Dressed like Convicts and Graded like Eggs!

Over the years, parents have told me so many reasons for choosing home ed!

Anxiety needs a page to itself but here are some others, with parents' actual words in italics.

Some schools neglect special talents or needs

The teacher said the fast ones & slow ones were upsetting the class.

A view of school as a place that imposes conformity

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to

climb a tree it will feel a fool for the rest of its life. (Einstein)

They think schools do too much testing

A vending machine full of tests for use in school

There was a question about the number of bricks to build a wall. My son allowed for the layers of cement between the bricks and he got told off.

Some parents seek a 'God-centred' approach to learning

God is the greatest home truth of all

They think schools pile on too much pressure

When he was six - yes, six - they called him a dimwit because he couldn't read

They prefer 'hands on' methods

like this home-based way of determining pi by throwing a stick

A homeschool experiment to determine the value of pi

I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand (Confucius)

They hate school jargon

A teacher regaling parents with educational jargon

When I complained she talked a load of gobbledegook and I felt foolish for not understanding

They think schools crush originality

How about this sneering report on a budding composer?

I hate to see him held back and discouraged

Standards can sometimes be very low

If the teachers can't spell how can the pupils?

They want their children to stand out

Without a school record, he usually got an interview

Bullying

Bullying is a scourge, ruining school for some of its victims. The following quotes show the harm and misery it can cause:

I felt unhappy and tormented in every part of my life. I tried to ignore the name-calling but it just got worse. (A 12-year-old)

At break, they pushed Joanne over and kicked her. The worst part was what they threatened to do to her after school. (An alarmed parent)

My 'rough kid' background attracted the bullies at my posh little school. Then after school my 'posh kid' uniform attracted all the estate bullies, too. (My own experience)

Click to read how some schools curb bullying.

The hidden curriculum

Subject labels and what kids learn don't always match:

English:

I come from a sub-standard family who don't 'talk proper'

Maths:

I can't do maths

Drama:

I can put on an act and manipulate people

PE:

I'll never get picked for a team; I'm an outcast

School in general:

It's not enough to succeed; someone else must fail

- most likely me.

If you'd like some help or encouragement with school or home ed please feel free to get in touch.

Tony D Triggs

My postbag is currently swelling as seasonal stresses build up.

I always reply but prioritise families in East Anglia.