A bit about why we home educate

Having made the decision to Home Educate, I realise now that it is likely to be the decision I will most be asked about in my life, as it is so out of the ordinary, that people, in general don't have experience of it, and therefore don't understand it.

There are a number of reasons we originally made the decision to Home Educate, but there are so many more, why we are doing it now.  In fact, I feel like I come across a new reason every day.  I should begin, though really, by underlining the fact Home Education works for us for many ways, but it certainly doesn't suit all families and all children.

Didn't feel school would suit my son

So to start with, we were prompted to discuss the idea by an article written by Kay Hudson in a local parenting magazine.  I can't recall the conversation in detail, but I do remember that the idea seemed to just fit so well with our feelings.  Our son, at the time, about 18 months old, I realised was not a child who was eager to conform... I would project forward to his time at school, and see him as the child who sat at the teachers feet and whose name would be said 100 times a day. Having been that teacher myself, I kind of knew it was inevitable in a system which is flawed due to the large numbers of children, and the huge number of targets, among many other things.

School system not set up to allow for individual learning

As a teacher, I chose to work with Nursery children, and specialise as an Early Years teacher, not because it was my favourite age of children to work with, but because I felt passionately that the freedom of the EY curriculum allowed children to learn in the way that was best for them in an autonomous way.  (I know that this is less so now, but we are talking about a long time ago now!!!)  I did love teaching nursery, well I say teach, but actually I saw myself as a facilitator rather than a teacher.  This facilitator role I have taken forward into home education, however, it has taken on a whole new level.

School system geared towards:             Home Education geared towards:

* achieving particular targets                      * self development and making own goals 

* doing the same as everyone else            * creativity and being an individual

* fitting in / conforming                                *  freedom to explore

* doing as you are told                                *  doing what feels right

* queuing                                                    *  joy

* learning what someone else says            *  learning what you want at the time you want

   at the time someone else says it                 in the way you want

   in the way someone else thinks

...

Update November 2013

I have just popped back here, and realise that I forgot to return to this post.  Here goes:

I get to spend so much time with my kids

I love that I spend so much time with my children.  They are so exciting, interesting and really see the joys and wonder in the world, that has been lost in me as I changed from childhood to adolescence and adulthood.  The excitement they find in the little things is a joy to behold.  Yes, of course, there are days I'd rather stick pins in my eyes and want to run away from everything, but those days never last, and often it is only a momentary or at least finite part of the day rather than it in entirety.  Additionally, I find those days enriching, not in a saddistic kind of way, but that I get to notice my reactions to things and understand myself a bit more.  

Learning out of nowhere

Learning, goes on all the time, and each precious moment that we capture in conversation after an observation on something on our journey or in a book.  Sometimes those conversations just happen and end there, and other times, they lead to exciting projects and ideas.  We are boxed in and confined by a set curriculum, so the world and everything in it is our curriculum, and how and when we engage in it just happens in such an organic and natural way.

I get to really live my life

By not working 9-5, I get to really live each day with my kids... not always knowing what is going to happen, but enjoying the journey and exploring opportunities.  I also get to spend time with my friends on a lot of days, and develop those relationships deeply which enrich my life so completely.