WA Tey
don’t go to
School
PO a em Cl
why they chose to
educate their children
at home, rather than
send them to school.
| knew very early on that my children, Caroline,
13, and Edwin, 9, were gifted, but no-one
Seemed to recognise it at school. | tried state
and independent schools. For various reasons
we didn’t want our children to go to state
schools, and the private ones weren't worth the
deprivation I'd have to go through to affard them.
Because my two are so motivated, it's really
quite easy. | buy the books and the materials
they need for the syllabuses and basically just
let them get on with it, though obviously | keep
an eye on them. From the outset, | left them to
choose which bits to study from the syllabuses ~
I don’t want things to get too regimental. Why
make children unhappy by forcing them to do
things they don’t want to do if they learn as
much doing what they like? I'm rather bitter
about my own school education; frankly, with
some of the lessons | feel I'd have learnt more
by just going to the school library.
The children's number one thing at the moment
is computers, though | restrict the Internet to the
evenings, as | don’t want them staring at
screens for too long. | hope I'm not too pushy
with them, though. Sometimes you do worry
because they're often wrestling with adult
questions of ethics and philosophy before they're
really old enough, but to be honest I don’t mind
if their personalities are rather adult - that's
better than being too childish. Edwin sees his
friends regularly and while Carcline's more self:
contained, she’s adamant she’s not lonely.
Because I'm freelance I've always been able to
work from home and be with the children. | think
jot more people would do this if they didn’t
have to go out to work.
When we started teaching Helen, we got
together with other home educators to share our
problems, and would meet every Thursday in the
Village community centre, taking tums to prepare
a topic. These meetings developed into a kind of
mini co-operative, almost an altemative school, if
you like. But when Helen started exam work at |
the age of 15, she started to take the initiative |
in her leaning. For instance, she would draw up |
her ovin timetable, which was mervellous.
| think the fact that we've never had a television
hes been a big factor in their being so interested
in everything and so articulate. My son grumblos
about it occasionally, but when you're not at
schoo) there isn’t peer pressure to watch it,
That's not to. say my children haven't got friends.
= they have! They're certainly not missing out,
socially ~ indeed | think home-educated kids are
actually more socially skilled, because they
spend so much time watching adults.
Helen is now 16 and has just sterted at St
Mary's Music School in Edinburgh. We were:
never seriously tempted to change to
mainstream schooling until Helen decided she
wanted to take her music seriously. | was a bit
nervous — who wouldn't be, sending their child
400 miles away at 15 — but when children are:
old enough to make @ reasoned decision you
have to trust their judgement.
TEST 1, PAPER