17-09-2010, 07:10 PM
1
Home schooling
Have any of you home schooled your children?I home schooled our Down's Syndrome son. He did his first year at a normal primary school between the ages of 4/5 when we lived in Cambridgeshire. When we moved to Wales we decided that home schooling would be preferable to a special school. It was obvious that he couldn't cope for long in the mainstream sector as he is quite severely mentally disabled.
It worked out quite well really and the school inspectors (whom we invited in on a yearly basis) were very satisfied with the level of education he was receiving. Our eldest daughter was a primary school teacher, before joining the church, and when he was still at primary level would join her class for outings etc. As my husband was a secondary school head teacher he also joined in with some of his school's activities. He went abroad twice with the school as I was co-opted as a helper.
Our lad found handwriting quite hard, so I suggested he wrote to celebs in the hope of receiving mail if they replied. Most kids love to get something in the post and he was not disappointed, most wrote back. He has four scrapbooks of their replies. Everyone from the Queen Archibishop Carey, Chief Rabbi, Pope JP2, who sent him a papal medal to pop stars, actors and TV personalities. Jeffrey Archer and Jonathan Aitken both sent him letters when guests of Her Majesty!
He even got to meet some of the people to whom he wrote. Ken Dodd invited him backstage and gave him a tickling stick. Adam Hart-Davies met him at the Royal Institution in London after a lecture we attended, Martin Bell gave him a tour of Westminster when he was an MP.Our lad wrote his autobiography (with help) when he was 14,it was published in a national magazine. He has featured in newspapers from time to time.
Home schooling worked out quite well for us. However I would never have contemplated a child of normal intelligence, I think school is usually the best place for kids.
18-09-2010, 08:16 AM
4
Re: Home schooling
Originally Posted by Antibrown
->
School education is not just about learning the three R's it is about learning to live with others as well.Home schooling takes away the socialising interactivities.
18-09-2010, 08:28 AM
5
Re: Home schooling
The special school near us uses a one to one teaching for the worst and New pupils.Two to one for others until they reach upper forms when they then work as normal a routine as possible for education.
They have a special house to teach those nearing the age of release(for want of a better word) to teach them how to manage around the home and also how to meet and react with society.
Every time I used to have to go to that school I always came away feeling humble.
18-09-2010, 04:15 PM
7
Re: Home schooling
I was fortunate my son and I got on very well in the home schooling situation, but I can see how it could get very fraught.My daughter is faced with a dilemma in a few years time because her eldest son, 8, has high functioning autism. He is on the gifted spectrum for quite a number of subjects but socially he struggles, even in his small primary school. He has made it very clear that there is no way in this world he will attend the 1000+ secondary school when the time comes, and he has told his mother he expects her to home school him! She and his father agree that the secondary school is a non-starter, and the special schools aren't likely to provide him with the academic stimulus he craves. There is a special school for kids with autism, some distance away and even if they did accept him, as it is out of country, he would have to be a weekly boarder, which he would hate. I am concerned that if my daughter went down the home schooling route and have our grandson 24/7 day in day out it would get too much for her. Hopefully some compromise can be found.
19-09-2010, 03:22 PM
8
Re: Home schooling
You did a great job by the sound of it Qetta
I agree that for most kids, school is great for socialisation - and I really do not like these faith schools where kids don't mix with people of all races. In my school we had all sorts, and we all got on regardless of colour or creed.
19-09-2010, 04:10 PM
9
Re: Home schooling
Originally Posted by Azz
->
You did a great job by the sound of it Qetta I agree that for most kids, school is great for socialisation - and I really do not like these faith schools where kids don't mix with people of all races. In my school we had all sorts, and we all got on regardless of colour or creed.
|
|
