Should I Home School?

Have they ever mentioned wanting to homeschool?

I homeschool my DD5, but because she asked to, she is going to school next year, for grade one. I want her to try it, and if it doesn't work out, I will have no problem bringing her back home. My preference is to have her here, but I don't want her to resent homeschooling.

If she wants to, I say go for it! Homeschooling is so much fun.

since you mention Ofsted. I know our British home educator will get to you on this as well, but that doesn't mean I can't weigh in because I've thought about it myself on and off.

One of the first questions I'd have asked is whether ou enjoy having te kids around you or whether you enjoy having regular breaks from them to apprecate them better. You've mostly answered that. Second would be what Jo asked about whether the girls want to be homeschooled or not - you didn't mention their ages.

Have you had any problems with the school in previous years? Have you got problems with one teacher or a whole system? If your daughter wasn't having problems with this teacher would you even be considering homeschooling?

Do you have supportive friends and family who'd be both practically and emotionally supportive, especially your husband, but also your parents and his? If you're facing an uphill battle all the time, being criticised for everything you do then homeschooling may make this burden intolerable, because it culd be a huge source of contention. Also you may need to get away from the kids now and then, to shop on your own or just hear yourself think, and you could do with supportive grandparents for that, as well as friends. Unsupportive ones will see any request for help as a sign that you've made the wrong choice.

Have you looked into homeschooling in your particular area? The UK and the US have different attitudes to homeschooling, and we Brits tend to be a bit uptight about any deviations from the norm. There could be a difference between a city setting and something very rural because of resources and meeting up with other homeschoolers - again, that's a support thing really.

What kind of homeschooler would you be? As an ex-teacher would you prefer a more structured school-at-home approach, would you be an unschooler or would you be somewhere in between? Do you understand your daughter's learning style yet and would you be willing to take it into account?

You definitely need to talk to your daughter about this, but I would advise waiting any in-depth discussions until you know which way you might want to swing on the other questions. No point promising a way out that ends up not materialising, or threatening her current way of life - depending on how she sees it. Make sure you've tried to answer some of these questions, that you've sounded out the people around you, that you've considered looking ahead, etc. I say all this, not because homeschooling is in any way a poor education, but because, like it or not, it will have implications on how you and your family are viewed in your community and in the wider world. Honey, our British homeschooler has a son who's in his mid teens, and she will probably tell you that finding courses for under 16s can be difficult, which is something you need to take into account if that's a route you think you might want to take later on. Of course it isn't irreversible, and if you both want your daughter to go back into school at a later date it's not impossible, but unless you have a very understanding LEA it could be awkward and frustrating. Or unless you move in the meantime!

Considering I'm not even a homeschooler I've babbled on long enough, but these are some of the questions I've asked myself over the years in thinking about homeschooling. From my point of view I don't have the support and I really need a break from my kids quite frequently, so I've come to the conclusion it wouldn't work for me. The questions are the same though.

Hope some of that helps.

Kerri.

Thanks for all this Kerri and Jo

Here are the answers to some of your questions. Firstly, my daughter (8 years old)has asked to be home schooled (at the beginning of every term!)I think she is quite aware of the system as part of my business is to teach Maths and English to home school kids whose parents don't necessarily feel confident in either of those areas. (I'm a secondary English teacher with Maths as my second subject, so I teach up to A level)Secondly, yes I do feel happy having them both around (second DD is 2). Thirdly, I cannot honestly say that I have a problem with formal education but perhaps this school?! I am definately unclear in my own mind on this issue. Finally, and importantly my own parents live in Spain so I wouldn't have the support of grandparents and my father in law is quite elderly and lives 50 miles away. I would be on my own - however, I don't have any "me" time now, I would only have it if I sent DD2 to nursery.

What would happen in the UK if DD1 decided after a year that home school wasn't for her? I know for a fact she wouldn't be able to get back in the school she's in now? Are my deeply liberal insincts (combined with the earth mother ones)just rebelling against a school/system that does not appreciate her individuality? Blah, blah, blah...I'm going on now aren't I...LOL