What are your views on home-schooling?

[Littleraysofsunshine]

Just out if interest

You are right exotic
Friends children just leaving uni have been turned down for jobs because having got as far as a telephone interview

Even though they have a first in the relevent degree, they do not have adequate A level results ie ABC instead of an ABB

Exeter was not seen as a good enough university

Even though they have the full set of accountancy qualifications and 20 years of experience, they did not have a degree.

Universities want see gcse and a levels sat at one sitting so they know you can handle the pressure.

If that's the case bruffin then the unis are mad. What happens if the examanee happens to get ill or run over or something?

I assume.they would take that into account, but I don't see being HE as a.valid reason for getting on a course without the relevant qualifications.

I don't think H.ed is a reason to get on a course without relevant quals neither. But I think its good that colleges and uni's are inclusive and accept other relevant qualifications at the same level as GCSE and A level. There are many alternatives to GCSE/A level specific to certain courses that are accepted.
I also think its good for those who aren't able to achieve GCSE's wherever they have been educated. Some people for whatever reason are unable to sit GCSE's and for at least the past 10 years that I know of, have not been penalised for this.

I'm not sure that some people know how tough it is these days-they don't seem to realise that it some places they will be weeded out before they get chance to even show the alternatives. I think it is different from even how it was 5 years ago.

I can't see why it is a competition as to which is better. Schools are better for some-home for others.
There seems to be a general insecurity if you HE and you constantly have to justify and find reasons for it being best. A lot of parents didn't like the schools that I chose-it didn't bother me, I knew they were good and there was no need for me to discuss it. I never know why HEers get drawn in-all you have to say to questions is 'it suits us,' and change the subject. You really don't have to answer questions about socialisation or anything else.

The only thing that really annoys me is the patronising assumption that if the rest of us knew our rights many more of us would do it-we do know our rights and we choose school because we think it best-not just as default because we know no better!

HE is merely an educational choice-take it if it suits you and leave it if it doesn't but it seems silly not to get the relevant qualifications when they make life so much easier and open doors more readily.

"The only thing that really annoys me is the patronising assumption that if the rest of us knew our rights many more of us would do it-we do know our rights and we choose school because we think it best-not just as default because we know no better! "

For the people who do know that home-ed is a valid choice and then choose school then that's fine. I can't see that anyone is assuming that because someone sends their child to school they mustn't be aware of home-ed.
However, given the number of times that home-educators hear parents saying things like 'if only I'd known, I would have brought mine out of school' or 'if only I'd known sooner, I wouldn't have struggled along for so long and life would have been much better for my child/family' then I think it's fair to assume that more parents might be inclined to opt for home-ed if they knew about it.

The thing is a lot of adolescents don't even think ahead a week let alone to starting work. What are you going to do with a refuser\drop out? chain 'em to their desks? If they're being H.E. at least you don't have to worry about S.S. coming round to talk about attendance.

A large number of homeschooled children I know take formal exams much earlier than their conventionally educated peers and that is certainly the path we are on for my children at this point in time. If at some point they would prefer to take an apprenticeship in a trade or craft I would support that choice too. A degree is no guarantee of a job at the end of 3 to 4 expensive years of hard work.

I'm not much interested in whether or not people approve of how my children are educated, or answering interrogative questions just so certain posters can judge how I am raising and educating my children.

The only downside for our family is that we are missing out on my wage. This is not the end of the world for us, but of course more money would be nice. If I had known homeschooling was going to be such a positive experience, and just how much a waste of time conventional schooling was going to be for my children I would have home ed'd from the start.

The vast majority of parents do everything in their power to do the right thing for their children, and as individuals we know our children well enough to make good choices for them, and help them get to the point where they can make their own good decisions regarding their futures. For my children homeschooling is the best option, just as school outside of the home may well be the right choice for other families.

I think my 5 years old son will gain more academically if i educate him at home just because he is better with 1-2-1 as he needs repeated instruction / explanation to understand or engage with something. However, I am unable to provide all the social aspects of skills for him if I home school him while I can still support him with his school work hence overall it is better for him to go to school.

Following my last message, of course if my child really hate school and have problems making friends then I will HE him without more thoughts. The only thing that he enjoys in school now are his friends so I wouldn't want to take it away from him even though he really dislikes his lessons! On top of this, English isn't my first language and I am dyslexic so HE probably not ideal unless he is really unhappy in school.

Why was school such a waste of time for your children, Cat?

Catkidston.

Are you doing IGCSE, GCSE or a mixture of both? I ask as I am not in this position yet as dd is only young. If she stays on the same path as she is now I think she may choose to do a few GCSE's or level 2 quals in addition to the exams she will already have taken in music, speech, and dance. But early days for us yet.

Exotic.
I don't think parents would rush to H.ed but I am one of those who says if only I'd known more about it before. That is not because I have anything against school because I think it was the right education for ds1 but ds2 would have been alot happier and done far better through H.ed. I think that dd will have greater opportunities in what she wants to do if we H.ed, thats all. I think more parents would H.ed if they knew more about it as there are many who are like me, but with the thousands of parents out there I'm sure schools would still be over subscribed.

Sorry I only have a moment Potato. At age 10, Dd is on track to do an IGCSE maths next year, she might also take geography, we will see how she manages. It is unlikely they will go onto further education in the UK, so it is likely they will take SAT's instead for American college entry.

With the caveat that I am only speaking with regards to my children and our experiences within the British state school system, and I am not making sweeping judgements regarding other peoples choices, I am happy to discuss conventional schooling. My youngest has never been to school outside of the house, but dd did complete 3 years - preschool, year one and most of year 2. She was ignored by the teachers, consistently. I dont have much time right now, but suffice to say the education she received or lack thereof at school was appalling. Anything she did learn, she learnt at home with me at weekends. She was bullied, left out and just not one of the popular children. As she said, in her own words, she was "not one of the golden girls, so noone ever bothered with her at school". She is doing wonderfully now, and has some lovely friends. Ds, who has always been homeschooled - and Im SURE Im going to be accused of boasting now, is just 6, reading chapter books, has started the first Galore Park junior math book and is flying through it, knows all his times tables, and not just in order, and is a great little footballer. It took at least a year to get dd to the point where she was fulfilling her potential, and I find that lost and wasted time, an absolute crying shame.

Its really good! I was home ed when i was a child and i did all my exams ect.. At home. I went to collage after that. I turned out fine! :D x
some parents who home ed dont go to any groups but i would if i did it. I am thinking of home ed-ing. But my DD is only two so not too soon. x

Wow Cat.

Home ed has definitely worked/ working for your dc. Its a shame your dd was so let down by the school she attended. At least she is on track and doing well now, they are both very talented at Maths. This is a sticking point for us as dd struggles a bit but she is working hard and has more time to spend on it than she did at school. I have seen an improvement already in half a term, but my dd was not affected by any of the things your dd was.

I was home schooled for a year or two abroad. Didn't suit me. Foreign schools; OK. Boarding school - probably OK-ish, but found I'd loathed it later.

Would have prefred a normal school. DS and DD studiously sent to local schools, for social purposes - but supported reading/sums etc at home....

We aren't all the same (a commonsense cliche that sometimes seems to be ignored by the schools) That story catkit told about her DD could be repeated thousands of times through the land. There are very few teachers who have the time and personality to even TRY to pay attention to all 30 DCs in her or his class; it's usually the over the top DCs who demand it and therefore get the little attention going.

The one nearly good thing that the Labour govt, did was get T.As. in each E.Y.s class. I say 'nearly' because some of them IME were very unpleasant.

Potato, when I first took her out of school, she was not even "top table" math. She just hadn't really been taught at all, and when schools have children for 6 hours a day, I was loathe to make her work longer hours. She had been taught no methods to work out complex math problems, had little more than the basic number facts down, and just was lacking in confidence. For us there is no downside to homeschooling, it has been the best thing for our children.

School was a negative experience for my children. The famed "socialisation" (there you go, British spelling for you Kew) that children allegedly only get within schools, was absolutely worthless imo. The few times I've asked if she wants to go back to being conventionally schooled she has been very clear that she loves the way she is educated, and wouldn't change a thing. The younger one is happy as long as we get out and about, and he plays football a couple of times a week.

We haven't found it hard to find them activities, including team sports that they can join in when they have wanted to.

there you go, British spelling for you Kew no need on my account - we are a multinational, multicultural family. I can deal quite well with a variety of spelling and languages.

*disadvantages without being accused of "demonizing" people's choices."

Sorry Kew, I thought the "" were because of the "z" in demonizing/demonising instead of the choice of word.

Shame you can't do quite so well with a variety of lifestyle choices that OTHER people make for THEIR children.

No "demonizing" simply because I cut and pasted it from your own post - you know its a quote hence quotation marks

So I've said that I don't think other people shouldn't home ed their children have I? [more confused]

I'd be interested in you quoting me saying that. A quick scan of my posts produced the following

If my child had problems in/with school I might do it;
I really don't give a stuff about whether anyone else HE's;
I'm perfectly aware of the limitations of school;
my experience of He'ers is that the majority have been very good with one outstandingly awful example

Thats an interesting interpretation of my views you have there. My only issue on this thread is the inability to discuss the pros and cons as they might apply to some children without being accused of demonising HE.

I'm thinking of home educating ds. He's now on his 5th school (he's 13) and the chances are that he'll have to leave this as well (funding issue). He's being tested for aspergers, has mobility and sensory problems. I'm a university graduate; I have a law degree, and have studied sciences and maths at university. He loves languages, so I'd take him around Europe so that he can experience these first hand. I think it's a great idea, and it's far better then placing him into yet another school, knowing that he'll be bullied for being different. He goes to games workshop, and I'm hoping there will be organised activities here.

IIWM ladycreepy I'd've done it already Especially as he's bullied.

No more school moves, I think. I'll see what the headmaster suggests after half term, but I'm not placing him into another school. It's getting silly now. I've actually miscounted, this is his 6th school. No child should have to live like this.