I saw in the news just before Christmas this report about the increase in the numbers of parents dissatisfied with schooling and now choosing to home educate instead.
It’s popularity grows with the rising number of success stories from home educated children graduating into work or higher education. Plus the opportunity to network and find support online.
But starting out it looks to be a bit of maze, so if you’re feeling like that I’m going to post a series of articles over the next few weeks that might help. Here’s some ideas just to start with
- Relax! Learning doesn’t have to be stressful, intense, every minute of every day, or approached like you were going down the mines for a day! Education is an enjoyable and uplifting journey of self-development. I wonder how many kids know that with all the totally unnecessary pressures they’re put under. I wonder if you approach it that way!
- Give yourself time to adjust, to research and connect with others and discover what they’re doing. Proceed gently.
- There need be no limit on learning! You don’t have to stick to pre-determined ages or stages to learn things or do it at the same rate as others.
- Be prepared to open your mind and take on board other approaches to learning besides the school style – there are all sorts of ways to learn; playing, surfing the net, online activities (see BBC Learning sites and YouTube tutorials), creative activities, visiting galleries, museums, nature reserves, historical sites, sports centres, meeting others etc.
- Don’t be afraid to copy what others are doing until you find how you want to proceed.
- Don’t fret about ‘timing’. Schools have to keep the children busy from nine till four. This doesn’t mean they’re learning from nine to four or productively engaged. Children learning at home have far more time to follow their own pursuits which can be equally educative.
- Experiment with the way – and the time – your child learns best. Experiencing something, practical and physical activities, educate as successfully as studying something second hand.
- Keep your child’s needs as your priority – and don’t worry what others are doing. Just because you may not be doing the same as others does not mean it’s any less effective.
- Forget testing. Testing is not necessary for the educational enhancement of the child. It is simply a tool adults use – its purpose more often than not based in the destructive practice of one-up-man-ship.
- Remember that, unlike school, home educating is completely flexible – you can plan, change plans, review often, adopt new approaches and discard approaches that don’t work for you. That flexibility – which you can adjust to suit your circumstances thus making education tailor made – is what makes home education so brilliant and successful. A facility that schools sadly just don’t have.
So go ahead and enjoy your education – its purpose is to help enhance the lives and opportunities of young people. Home education gives you the best opportunity to fulfil that brief!
(For more tips check out my book ‘Learning Without School’ Details on the Books page or pop back for more here)