Home Education...

So today is my 8 year old daughters last day at mainstream school.

Home education is something I have considered for a couple of years now,

mainly because I don't want her to be packed into a neat little box with every other child at school.

I have quite a rebellious nature myself, and I just think freedom to live an individual life is so important, especially in young children.

When I first moved to the UK from South Africa,

I was quite shocked when I discovered Maddie would have to go to school at the age of 4!!

So I kept her home for the first term and then eventually sent her off with trepidation.

She loved school,

she has always had an insatiable thirst for knowledge,

and Hubby and I are always being woken up by a face saying

'can you ask me tricky questions' or

'can we play a game'

from the back seat of the car.

She always did well at school with academics and friends,

and this is why it might be difficult for some people to understand why I would want to remove her from the system.

So I'm going to share my pros & cons list with you.

This is a list that we as a family have been adding to for about a week now - in no particular order.

Pros:

1. Maddie can be properly challenged and stimulated for a change -

A boy in her class, let's call him "bob", is also quite bright,

so they spend most days doing worksheets together or getting on with whatever they've been given.

And don't get me wrong, she likes this, but she isn't really being challenged.

For 3 years it's been her and "bob" getting on with it in the corner.

2. I really don't want her to spend most of her day in a stuffy classroom,

sitting down at a desk, not being allowed to speak - what kind of a life is that?

Why do most people think that this is the best way to educate our children?

Don't people ask themselves if it's acceptable that the education system has barely changed in 100 years?

Think about what we have learnt over the last 100 years?

Children need much much more than what they are getting for the majority of their childhood.

3. I think English and Maths are important, but what about everything else?

I have been a TA at her school for 4 years and I rarely see anything else being taught. That's crazy!!

Do yourself a favor and watch Ken Robinson's - Are schools killing creativity speech on YouTube,

https://youtu.be/iG9CE55wbtY,

it will change the way you think about education.

4. We can take holidays whenever we want... at a fifth of the price,

and not get letters about fines when we take her out for an educational day.

It's like..."don't you dare educate your child, we are going to fine you for taking her out of this stuffy classroom and away from her worksheets - that's £60."

5. No more school uniforms = more money for interesting outings or games, charity etc.

6. No more homework.

6. hours a day at school - 1.5 hours of that is play time - 1.5 hours of that is lesson time,

and the other 3 hours are waiting/sitting for 30 kids to all line up,

or sit down, or be quiet, or get changed etc.

That is why they get homework,

because they don't have enough time to teach it all so they send some home.

Do you have any idea what a child could learn in 6 hours if they had freedom.

7. Freedom to learn what interests her.

She gets so bored learning about one topic over the course of weeks.

Most of the time she has already taught herself everything there is to know about the topic at home from the internet and encyclopaedias and through play and questions than they could ever cover in class,

and she does that in a day,

and then moves on to something else she's interested in.

8. A LOT more time outdoors in the fresh air,

moving around and getting her blood flowing.

This is so important for people, especially kids.

The need to move and play - full stop!

9. Building stronger family bonds - Maddie and I are already pretty close,

but I can tell that just through all our planning and decision making alone we have gotten even closer,

and hubby has also been so involved that we all feel so in tune with each other.

I also know that the bonds will just continue to get stronger - yes there will be days we aren't feeling each other or any of it, but school kids and teachers get sick days or off days too - you don't have to be ON all the time.

10. Not being forced together with a group of kids and having to just get on with them regardless of anything.

The social thing is always the first question that comes up and here is the answer - sitting in silence with 30 other children for 3 hours a day is not socialising.

Speaking to the cashier or lady at the library;

buying your train ticket and speaking to the ticket master;

meeting new HE kids and their parents at different groups;

joining new workshops with a range of different kids...IS.

HE kids grow up in the real world - not in school world,

so there is no adjustment period,

unlike that at the end of 12 years spent in the regulated confines of buildings.

11. Not potentially being stuck with a teacher who's teaching style is difficult for her to get on with,

and even worse, having that possibly be in her favourite subject -

something like that can change her whole life course.

12. Maddie's interests can be followed - meaning she won't have to spend weeks on a subject she isn't keen on and like wise not having to skip over loads of information when it comes to something that does catch her fancy.

Working at her own pace is very important to her, as well and she does not like being timed every time she does her work - what 8 year old needs that kind of pressure?

and for what reason?

She always tells me that it feels like a rush - and again it's because they cram it all in to 1.5 hours of a 6 hour day.

At home she can use as much time as she needs.

Cons:

1. It's not free, (unlike education in the UK) although I know that education isn't free in all countries, so this could actually be a pro in some countries and work out cheaper than actual school fees.

However I felt like I needed to include this as a con, because this is a big reason for some people not choosing to home educate, even though I don't see it as a con, because firstly you can make it as cheap or expensive as you like.

HE groups get special rates just like schools do, and if you do your research you will find many many free resources, you will also be saving money on school uniforms, donations, and let's not forget those expensive in-season holidays.

2. Judgement and opinions from friends and family - I'm going through this at the moment and it's not the best thing to have to deal with,

but I have found that keeping it short and sweet and appearing upbeat and excited about it gets people on board pretty easily,

just avoid delving into too much detail, otherwise you'll just fuel their questions,

and remember at the end of the day you know it's right,

so just keep going through the list of pros in your head.

And if you need a reminder I love watching all the TED talks for that extra boost of encouragement.

3. Friends and social - as I mentioned above, I don't see this as a con at all - in fact Maddie will be getting more proper socialisation now, and I'm so happy about that. But I thought I would add it on to the cons list because this is the first thing you will hear from others.

I usually just say, you should go home and google HE socialisation.

Trust me, nobody comes back after that unless they want advice on how to start Home educating :)

So there you have it :)

Everyone's experience is going to be different, because children are all different -

and that is the beauty of it!

No more being shoved into little boxes,

each kid can just be who they are without feeling the pressures of fitting in,

or pressure to be something they are not.

Diversity is a beautiful thing, and our society should be embracing that instead of treating it like it's some kind of disease.

So if you are reading this blog and you have thought about HE in the past,

do yourself a favour and GO FOR IT!

There is so much support and encouragement out there and your child deserves it.

I should probably also add that I am very very very fortunate to have the time and energy to dedicate to this, not everyone does have a choice and I respect that.

Comment below if you would like any further details, advice or support.