 11+ if he has not been taught conventional (ie, anti-creation) science?