Home Education and Family Life
How many families worldwide home educate their children?
I researched it - approximately 300,000 children worldwide are being home educated. That's a considerable amount. What does that tell you about school and education? Numbers grew during COVID, I think the experience gave parents a chance to really think about their child's educational life, something they probably hadn't done before.
Many people don't like to refer to home education as "homeschool" because there is a need for parents to separate the "school" element completely from learning at home. In many parents eyes, school is a restrictive environment and a way of learning that just does not suit their child's needs. And that's a fair comment. It most certainly isn't for everyone.
"Common statement: home educated children are not socialised."
The above statement is not true. Consider this instead:
"Children who attend school must stay in a room with children in an environment in which they have little autonomy over their daily life. They must sit at their desks most of the day, follow strict rules, adhere to the classroom boundaries. They are taught subjects which are set out by the government. They have deadlines and and tested regularly, in which their results are considered statistics. Students who don't perform to the standards set by the government are left behind; schools only focus on those with related scholastic abilities."
Home educated children have the freedom to go outside and study, go on educational trips regularly, go swimming, or to other sports facilities. They meet with other home educated families, make friends, learn about things they are interested in, and discover their strengths. It's quite an eye-opening experience.
There are many avenues for families to meet with other HE (home educating) families. For example, there are Facebook groups that are thriving. Some of them are dedicated to preparing children for GCSE exams, A-Levels and for entry to university. Exam boards accept external students so it's a viable option.
One of my favourites is a HE group for Astronomy. The guy that runs is provides so many resources and webinars, it's got a huge following. There is clear inspiration for kids to go into science. I'm not sure I know anyone who gets inspiration like that from state school.
Home education is perfectly legal in the UK.
Parents need only to write a letter of de-registration, stating that their child will be given an education other than at school. They are not obliged to meet with the LEA (Local Education Authority), and are not required to prove what they are doing, other than to respond to any letters from the LEA thanking them for their concern, but that all the necessary basics are being taught at home and to politely decline any further contact. Oftentimes, the LEA wants to get your child into school because they receive funding from the government, so the less children are in school, the less money they have. Remember that you don't need to feel pressured. It's your choice.
It is a difficult decision to home educate children. Many factors are involved; the financial situation of the family unit being the most considered aspect of making such a huge decision. It's a bit like standing on a high diving board looking down into the pool; nobody knows whether or not it is the right decision until you take the plunge. Once you do it, you realise how easy it can be to take the first step to educational autonomy. While it is difficult, HE can bring families together. It creates a strong bond and parents may find they learn more about their children's minds. This is an element of life I think we overlook because for the most part, we attend state school so we don't get to see our the development of our children as they grow, we see them develop right up until they start school at the age of 4. After that time, the school is left to do its job. (or not, as the case may be.)
I home educated my son because of his learning difficulties. The school didn't acknowledge that he was struggling or help him so I made a difficult decision to HE. We had a blast. We only did it for a year but during that time, he learned about things he was interested in, plus English and Maths (at my recommendation as mum). We did many of our lessons outside. For example, I found resources for Science lessons that taught him about photosynthesis, different types of trees, the order of animals, seasons etc. We would sit in the park for an art class where we would meet with other families to undertake some sketching sessions. Groupon provided reduced cost tickets for the zoo, which was great. We met with 3 families at Dudley zoo and had a great day. We also got reduced cost short breaks; exploring cities around Europe. I don't remember having that freedom when I was at school. While learning was still difficult for him, he still learned more at home than he would have done at school. Now my son goes to state school, but I am grateful for the time we spent doing HE. Without doing so, I firmly believe he would not be where he is today.
It's important to mention that HE is not an option for everyone and that going to school is a great experience for many people. But we shouldn't dismiss the positives of HE because society is so rooted in traditional options for education. Many people who have been home educated go on to be successful, so it's important to remember that we build our futures on our strengths and hard work. We are not defined by our exams, but by our hard work and strength in overcoming obstacles. Learning is not linear and we ebb and flow in our creativity, focus and success.
Here's a list of celebrities who were home educated:
- Selena Gomez
- The Jonas Brothers
- Justin Bieber
- Christina Aguilera
- Demi Lovato
- Venus and Serena Williams
- Simone Biles
- Hilary Duff
- Dakota Fanning
- Emma Watson
- Justin Timberlake
- Ryan Gosling
- Billie Eilish
- Nadia Sawalha
- Stacey Solomon
- Jennifer Love Hewitt
- Maria Sharapova
"The concept of success is just the process of a series of failures in which we never give up. It is never the end goal."
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