Natalie Colgate

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What is home education?

HOME education is a popular, although unconventional schooling method. Worldwide, families increasingly choose to take on the task of educating their children themselves.

The UK has one of the highest ratios of families registered for home education. Statistics are hard to confirm as not all families register their children, however, several central educational associations around the world have provided rough estimates. In 2009, it was estimated that the UK had 80,000 children who were schooled at home. However, the USA was at around 1.5 million in 2007 and Australia had 200,000 families who were said to be registered in 1995. Russia was also in the lead and was once estimated at about 1 million families.

Home education enables parents to teach their children according to their preferred philosophy. Some families will provide schooling at home for all the primary grades and some up to high school level and even all through high school. Others postpone their children’s entry into formal schooling for a year before introducing them to conventional schooling when they are ready.

Reasons why families opt for home education

Reasons vary but home education continues to expand as more parents understand the advantages of teaching at home. One of the main reasons is:

•     The child is not considered old enough to enter school.
•     Religion prohibits it.
•     To develop character and a strong moral foundation.
•     The parent objects to the education philosophy of conventional schools.
•     Family requirements ranging from parent’s career to wanting more time together.
•     Parent could not get child into the desired school.
•     Parent wants child in private school but cannot afford it.
•     The child has special needs, or has a disability, or needs individual attention.
•     Transportation / convenience.
•     Social concerns.

Benefits and disadvantages

Home education is time consuming, requires hard work, dedication and can also be more expensive. However, the benefits of consistent one-on-one attention results in children learning with less effort and greater retention. A hyperactive child could calm down and lose the ‘bad boy’ image while home educated as there is less reason to ‘be tough’ from feeling threatened. Rebellious teenagers could feel respected when home educated and become productive and creative adults.

Becoming a full time personal teacher for their children, even temporarily, can be a difficult decision for parents. In some families both parents have advanced careers which they have worked very hard for and other families cannot afford one parent not working. Some parents feel they are not ‘clever’ enough, or do not have the discipline, to become their children’s teachers, especially in the high school years, but feel the early years at home are essential.

Although widespread, home education is not the norm and home educating families face many obstacles. Those who home educate need to know exactly why they have made that decision and must be able to ‘stand their ground’ when negatively confronted by those who don’t understand the concept.

Schooling from home can provide an unfair advantage over those who lack the time or money. Despite this, academic quality can vary. The child’s education is completely the family’s responsibility. This is not an issue if the child is advancing quickly but if the child is not ‘doing well’ there is no one else to blame.

Protective parents could unintentionally shelter their children by denying them social contact which inhibits social development. Children need exposure to different ethnic and religious backgrounds to thrive as adults. One-sided opinions resulting from isolation can make children unable to think for themselves or adapt to other opinions and views. It can also foster religious or social extremism if not managed correctly.

Challenges such as these make it vital that parents who home school are aware of all the needs of their children. Depending on the study method used parents can work with their child at their child’s individual speed thereby reducing the pressure of “keeping up with the class” or not having to wait for the class to catch up!

Home education methods

Within the various home education methods available, parents have the freedom to structure their teaching based on how their children learn best. Materials and activities can be chosen to suit individual requirements. Some opt for organized, goal-oriented weeks. Others feel their children have special talents that deserve intense, daily focus. There are also those who structure their schooling around special needs of people in their family. Techniques and approaches are varied, some mirror conventional school methods and some are far removed from the concept of desks and textbooks.

Unit studies / Unit-based studies integrate age-appropriate subjects around a theme for a period of time. For example, a unit study of the Anglo-Saxons could cover social studies and history (how different tribes lived then versus how we live today); Anglo-Saxon art; making Anglo-Saxon clothing (also for fancy dress or plays) and the biology and science of medicinal plants used by the Anglo-Saxons.

All-in-one curricula / School in a box are comprehensive packages covering a full year’s subjects and include all required materials (books, pencils, writing paper, tests, exams, etc.). This method recreates a school environment in the home. As the curricula are based on the same subjects as conventional schools, an easy changeover into formal school is possible. Student-paced learning is similar to ‘All-in-one’ curricula, but they progress at their own speed.

Community studies involve utilising educational resources via opportunities at museums; sports clubs; churches; youth organizations; science events; national parks; community centres; community colleges and volunteer work. Groups of home education families meet regularly for group learning in the form of science experiments; spelling games; art projects; drama or performing arts; discussions and debates; etc. This method allows families to spend significant time learning outside the home.

Interest-led learning is where a child is free to explore and learn as their interests lead them, learning from real life experiences. Parents teach by interacting and responding to the child’s own interests and provide resources and encouragement. They tend to not rely heavily on textbooks, although they do use reference books. Being involved in the family finances (or family business) teaches maths and accounting. Botany is learned by tending a kitchen garden and animal husbandry is learned by keeping dairy goats.

Legality

Home education is legal in many countries but is most prevalent the UK, USA, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Some countries highly regulate their home education programs as an extension of the compulsory school system (France). Other countries have outlawed it (state-accredited schooling is compulsory in Germany), and some countries do not consider home education socially acceptable even though their laws have approved it (Finland and Italy). In India parents, who home educate their children, can be fined and jailed for three months.

Key considerations

Realistically consider the financial implications of home education. As with most things, costs can often be misjudged.

Breaks, lunches, school hours all need to be incorporated into the school day. Consider how you will balance your life around tutoring your children. Make sure you are the type of person who can handle the level of structure and attention required every day.

As your children get older, the curriculum will become more advanced, consider how you will keep up to date with your child’s requirements. Consider the alternative options for your children’s further development if at some point you are unable to continue with home education.

Most importantly, be realistic. If it is not for you, then try not to judge others’ decisions to opt for home education.

The best of both worlds

It has been said that the mind of a child could be seen as fires to be lit rather than vessels to be filled. Education can easily happen over weekends in the most informal ways. Your pregnant pet cat and its fleas can become lessons in the cycle of life and even toys are useful tools in explaining physics!

Spending time outdoors in all weather and environments is an easy way for all ages to study nature. It is also a good place for physical or fitness activities such as walks, dancing, singing, and games.

Involve your preschool child in weekly playgroups with songs, rhymes, movement time, crafts and free play. In a one-on-one basis encourage him to spend ten or twenty minutes describing a painting or telling back a short story after read it to him.

Your primary school child can spend time with groups of friends for social reasons. Or larger groups can get together for organized activities like craft markets, entrepreneur days, sports days, galas, etc. In a one-on-one basis you could encourage her to spend half an hour thinking through a challenging maths or logic problem or copying good literature to practise handwriting.

Involve your high school child in youth groups. Girl guides and scouts discourage peer dependency, as do social evenings for movies, barbecues, board games, pizza making, music and study groups as well as sports and activities such as craft days and science fairs. Borrow microscopes, telescopes or costumes from friends and relatives. In a one-on-one basis you could teach them the life skills of cooking, sewing, gardening, general home repair, car repair, budgeting, and bookkeeping.

Children need parents who believe in them and are confident enough to let them find their own destiny. They need resourceful parents who help them find answers to their questions. Home education may not be for everyone, but educating at home should be at the core of every growing family.

(For further reading on Home Education, refer to the Home Education Advisory Service’s website and the website of the Department for Education and type the words ‘home education’ in the search field.)

Information box

COUNTRIES WHERE HOME EDUCATION IS LEGAL:
Argentina , Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland Republic, Italy, Kenya, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, United States.

COUNTRIES WHERE HOME EDUCATION IS ILLEGAL / GENERALLY ILLEGAL / LEGALITIES ARE DEBATED:
Brazil, China, Croatia (not confirmed), Greece (not confirmed), Hong Kong, India (not stated), Japan (complex), Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine (not confirmed).

Between October 2010 and January 2011 three countries changed their status concerning Home Education according to comparisons on Wikipedia:  Brazil (originally legal), Argentina and Germany (both originally illegal).

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