Home Education featuring Prudence
This post is part of a series of posts about my research into home education and if it’s right for us. To read my two previous posts in this series, click the links below:
In this post, I ask home educator and blogger Prudence to help me answer the same questions that Katie answered for me last week.
I wanted to speak to parents who were already home educating their children to see their views and opinions on the current education system and also to find out what made them decide to home educate. I hope their answers along with my own research will help me to make the right decision for our children.
Where did you first find out about home education?
Home education was on the periphery of our vision for a number of years. I can’t honestly remember where we first discovered that it existed but once we started to seriously consider the option we turned to some of the great websites and blogs which are out there for advice.
What you made decide to home educate your child? (I totally understand if you don’t want to answer this question)
Our journey into home schooling began because our eldest son was miserable at school. He was often over looked because he was categorised by the school as a ‘high achiever’ which amounted to him coasting along without any challenges. He complained of boredom constantly. We also had issues with the schools focus on religion with hours of potential learning time being devoted to prayers, religious instruction and church visits. In our local area the schools deemed ‘good’ are all affiliated with one religion or another – there is little choice. When Theo questioned the legitimacy of god he was ostracised by the some of the other children and the school. There were many little incidents which happened during his time in school which alarmed us such as being told not to read at lunch time and watching films (not educational) in class to name just a couple.
Do you know any other parents who home educate their children? How did you meet?
We have a thriving local home education community, of which I am proud to be a part. Initially it was difficult to find other home educating parents because the LEA will not give details to you of local groups. I managed to find a contact locally by using the Internet and once I had met this rather lovely individual it was all systems go.
I do not drive which makes it difficult to get to some of the meet-ups further afield. I came across another two parents in the same boat so I set up a little group for us. There are now eighteen parents listed in the group yet others attend from further afield each week. The group meets up to provide a chance for our children to socialise and have a go at activities, which might not be possible at home. The mums are able to chat and support each other during these sessions too, which is great.
Do you think home educating will set a precedent for when your child becomes a parent? i.e. do you think your child will automatically home-educate their children because they were home educated? Do you think your child would be more concerned about sending their child to school because they haven’t experienced school themselves?
I can only hazard a guess as to whether my own children will eventually home educate their own offspring. I trust that they will make the choice that is right for their families in the future. I would think that the education system will have seen a significant change by that point and some of the concerns currently flagged up in the media will have long faded into history. Our schools are still run on archaic models introduced to educate ship-builders clerks with the emphasis on English and maths. I could go into minute detail about this but it would turn into an essay. The point is that times have changed, parents are beginning to realise that certain aspects of schooling are not particularly relevant to society and they have started to vote with their feet. I have seen our group grow since the end of last year with four parents removing children from mainstream education and many others simply refusing to enrol their children at all. So to get back to your original question, I hope that their choice isn’t dictated by a lack of satisfactory provision, as ours has been. There are very many factors that affect this decision, of which ones own education is only one. I would be disappointed if my child’s decision in the matter was based solely on this point.
How old was your child when you started to home educate them?
My eldest was 8 when we began to home educate him. My youngest son was 3. He will be home educated rather than starting reception in September.
Did you give your child a choice between going to school or staying at home to educated by you?
Our eldest absolutely had a choice in the decision. He is involved in every decision that concerns his future and his education. He has a voice as does our youngest and we always listen. He used to ask if he could be educated at home pretty much every morning on our way to school.
How do you motivate your child to take part, learn and engage in what you are teaching them?
For Theo, being able to self direct his studies to a certain degree really appeals to him. Recently we began a topic about plants, which evolved because of all the questions he had into GCSE level biology. Home education gives the child the freedom to follow their passion. Once a spark has been lit they can run with an idea until they are ablaze. This freedom to learn outside the boundaries of a curriculum makes my children enjoy learning. There are no restrictions on knowledge. As for motivating the 4 year old, I don’t patronise him by teaching him completely different topics. We are learning about Mesopotamia at the moment and he is as involved as his older brother. They both enjoy learning because it is fun.
How do you motivate yourself? Do you have days where you think you’d rather just sit down and watch TV? How do you manage those types of days (if applicable)?
If I am ill or one of the children is poorly we may change the focus for the day and go off into the great outdoors or we might spend the day reading together. We all enjoy being in each other’s company, which provides me with the motivation I need to get up and get teaching.
Do you think home educated children have less opportunity to socialise than children who go to school?
My children have a very active social life. Theo has more true friends now than when he was at school because he has been able to choose them.
Does your child have many friends their own age? Does your child go to any classes, groups or clubs?
He has friends of his own age in his orchestra group, his athletics team, in the home education group and locally. We are always having our dinner interrupted by someone knocking on the front door asking for one or both of them to play out. Tristan has a group of friends that he refers to as his ‘best bods’ – they are certainly not lacking friends.
Do you ever get any ‘me’ time?
I have never been the type of woman to want to spend hours at the hair salon or shopping on the high street – it doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t have ‘me’ time as such but I do have time alone with my thoughts when we are walking, lying on the grass or sitting reading.
How many hours/days a week do you home educate your child? Do you have a set timetable that you follow when teaching your child or do you have a more flexible approach?
We don’t follow a timetable – there is no set time for learning because we learn all the time. Every adventure turns into a learning experience and even meal time can send us off on a line of enquiry which may lead to a new project. The mindset of restricting the acquisition of knowledge to six hours every day makes absolutely no sense to me.
Have you faced any problems/barriers since you started home educating?
We have been lucky that we have been supported in our decision to home educate by our families and friends. Being part of an active home education group is a very positive experience too.
Do you have any concerns about home educating your child? (social interaction/qualifications/
My children will sit exams like any other child. The benefit of home education is that they can spread the exams out. If our eldest were ready to sit an English exam at 13 he would be able to do so. Theo already has a number of musical qualifications and his brother will begin in this way as well. It is important to note that there is no funding for home-educated children so you must foot the bill of exams yourself and locate an exam centre willing to let your child sit the exam there.
What do you enjoy most about home educating your child?
I love every single moment of our home education journey. I feel privileged to watch them learn each day and not have to wait for a five minute slot once a year at parents evening to find out how they are getting on. There is nothing better than watching their faces light up when they learn something new.
What do you think are the benefits of home education? Are there any disadvantages?
Home education allows children to think creatively, to explore the world from their own unique perspective and bring something entirely new to the table. They are comfortable in their surroundings, there is no peer pressure, no one jeering for asking a ‘stupid’ question because in a home school environment they are free to learn at their own pace. My children are flourishing because they are at home in a loving family environment and they are learning far more than they would at school. I firmly believe that.
What are your favourite online resources for parents who are home educating?
I would recommend the following blogs, as the content they offer is both helpful and inspiring:
An Ordinary Life
Ross Mountney’s Notebook
Live Otherwise
They are all very supportive and experienced.
Thanks to Prudence for helping to answer my questions.
The next post in this series will be published on April 29th where I’ll be looking at the advantages and disadvantages of home education.
6 Comments
Prudence Clarke
April 22, 2014 at 7:09 am
Thank you for posting my responses and I do hope that they offer a brief insight into our particular home education journey. It is important to note that each family has their own way of home schooling and if you are considering this path I would strongly recommend that you look at some of the other approaches out there.
For us, home education has been the best change we ever made.
You can see how we educate in much more detail on my blog and I am happy to answer questions.
Thanks,
Prue
http;//homeschoolprestwich.blogspot.com
Emily
April 24, 2014 at 9:05 pm
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me Prudence. It's really helped me decide. I still have some more questions to look into, although my husband isn't too keen on home educating so we'll see where we end up when we've done more research.
rossmountney
April 22, 2014 at 8:04 am
A great post! And thanks for the mention. I hope others reading this will also find my books on home education helpful. They aim to answer all the common questions and give a real life picture of how very well it works, as Prue describes above. x
Emily
April 24, 2014 at 9:05 pm
Thank you x
MamaMummyMum
April 22, 2014 at 10:35 am
What a wonderful informative post, thank you for sharing x
Emily
April 24, 2014 at 9:06 pm
Thank you for your comment. I'm glad you found the post informative x