Why do you homeschool?

[ghoti_mhic_uait]

Short answer, it works for us, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it! I always wanted to, but didn't have the confidence first time round. This time, we started by adding in extra stuff when it got to playgroup time, with the understanding that we'd see how we were going and whether we'd need to delegate education as we went along. Well, that worked so well that we added some more stuff in and now we're so busy that the idea of stopping all that and doing school is so limiting.

I remember being so tired the whole of infants school, as we went from a natural, owl schedule to a forced nightingale schedule. There was no time for extras and barely any time for play! All of our energy went into school. I know that all the things we do now, would have to stop if we did school, even the ones with other schooled children (football and ballet) we'd have to choose one if we even managed that.

I'm a nightmare parent, always on the backs of the teachers not because I don't trust them - I don't know a single teacher working today who is not dedicated, hardworking and passionate about passing on the love of knowledge - but because I can't delegate something so important.

There's the fact that I hated school, and often say it's the worst days of your life.

There's the fact that my children are quite social and school does not allow for easy continuation of teaching social skills, although it obviously teaches other skills.

There's the fact that I have time to answer questions about the molecular structure of dew or the etymology of naan, without having to pass the buck for later when they'll probably have forgotten, which just isn't something that can be done in a classroom environment.

There's the fact that while teachers are great, school management gets up my nose.


But mostly, it's because this is working for us as a family.

(Ask more questions here if you wish.)

Comments

[woodpijn.livejournal.com]

Very interesting, thanks!

Outside of school hours, we do answer questions on things like molecular structure or etymology, and we incorporate bits of literacy and numeracy into everyday life. We also sometimes give Bethany explicitly academic activities like worksheets, because she enjoys them (and I don't think she does much of that yet in Reception).

But I'm finding it such a relief now Bethany's started school, and would find it very difficult to have her at home all day indefinitely. She's quite full-on and tiring, and now there are six hours a day when I don't have to entertain her, I have some time to dedicate to Zoe and to keep on top of basic chores. I salute you if you have the energy and patience to do it all.

As for social skills, Bethany's not the most sociable (you might have noticed at Jack's party) and I'm hoping school will help there but it could go either way.

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

Actually, I was impressed that she was really clear about her boundaries and prepared to stick to them and not be bowled over. I certainly would not have been able to do that until, um, my twenties? I left school with approximately no social skills.

There's always a lot of education that happens outside school, and I quite like the model of broad & basic education at school supplemented by more indepth exploration of their interests at home.

I do really hate the school run, and the fingerprinting (that's a secondary school thing), uniforms and packed lunches, I am so so glad to only have one more year.

[woodpijn.livejournal.com]

Really interesting - we seem to mean almost opposite things by social skills. You seem to mean sticking up for oneself, whereas I meant being considerate of others. Both are important to have, but I guess you and I have opposite experience of what comes naturally and what needs work?

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

I sort of mean both, and things like small talk and telling when someone's teasing, which I'm still really bad at. Eye contact took me a long time to learn to fake (look at their nose, a trick I learnt from Mrs Christadoulou, former teacher at St L's), which is a big thing people look for in social contract I'm told.