Home schooling your children....

[Andy Allen]

Do any of you home school your kids ??

Be interested to know a bit more about it especially if there teenagers....

 

[WetSaw]

Do any of you home school your kids ??

Be interested to know a bit more about it, especially if they're teenagers....

7/10




Sorry, just can't help myself!

 

[One Day]

I've got 5 (yes five) ranging from 14yrs to 3 months and my wife gave up her job three years ago to home educate the (then) 3 of them.
Yes, she's a little bit mad but also completely awesome.
The biggest misconception with home educating is that it has to somehow match state schooling. It doesn't, not at all.
It gives you opportunity to completely tailor things to your children. Instead of one size fits all, you can really see them grow.
It's not easy, it costs you a fortune in time and energy (never mind the money) but if you're committed, it's amazing.

And no, they're not weird, socially awkward kids either.
There are loads of people (especially family and friends) who are incredibly critical of home education, so you've got to get a thick skin early on.

 

[One Day]

Do any of you home school your kids ??

Be interested to know a bit more about it especially if there teenagers....

What do you want to know especially?

 

[GoneGuy]

Interesting subject

 

[Old Mod]

I've got 5 (yes five) ranging from 14yrs to 3 months and my wife gave up her job three years ago to home educate the (then) 3 of them.
Yes, she's a little bit mad but also completely awesome.

Respect to Mrs Imp!

 

[Andy Allen]

What do you want to know especially?

My son, Jamie, is 14 and in year 9 and suffers with dyspraxia...

Dyspraxia is a learning disability, but also comes with social and behavioural difficulties, and this is the bit the school doesn't get..

He struggles to cope with mainstream school, to the point that just getting him there is a nightmare, the anxiety he goes through is off the scale. His condition means he just doesn't fit in, and intern is bullied within an inch of he's life...

After Xmas we managed to get him on a reduced time table after a particularly bad situation where he was sat on top of a car park and had to be talked down by the police!

The school were understanding for a few weeks then insisted he went back full time, despite us telling them it's to soon, which it was because after 2 days the bulling started and he ended up just walking out and coming home.

So today i have another meeting with the school to look forward to.....

Hence why me and my wife have started to look into home schooling, he's a bright lad and far from stupid.

Main concerns we have is as we both work, would it still be doable?
He's 15 in September so not a young kid that needs constant monitoring and I know what he learns can be left to our discretion.
I even thought of taking him with me a few days a week, trying some of the online learning programmes, and even a private tutor some of the time.

Our main concern is exams, can they still take them..?
I don't want him to suffer because he has no qualifications, but on the other hand I don't want him going through what he's going through now..

Who ever said having kids was easy!!

 

[One Day]

Andy, legally all you need do is provide an education suitable for the child. That's it. The local authority have no power to even monitor what you do or inspect anything. We found that the council here have a team who can offer help and advice if you want it and to be fair, they are great. Very supportive, give you loads of advice early on and stay in touch without being pushy.
Exams are interesting. You can take them whenever you think you're child is ready, but you need to pay! Last time I looked it was a couple hundred quid each one. But normally, if you ask in advance, local schools or colleges might have spare slots on their exams and they'll give them foc.
(now this bit can get controversial...)
Many successful people who are home-ed didn't go to interview with gcse's, but they won the interview on their confidence and social skills.
Loads of kids today can't hold a conversation with anyone outside their peer group.
Exams have their place, but they really aren't everything. Unless you want a very specialised higher education. Even then, there are routes into uni without the a levels.

 

[Tommcd]

He can still take exams, anyone can, just need to find a local venue (probably will be his current school) and pay per exam. I imagine the school would agree to still arrange exams for him even if he is home schooled. At least at 15 years he'll soon have his GCSEs under his belt and will be able to do an apprenticeship where he won't be surrounded by little prick kids, but people who are interested in what he's got to offer. Good luck mate

 

[Julian 'Farmer' Bonsall]

I have one child and we part home educate her. Its very linked to the school, the syllabus and requirements but allows much more flexibility and ways of being more practical. People have so many learning styles it can be difficult to accomodate inside a classroom.
There are plenty of forums for this kind of activity when I am sure you can get advice.