Home education ehats your thoughts?

[mary70]

i am seriously considering home educating hannah, i have been to a meeting today and am very impressed, i thought that not mixing with other children would be a problem but none of the kids said they felt lonely and there was always somewhere they could go.They meet several times a week and have a big meeting once a month where over 150 children and parents attend

 

[Suzie and Faith]

ooooh, so there is a group that meets of home-schooled kids?
It's always something I would consider - and I do actually want to be a teacher so hopefully I'd be ok at it.
Part of me thinks socialising is important but part of me loves the freedom home schooling would give, it'd mean that kids could be kids and enjoy the day - taking more breaks, having lots of play etc etc.

Then maybe mainstream school when they are older.

Hmmmm

 

[mary70]

Thats my point hun and yes there is a mssive home education group out there and like one of the mums said today why sit your child in a class learning about money and coins when you can go to the shops and have hands on experience and one child told me she was learing about mummy and baby animals and they had been to the farm and had hands on experience and they were all so exited about what they were doing, the woman was telling me that there were alsorts of resources you acn get and share and if there was something that you werent sure of you could get someone else to help, she was also saying that some kids had said they wanted to learn japanese and a group of parents had put together and hired a tutor and they were having a lesson every wednesday in her living room

 

[kmac]

I am a teacher in a secondary school and sometimes we get kids who have been home-schooled while younger then they come to us.
All of the ones I have met (and I'm sorry to sound negative) seem to have real problems fitting in, lots of them get picked on, and they seem to be off "sick" for long periods of time. Which doesn't do anything to help.
Maybe they haven't had access to groups like you describe though, i don't know.
But personally I wouldn't home-school my child.
Also, school education is shifting to include more scope for variation and 'hands on' experience.

 

[mrs_tommo22]

Over my dead body am I doing it! ive not time for myself and I would want to make sure the kids got a proper education, im no teacher!

 

[mary70]

i accept what you are saying and my worry is that my daughter is an august baby and will be starting full time school just after she turns 4 which in my opinion is too young, i teach in school too and have seen lots of young children struggle to adapt to full time school at such a young age

 

[daftscotslass]

What kmac said.

I'm a teacher (primary) and I wouldn't think of homeschooling my daughter. I think she would miss out on too much of the social side of things.

Mary - Things may be different in Scotland but here you can defer school entry if you feel your child is too young.

 

[SarahH]

I personally would never in a million years have Arianna home taught. I think they need school to not only teach them the usual stuff, but also teach them to be a little independant from their Mums and Dads

 

[zebrastripes]

I would consider home-schooling Willow for a year or so, at the beginning of primary school, say until she was 6. That's because I believe that schooling nowadays can err a little on the side of being almost too educational if that makes sense? I think that 4 is too young for a lot of children to start school. It certainly was for me, and I'm by no means stupid, it was just all a bit much. If, when the time came, I thought Willow wasn't ready, I'd keep her at home for a while

 

[mary70]

Thats my thoughts zebrastripes and that is what i was thinking to do it for a couple of years maybe until junior school which is the years i have taught in so am very comfortable teaching anyway

 

[fifi211]

It's not something I would consider to be honest. When I had Jamie I was able to stay home and not work which meant we had his first 4 years together. He is a bright child and I taught him the things that you do with your little ones, however when he started nursery he was so ready for the social side of things and again when it came to him moving up to full time school he was ready for that next step and he has come on leaps and bounds educationally and socially.

He loves school and I agree that it gives children a bit of independance and vital social skills.

 

[beanie]

ooh that group sounds fab - how did you find put about it. I agree with you. I hate the thought of sending Seren to school full time when she is only 4, and believe that the best learnig is through experience. I would love to homeschool till secondary age. But OH wants themto go to school so we are "discussing" it. I know a few mums who have homeschooled and their kids are very open and confident aroud other people. One of them has a son who has just completed his uni degree - I have seen a list of famous people who were homeschooled,will seeif I can find it.

 

[Squiglet]

I should have been home schooled... I wasn't sociable, I was "too" bright and was picked on terribly for it, so stopped participating in class... and it hindered my academic progress. I would have been far better off at home... After my sister died I really withdrew into myself and found it difficult to trust people and sadly I found it hard to make friends... In turn I was always "different" and subsequently bullied incessantly for years. I think if I had been home schooled I would have achieved so much more

I would have loved to home schooled Tia... but tbh, she was far too much of a social diva to be stuck at home... she loves other children and the social side of things... and I think lil miss will be the same.

But then each child is different and has different requirements. Knowing that my girls are social divas rather than shy butterflies means that I can't really home school them... Plus I have to work so thats also an issue...

 

[Noor~ul~Usman]

I hadn't seriously considered it before but thinking about it I'd also be tempted to home school until primary school and then let them get used to 'the real world' after I've tried to give them the best start I can

I definately want to be responcible for my children's sex-ed' anyway I don't think they should be taught as young as a lot of schools do

 

[Sherlock]

i accept what you are saying and my worry is that my daughter is an august baby and will be starting full time school just after she turns 4 which in my opinion is too young, i teach in school too and have seen lots of young children struggle to adapt to full time school at such a young age

I've known and cared for August children and in the first year or so it may be a bit hard for them to take it all in but usually they even out within a couple of years. Also I've known a school offer to let a child join the year below (well a year later) and remain in nursery an extra year. In the end the parents ended up keeping her in her actual year and she did just fine with her class. The main problem was she was more immature for her year being the youngest, but in academic matters she was great. Within 2 years you would not have known the difference between her and the kids born earlier in the September.

Don't they start younger children in the New Year or after Easter anymore? So the ones born up till Feb start in September and the ones born after start the next term.

 

[mary70]

my son is august too and he sarted school at easter bit they have now done away with easter starting but i have been in touch with the education today and they are getting back to me about her starting in the sept that she is 5 onstead of the january before meaning that she will only be a matter of 2 weeks older than some of the older children in that year anyway and i have just read a goverment report where they are looking at making it the parent decision if summer babies start school when they are 4 or 5 which i think is a brilliant idea