Disillusioned Parent would love some advice..

[marmon]

My ds 5 is in year 1 at our local Infant school and things are not great. He is not happy and things that I am hearing and witnessing are also not pleasing me either.
Anyway without dwelling on the negative I was wondering if anyone knows of any tutors who teach small groups of children either in their homes or somewhere else. I am in Surrey and do not know where to start, I know that I could not home ed full time as I do not have teaching background but I could definately do the more creative side.

He would need someone to teach him the academic stuff and it would be nice if he could see other children for the social side. I am probably living in a fantasy world that somewhere like this exsists and obviously we are prepared to pay but I have really had enough of the education system in this country particuarly when it comes to the way they teach boys. My dd who is 11 has certainly been treated fairer and found school pretty easy.

Any help would greatly appreciated

Thanks

Just a quickie as I'm off out but, just for the record, you are not required to come from a teaching background to HE. Hope others will be around later for more info.

Thankyou Kayteee, trouble is I am really not academic at all, so would be of know use to my ds in that respect. I know alot about Art and music so there would be plenty of trips to museums and musical adventures!

Hi, as Kaytee says, you don't need to have any teaching background to HE - after all, you've been teaching your child things for the first 4 years without any training! Many parents of younger children do autonomous education, where they are led very much by what their child is interested in, and see their role as to provide opportunities and resources rather than actively teaching. Others take a more school-like approach, and use things like worksheets and websites. There are even organisations which will sell you a whole year's worth of curriculum materials if you want to go that route - though many parents then decide that they have the confidence to pick things out for themselves.

My HE experience is with an older child, so I probably can't be much direct help, but I've seen enough examples round here to know that HE is nowhere near as daunting a prospect as it probably seems at this stage.

In most areas you'll find active groups of HE families, what they do together varies but some club together to cover different subjects, or hire tutors, where others are more keen on the social side, or go on outings to museums etc together.

Get hold of a copy of 'How Children Learn at Home' by Alan Thomas and Harriet Pattison and read it. Also anything by John Holt. Then see if you think you're up to HEing

Have a look at the fabulous MuddlePuddle which is an excellent website for families who home educate children under 8 years old, AND their HE Early Years email support group which could be very helpful to you.

Children learn in all sorts of ways,everything they need to know, just through living life-I second flamingo's suggestion of reading 'How Children Learn at Home'

I too am arty and crafty, but have managed to get three youngsters all the way through to the stage where they reached A levels/Open University level-with a very large proportion of museum and gallery visits!
We did no formal work, just lived life, followed their interests and enjoyed learning.

We've joined in a lot with local home ed families at all sorts of workshops, meetings and gatherings.
And we have learned masses together along the way!

If you check out the Local Groups on the HE-UK website it gives contact details for home edders in your local area-I'd strongly suggest meeting some of them and chatting about the possibilities of home education.And that of course would sort out your socialisation concerns!

If you feel like you need more guidance, you may like to have a look at
One to One : A Practical Guide to Learning at Home age 0-11

There are threads in the home ed section, about 'Books about Home Education' and 'Websites about Home Education', which mentions other books/websites that are also useful, but which have not already been mentioned here.

Remember that although that it is said that 1/4 of home educators are teachers-that means that 3/4 of us are not!!

Ive home schooled ds3 from the start hes now 8 - it can and does work you learn together,dip your toes in the water is very warm .

I HE my 5 yo and really, truly you don't need to be 'academic' to do it. There are so many resources around, loads of websites with all sorts of activities and information and educational games and print outs. We mostly go out lots and play with sticks and ponds and look for insects and sometimes go to museums and go to home ed groups. There are lots of home ed. groups which organise educational trips and work shops, as well as ones for just play. We sometimes do joint organised learning sessions with other home ed. families (like doing science or art). My son does a few of after school clubs - French and drama and swimming. He learns lots by watching t.v.
I read all the books on HE that people recommended, but I don't think that I really believed that children would learn without being taught by a teacher until I met children and families actually doing it, so I would really recommend getting to a HE group. Where are you in Surrey? I'm on the SW London/Surrey borders yahoo group and if you're anyway near this area it's quite a good one, as there are some regular meetings, including one in a park in Carshalton/Cheam area every week, which is really friendly. There also seems to be a lot going on in Guildford area.

Marmon,

This is a great new site for finding friends.

Beanpip started it and there are some groups on there, including one for Surrey and Under 5's so you might find some fellow HEers on there to hook up with

here

If it made you feel happier, you could always use a private tutor for the academic side and do all the rest yourself. An hour or two a week would be more than ample at this age- you cover so much on a one-to-one.

However, you will find your child learns brilliantly through play at only 5 - so you really probably don't need it. But if it's a route you want to take, I suggest asking around the parents at the school for any recommendations, or asking the Surrey home educators. There is a really good Surrey group called Pact which we are members of (I'm West Sussex but we go to Guildford on a Friday for their ice skating) and they might well be able to help you further.

Musicposy,
Sorry to go off topic but could you let me know the details of the Guildford Ice skating please? I have just spoken to a lady who really wants to meet up with HEers in/around Guildford.

You can email me on [email protected]

If you have any other Guilford/surrounding area related HE groups would you be so kind as to let me know? Thanks, she's really keen to meet other families.

Thankyou all for your advice, its certainly food for thought and I live in Guildford so its nice to know that there is a big support network here.