Home education
Interesting article in today's Guardian about home education. There are an estimated 170,000 children being home educated, it says.
As someone who was home educated from 11-14, I find this whole area very interesting. The writer asks "But what about when the children grow up? Can they go to university, forge a career?"
Well, I have a BA and an MA, and what you could call a career. The increasing emphasis in schools on league tables, SATs, key stages and all the rest of it seems to me to always miss the point - that children should be encouraged to make the most of whatever talents they have. It's sad that the education system seems unable to achieve this - I wonder if it ever can.
posted by Powerful Pierre @ 1:18 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
You were HOME SCHOOLED???!!!
; )
I think you're right - SATs suck. One day I'll tell you about my very bad, emotionally scarring phantom-pilot-SAT experience... (perhaps I have already, many many times...)
Though I think it's vital that children have a varied (and hopefully good) social experience as well as having their talents nurtured. A balance of both would be ideal. Compulsory membership of the Brownies, perhaps...?!
It's a good article, that, and it makes for interesting reading; it's certainly true that home-schooling need be no bar to later achievement.
All the same, I found one bit weird - when the parent said, "School is all about control and following the rules. Why should they have to ask permission to go to the loo, or study history at a certain time every week? It's not natural."Only thing is, it kind of is natural - in that that is probably what the child will have to do for the rest of his/her life once adulthood arrives. I suppose on these grounds alone one could argue for what the kid later calls his 'permanent holiday' (cos he sure won't get one later). But then you think that if school is in some way preparation for real life, how will those children adjust?
stupid CSS. there was supposed to be a new paragraph after the quote. (retreats, grumbling quietly)
Interesting point Jon, but isn't that kind of saying that if the adult world is full of rules and crapness, let's make kids live like that too? Why not let childhood be about exploring interests and learning in an exploratory way? Maybe that way we'd get more creative thinking adults who find out what they really want to do with their life? Plenty of time later for the grind of working life...
Yeah, that's true. That said, it is certainly one kind of freedom to allow a child to develop according to his or her own interests, but it's another to do so in an environment where he or she is so well protected. I suppose I just think that school teaches a kind of robustness which comes with having to deal with the unreasonable things, the rules and the regulations.
I'm from the school of hard knocks, me :-)
I think home schooling sounds good in many ways, but could be horribly insular in the case of religious parents teaching kids their own bonkers versions of history and science, although of course they would probably manage to do this anyway. In my case I think one of the only good things about school was the chance to get away from my parents...i can't imagine the alternative...'Good morning, now let's have breakfast and commence day number 78962034602386 of permanent family togetherness....' eek. Vic
My parents as parents as well as teachers! I couldn't think of anything worse, either!! I dread to think of the very random combination of things my M&D would teach me...
Mind you, home schooling doesn't have to mean it's just your Ma and Pa teaching you at home all day.
And yes, whether you're at school or not all parents would pass on some of their bonkersness somehow, wouldn't they? Oh, bless! : )
As has been said, home schooling doesn't necessarily mean being taught by your parents. It didn't in my case!
Point taken. Did you have a regular tutor then? How did it work? Did you have to do P.E in the garden? I guess team-sports were a bit of a no-no ;)
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