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The reason that I put up the school (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=26865&page=1&pp=15) thread is Mandy and I are pretty much decided on home educating our little ones..........at least up to secondary school age. The reasons for this are many but they boil down to our own dislike of school, the amount of time wasted at school actually doing nothing, the amount of time wasted doing things that are irrelevant or of no interest whatsoever, the way that school is actually (apart from education) a means to produce uniform compliant worker 'drones'. We have the time and inclination to eduucate them ourselves, so why not do so?
We will broadly follow the curriculum and be careful to allow them plenty of opportunities to interact with other kids at clubs and home ed get togethers.
Any comments or observations?
Any comments or observations?
Good luck! Sounds like you are doing this for precisely the right reasons (although I've not read your school thread yet!)
dilli-theclaw
07-04-2005, 11:01
The reason that I put up the school (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=26865&page=1&pp=15) thread is Mandy and I are pretty much decided on home educating our little ones..........at least up to secondary school age. The reasons for this are many but they boil down to our own dislike of school, the amount of time wasted at school actually doing nothing, the amount of time wasted doing things that are irrelevant or of no interest whatsoever, the way that school is actually (apart from education) a means to produce uniform compliant worker 'drones'. We have the time and inclination to eduucate them ourselves, so why not do so?
We will broadly follow the curriculum and be careful to allow them plenty of opportunities to interact with other kids at clubs and home ed get togethers.
Any comments or observations?
Good luck with it I think it's a capital idea :)
The only downside I can see with home education is the potential lack of 'socialisation' that kids get at school, making friends etc. Would they feel that they were 'missing out' although, having said that, if they have their friends that they play with etc, then it may not be an issue.
As long as you stick fairly close to the curriculum, I wouldn't have thought that there would be any problems - let's face it, at the end of the day, are any prospective employers / universities (a long way in the future, I know) really going to be bothered about primary level education? As long as your kids can read and write to the accepted level and have basic skills, they should be alright.
Home schooling is fine, but school is designed to give more than just educating pupils. Homeschoolers don't tend to realise all the little things until it is too late.
Homeschooling is fine, but you have to make sure your kids interact other kids, as they would in school, and make sure they get the same amount of exercise. Make sure they attend plenty of after-school clubs, and games.
The only worry is, if you homeschool until secondary school, and then send them back to school. The leap from primary school to secondary school is big enough, from homeschool to secondary school would probably be massive. How to tackle that best might be something you'd have to consider.
Sounds like a lot of work to me, but if you are convinced you can teach them sufficiently well so they don't lack any knowledge/skills they will be expected to have in secondary school, go for it.
In other words, don't let your own ideals be the cause of your kids ending up in a situation where they will suffer academically. You may feel good about teaching them the stuff that you think matters, but if that means they have less chances in life, you've only done yourself a favour, not your kids.
The reason that I put up the school (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=26865&page=1&pp=15) thread is Mandy and I are pretty much decided on home educating our little ones..........at least up to secondary school age. The reasons for this are many but they boil down to our own dislike of school, the amount of time wasted at school actually doing nothing, the amount of time wasted doing things that are irrelevant or of no interest whatsoever, the way that school is actually (apart from education) a means to produce uniform compliant worker 'drones'. We have the time and inclination to eduucate them ourselves, so why not do so?
We will broadly follow the curriculum and be careful to allow them plenty of opportunities to interact with other kids at clubs and home ed get togethers.
Any comments or observations?
Well, you are taking on a major task. I sometimes wonder if Ivan Illich had the right idea, abolish schools altogether! You may need to hire private tutors. Have you considered all options, all the available alternative schools. One thing to consider is the importance of learning with their peers and most importantly sporting activities how will you ensure your little ones can benefit from these activiites?
Deschooling Society (http://www.preservenet.com/theory/Illich/Deschooling/intro.html)
:)
Good luck matey, I have always said that there was / is a better education to be had outside of school, after all, what use is half the stuff you learnt at school to you now ??? touching on the subjects was ok for a while but I've never needed most of the geography, music, history etc etc, I'm not saying to exclude them all together but really, there must be better things to learn about, espeacially in this day and age.
:2cents:
I forgot to add the benefits of homeschooling, that you don't have to worry about bullying, and you can personally vet all your tutors.
TBH, I think the local junior school did a pretty good job with our eldest and it's the secondary school that concerns us more.
Having said that, if you have the time and committment then good luck to you. Apart from the three R's, I think some of the important things to teach them are :
1. Be able to motivate themselves - much better to 'want' to learn than to be 'led' to the books. As I said in the school thread, I had very little self-discipline - probably still dont :D
2. Be able to find things out for themselves - ask questions, don't just accept facts.
3. Enjoy learning.
HTH
Encouraging replies so far, thanks.
Our biggest worry is the social side of things, we are acutely aware that we will have to enrol them in activities and classes so that they can socialise (especially Alex who is very sociable).
Getting tutors in won't be a problem as we will be saving about 10-12K a year in school fees.
Another thing that prompted the home ed idea was that it will make it easier for us to take them to foreign countries for a month here and there for new experiences.
As for the jump from home ed to secondary school, we expect that they will be fully ready for the change by the time it comes to it.........if not then we can home ed for secondary education as well but I'd prefer to hand that over to the experts at that point because the subject matter will be getting a lot harder.
Nobel prize winners views on school (http://learninfreedom.org/Nobel_hates_school.html)
Goood luck with it.
The only things I'd say are you will have to really follow the curriculum closely and maybe join a group that can provide you with the outcomes kids need to have learnt to enter into secondary school. This will make sure that they are ready for the transition and are not left behind the others.
Also, it would be a good idea to think about how you will be distinguishing between house and school work. Maybe setting up timetables and a room set aside for just school work will be a good way of not mixing normal home life with school work, as when teaching at home, there are lots of things that could put you off working....so you will need to think of guidelines to follow.
Make sure your kids join some clubs or have some other activities to socialize with other kids and things should go well.
ian@huth
07-04-2005, 12:17
Good luck matey, I have always said that there was / is a better education to be had outside of school, after all, what use is half the stuff you learnt at school to you now ??? touching on the subjects was ok for a while but I've never needed most of the geography, music, history etc etc, I'm not saying to exclude them all together but really, there must be better things to learn about, espeacially in this day and age.
:2cents:You probably don't need most of the facts you have learned at school but school isn't just about learning facts. It is more about training the mind to look for solutions to things and to think things through. The subjects themselves give you an insight into many things and you find out the areas that are of interest to you.
One of the big problems with ordinary schooling is that not enough attention is given to the individual pupil. Every member of the class has their own rate of learning and their own areas of interest. If the teachers go at the pace of the slowest pupils then the speedier ones can soon get bored and less attentive. If the teacher goes along at the pace of the speedier pupils then the slow ones are completely lost. Choosing the middle ground can leave the slow pupils lost and the fast ones bored. Home education can enable each child to be taught at their own pace and their lessons tailored to identify and exploit their strengths and rectify their weaknesses.
Social interaction is something that can suffer and teamwork skills can be missed out on altogether. Ideally home educated children should be encouraged to take part in activities where teamwork skills are paramount.
One drawback with home education stems from an earlier mentioned fact that one on one teaching enables the child to be taught at their own pace which keeps there interest levels high. Unfortunately life itself can be quite different no matter what future occupation the child embarks upon. The child can move from a 100% interesting education to something that has peaks and troughs of interest and constantly repeating tasks, something they may have never experienced.
One of the big problems with ordinary schooling is that not enough attention is given to the individual pupil. Every member of the class has their own rate of learning and their own areas of interest. If the teachers go at the pace of the slowest pupils then the speedier ones can soon get bored and less attentive. If the teacher goes along at the pace of the speedier pupils then the slow ones are completely lost. Choosing the middle ground can leave the slow pupils lost and the fast ones bored. Home education can enable each child to be taught at their own pace and their lessons tailored to identify and exploit their strengths and rectify their weaknesses.Spot on! Our exact feelings! :tu:
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One drawback with home education stems from an earlier mentioned fact that one on one teaching enables the child to be taught at their own pace which keeps there interest levels high. Unfortunately life itself can be quite different no matter what future occupation the child embarks upon. The child can move from a 100% interesting education to something that has peaks and troughs of interest and constantly repeating tasks, something they may have never experienced.In that case I would argue that the person is in the wrong job/occupation. (in an ideal world) :D
That is a commonly encountered 'problem' with home educated kids--they are more demanding of teachers and expect to have their views heard...........like those are bad things :rolleyes:
JediMaster
07-04-2005, 12:29
I had the ladt 2-3 year of Comprehensive School at home. Due to ill health. I had a Welsh teacher (as I was in a Welsh school & they said I had to get a Welsh Tutor)... I only did the basic lessons & not GCSE's. You cant do as much at home (like Wood Work, Cooking, Chemistry :D ) But I did what I needed to. 1-2 hts a day & it was OK. I have no GCSE's but more Common Sense than half of my class when I was at school :Yikes: . lol....
I have my friends online & I work on websites & edit a large amout of Video Clips & Images. This is a great Job, if I had 11 GCSE's I would still not be able to get a better job. I am mostly housebound due to my disability. So this works best for me.
In reply to Nugget's comment..
The only downside I can see with home education is the potential lack of 'socialisation' that kids get at school, making friends etc. Would they feel that they were 'missing out' although, having said that, if they have their friends that they play with etc, then it may not be an issue.
I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Many of my older friends who have children have opted to teach the Juniors at home. This has been a effective route. They have better education & the kids like it better. As they mix with 100+ kids & grown ups at the meetings we attend. The 'socialisation' is NOT a issue. 40+ kids from Baby to 17 year olds at meetings & thats only in one small area. So I hope it works out well for you Ramrod
Another good thing about home ed kids is that they are by and large not exposed to peer pressure and the antics of other kids. Because they have a wider age group to interact with (rather than mainly just kids of their own age) they tend to be more mature and tolerant. (apparently)
From what I've heard, the only big problem you're likely to face is persecution by your local authority, which is likely to assume your kids are not being educated. Just you try and take them out on an educational visit during normal school hours...
I thought about it myself for my youngest because he was such a dreamer and was a target for bullies.However I had to temper the desire with the need to earn a living myself..If the situation had got really bad I was prepared to do it.
However my son did say that he would rather be torn apart by wild horses rather than be taught at home by me. :D After that he began to cope better at school with a lot of help from his tutor and his head of year and me working together.
I think it is something you have to weigh up and research really well for your selves.I also think that children are different and some will do well with homeschooling and some may not.It should be the case that you treat each child individually in that case.
The only problem that I can see is that you need to make sure that your children do get some socialising with their peer group in large enough numbers that they are 'street wise' when they meet other children.
Good luck. :tu:
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Another good thing about home ed kids is that they are by and large not exposed to peer pressure and the antics of other kids. Because they have a wider age group to interact with (rather than mainly just kids of their own age) they tend to be more mature and tolerant. (apparently)
Peer pressure was never a problem with my two children because I was very robust and pro-active about not HAVING to march in tune with your peer group.That being DIFFERENT is not a crime it's something to aspire to.That uniqueness is a special state to live in...and I also subtly demonstrated that it was also a cheaper option because if one doesn't buy the £70 trainers everyone else wants but goes for the £30 pair it leaves money to be spent on something else such as books,toys,games,cinema.
Peer pressure need not bea problem if you tackle it BEFORE it arises. ;)
Peer pressure need not bea problem if you tackle it BEFORE it arises. ;)Actively tackling it already.........and they are only 4 and 5 y.o. :rolleyes: :D
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From what I've heard, the only big problem you're likely to face is persecution by your local authority, which is likely to assume your kids are not being educated. Just you try and take them out on an educational visit during normal school hours...I know, I can't wait! :D
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btw..we have joined education otherwise (http://www.education-otherwise.org/)
Lying in bed last night I was thinking that we must be mad to even contemplate home ed :disturbd: :D
Lying in bed last night I was thinking that we must be mad to even contemplate home ed :disturbd: :D
Why do you say that? At least your kids won't be bullied, unlike, what seems like the vast majority of us on here... It won't be so bad if your kids went private (Like I was lucky enough to), but the bullying there can still be really rough.
It can be worth it for the peace of mind, i'd though. I'd seriously worry if I had to send a kid to a state school these days.
Lying in bed last night I was thinking that we must be mad to even contemplate home ed :disturbd: :D
funnily enough its been an idea for me if i ever have children to have and provide home education, i feel it will benefit the child as they recieve one on one tuition, but it might come at a price if the child may develop social communication problems, but i believe in the long run a child will benefit with having its education tailored to its own learning pace.
Why do you say that? At least your kids won't be bullied, unlike, what seems like the vast majority of us on here... It won't be so bad if your kids went private.They are going private atm..........it's just a daunting prospect to contemplate...........but I'm sure it will be ok once we get going with it. :)
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i believe in the long run a child will benefit with having its education tailored to its own learning pace.Thats what we think.........
They are going private atm..........it's just a daunting prospect to contemplate...........but I'm sure it will be ok once we get going with it. :)
ive just had an opportunity to look over the replies in this thread and i have to say that 'socialising' might not be a big problem at all, i didnt have the smoothest ride of education establishments when i was younger but i think i turned out ok :)
of course its different for different kids and yes there would not be no abuse suffered as well as the possibility of your child getting up to no good in terms of alcohol, drugs, or such substance abuse if you choose for them not to accept it, i think that goes on your own morals really, but i think home tuition will encourage the child to always be productive, i think you would have to vet the teachers that you allow your son/daughter to interact with, i know you want the best for your child so monitoring everything closely is something that i would also do.
Lying in bed last night I was thinking that we must be mad to even contemplate home ed :disturbd: :D
Well I did think that too ;) No doubt it will not be as easy as packing them off for some Turkey Twizzlers and picking em up come 3.30. But all the more reason to admire you and your wife for it. Actually, thinking on, could you have my two as well? They'll bring their own pencils.
Actually, thinking on, could you have my two as well? They'll bring their own pencils.That depends.......do they cook and clean? :D
That depends.......do they cook and clean? :D
No but they eat and make a mess..... exceptionally well (good parental training)
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