Diary of a Home Educating Nobody

February 2008

I've just been writing a report for the education authority. (EA). Not a report on our Home Ed but instead a report on them. It is a nice report because it was a very nice man who visited. But I did say I'd write one, like they said in their letter they'd do one on me, just so they know what that felt like!

This all happened because I found their standard letter informing me of their intention to visit so intimidating. They said they would need to come and assess our provision and would be making a written report. So I wrote back, mirroring their letter, and said they would be welcome to visit but I would equally need to assess their competence and I would also provide them with a written report. However I added on the bottom that if they found my letter inappropriate then they might like to consider that it was a reflection of theirs and maybe we could both do with revising our approaches!

Both the officer who came and ourselves had a good laugh over this for, as I said, he was a very nice man! Not only that, he was completely open to the fact that Home Education is relatively new for both them and parents and we all need to find our way in seeing that children get what they need.

For that's what it's all about really. However much we want to balk at being reviewed and assessed we perhaps do need some support system in place for the sake of all children. What services need to make sure of is that no child is being neglected or abused, either educationally or personally, and I know that does go on even though I would really like to maintain a rosy picture of all HE parents, particularly as all of the ones I've met are so caring and conscientious. And educational provision and welfare are probably best assessed by an informal visit at the outset even if they don't happen regularly.

It's ages since we've had a visit. Last time they saw my youngest she was six - she's fourteen now! And it's been great not to have the interference. We've been bumbling along in our sometimes structured and sometimes haphazard way, sometimes producing a tangible piece of work that might impress someone if they were to look at it, but more often than not educating through conversation, child led interests, experimentation and experiences none of which have tangible proof that they took place. So you can imagine I was just a little on edge as to how this might be viewed not having seen anyone official for years!

As soon as the officer arrived I felt better for his whole approach was one of utmost respect. Respect not only for the fact that he was entering our home, but that we should not feel intimidated by his approach. He said, in fact, that he was so keen we didn't feel any kind of out-ranking he decided not to wear a suit and dressed casually. Secretly I thought he looked like next-door's gardener but I didn't tell him that. And what's even nicer is that he addressed all the issues I'd raised in my letter without actually having seen it, as I found out later!

What a shame all officers who visit could not have this approach. So that HE families don't feel intimidated, judged, bullied or belittled as some have done. But as I said, this is such a new experience for everyone, the scale of which is going to enlarge I would imagine, that perhaps by letting people visit and helping them to see all the different ways of educating there are, the EAs will gradually become more enlightened.

This man was definitely enlightened; a new breed of officer who was wiling to listen, who was ready to broaden his understanding of education, who respected what dedicated parents were trying to do. Interestingly he said that he was a former head and I have to say I immediately bristled. However, he went on to explain that he had stopped for just about all the reasons that HEors stop using the system too, most particularly because of the OFSTED farce. I could have hugged the man when I heard that!

Facing a forthcoming visit can be quite an anxious time. It is easier for me, I think, because the education of children has always interested me so I have spent years thinking about it and formulating ideas. And I think this is exactly what helps when it comes to demonstrating what you are doing to your EA. If you have thought out your own ideas and your own objectives and reasons for doing what you do, you will be able to talk about it and display a confidence. If you can talk about what you do, perhaps even more importantly why you do not do other things that school children do, and how you approach your child's learning, then the officer has something to put on his little form and has done his duty. And if you're starting out don't be afraid to ask for time to formulate your ideas and objectives - you need time to adjust.

Our officer admitted that was his biggest concern - filling in his form. He has to satisfy his bosses that a) provision is being made, b) what provision is being made and c) how that provision is being made and some longer term objectives. And that doesn't necessarily mean masses of written work in all subjects on the National Curriculum, you could equally talk about play led experiences, travel and visits, interaction with others - both adults and children, child led activities, television programmes, Internet and CDRoms. Thinking about those three issues above throughout your HE will help equip you for dealing with the EA.

If you feel a sense of rising panic thinking 'oh my goodness, we haven't done anything educational for ages' you might like to try a technique I use sometimes when I need to get my nerves back in hand! When I feel we're not getting anything achieved I record a little list of everything we do actually do day to day, even conversations, which are just as educational, and I can really surprise myself. One such list on a day I felt we'd 'done' nothing was: looking at a physics book (just a picture book) which led to a discussion and learning on forces, studied world map as a spin-off from that, continued with a chart we'd started, went swimming. Added onto the rest of the week this soon builds up into a range of activities you can talk about, even if there is no heap of paper work to prove it. This helps towards maintaining confidence in what you're doing.

EAs are increasing their understanding of how HE children are learning and not all necessarily want to see masses of 'stuff' to prove it. Some are keener to see a happy, contented, busy child and caring parents than a stack of paper. They also want to hear about a wide range of activities rather than just purely academic ones.

And do remember that many children in school are kept busy producing 'stuff' to prove to others what they do rather than learning anything new. As a HEor you might want to consider how valuable this is. Also remember on days you can't cope and do nothing, there will equally be days when teachers can't cope, and they'll be doing little more than crowd control. Your child has a better deal just left to play at home whilst you take care of yourself, than they would if they were stuck in school with poor teaching and a bad atmosphere. Don't feel you must always be producing 'stuff' for the sake of it.

The more we HE, and the more the EAs learn how we HE and that it works, the better it will be for everyone. And hopefully one day we will all be visited by a very nice man!

March 2008

"But how do you get them to do it?"

I often get asked this question. Usually by parents with children in school who are having a nightmare battle every night to get them to do their homework.

Trouble is I never know the answer. This is because we never seemed to be in the position of motivating the children to do stuff they seriously didn't want to be doing. It's not that they always got to do what they wanted - no way. It's just that we saw no point in asking children to do masses of stuff that they could see no inherent reason for, which is often the situation children are in with homework. And that's the whole point with motivation - having a good reason. Motivating small children is relatively easy. We have their curiosity on our side. Young children are so curious, want to see everything, try everything, and know the 'why' about everything and if you think about it, this all the motivation they need to learn. All we need to do is be a bit ingenious about guiding that desire towards the things we want them to learn and the skills we feel they should have. And we can often incorporate skills and subjects associated with the curriculum into young children's everyday lives in a way they see a point to, even if it's purely enjoyment as the point!

As an example, I used to look up a topic we might learn about, say food chains for example, but rather than just study it via a book suggest we go out for a picnic at a park or anywhere we might see some wild life, plant life, or birds, then look around and chat about what we saw in relation to the topic.

With maths we are surrounded all the time by opportunities to use number, weight, measurement, etc, just by giving children a variety of things to count, measuring jugs to play with in water, things to weigh, materials and tools to explore and therefore understand about the mathematical world through play. Shopping incorporates loads of maths! Maths doesn't always have to be done in books. In fact, the more physical experiences and discussion the children have with using maths, or any subject for that matter, the better they will grasp the concepts. And the easier they will find it to formalise on paper when the time comes. That's if they haven't been put off, of course!

This is the problem parents face when having to get children to do their homework after school, particularly older children. By then, they've probably been put off. They've lost their fascination with learning, often by overexposure to too much that has had no inherent purpose for them, not even enjoyment.

And it is also the key to 'how do you get them to do it'. Basically, you don't put them off!

I admit, this isn't easy! Firstly, the more you do something the more boring it becomes and children in school do academic exercises until they're bored witless.

Secondly, as they get older they are much more inclined to question, know their own mind and fight back, which makes it a lot more difficult. But at least with HE we have the opportunity to keep their learning experiences varied and fresh, which helps keep them motivated.

Academic study at home can be achieved much quicker than in a classroom where so much time is wasted with distractions, waiting for teacher attention and for others to settle. This gives our children more free time to develop their other interests and saves them from academic overkill.

We also have the chance to keep their motivation alive by varying the way in which they learn, giving them experiences that are more firsthand and therefore more stimulating than pure study. For example, much of a geography curriculum can be discussed out in the field, actually in situ. Much history can be learned from visits to historic sites. Science, by relating all topics directly to the child's own life and the effect it has. These first hand experiences relates children's learning directly to their lives and it has far more impact this way than simply studying the subject in a book. It also gives opportunity for questioning and discussion, another valuable route to learning. And since real experiences help the child with their understanding, academic study becomes more meaningful.

The subject of nutrition is a good example. Most children end up studying this in schools as part of the science curriculum. But so few seem to be able to relate it directly to them as Jamie Oliver has been finding out, to use their understanding of the subject to build healthier lives. HEing gives you the opportunity not only to study nutrition academically, but also to look at what you're eating at home, to look at food groups and see whether you're actually eating food from those groups, to shop and cook nutritionally balanced meals together, to actually make nutrition work for you. To make this subject real and relevant. Understanding of nutrition is something that affects us every single day of our lives. Yet most children don't see that. They fail to connect their learning to their life. And failing to make that connection they fail to find the purpose. Purpose is where motivation comes from. We can only really motivate older children to learn by developing in them a sense of their own purpose - by nurturing in them a sense of 'why' education. The 'why' may be because it's interesting or they like it! The 'why' may be because it directly affects their lives and they see how it does, like the nutrition example. The 'why' may be because they have longer term goals like qualifications needed for university. Once they have charge of the 'why' for themselves then they will have all the motivation they need. It is then that they will see that education really is just for them. Not for parents. Not for teachers. Not because anyone says so. But really and truly just for them. Both for now and long term.

So our answer to 'how do you get them to do it?' is perhaps to do with the fact that the children haven't been dulled by endless hours of academics. They have had a wide variety of learning experiences with as many firsthand ones as possible to keep it fresh. They have had direct influence on choosing what they do, or don't do!

This is not to say that they have had no structure, no pressure at times, no encouragement or cajoling! They have. But we've also done our utmost to preserve their inherent motivation and hoped to show them what a life enhancing thing education is, how it is just for them, and been as careful as we can not to put them off!

June 2008

I've just been reading an article about Nature Tables. It's about a campaign to bring back the opportunity for children to bring their finds from the natural world for display and discussion in the classroom, like they used when we were little. With the constraints schools are under to fulfil a demanding academic curriculum nowadays these kinds of practical experiences are the ones that have become extinct in schools. But, never mind schools, there's no reason why we home educators can't have our own nature table!

Now this may sound all twee and Enid Blyton-ish but actually there's some really valuable reasons why we should encourage it for there are all sorts of unexpected benefits.

Firstly, the increase in experience of the natural world - a vital element to understanding the planet and consequently the care we need to take of it. Secondly the identification of species which surround us and which so many children are unable to name, or are even aware that they are there, right on their doorstep in some cases. And that goes for many of the parents too! Thirdly, this is a valuable part of any science curriculum. And fourthly, it gets children outdoors; it brings them into a natural environment which can have a huge impact on their behaviour, their well-being and their general health.

The article suggests how so many of today's children have a very scant knowledge of the natural world. They are familiar with the term 'global warming' and are busy recycling, but cannot identify a blackbird or a bluebell. It's as if we've been so busy promoting the bigger picture we've forgotten the little pictures that start in the children's back yard and are the foundation of further understanding. Without this ground work the wider understanding is less likely to be lasting or valued and children are also less likely to understand their own relevance to this natural world too.

But the article also suggests that there is more to the children's experience of the natural world than just identifying species and being aware of their existence. One of the biggest benefits is to do with exposure. Apparently, children who have regular contact with nature during their primary years will have an awareness that will stay with them for life. If they've had close experience with natural spaces as youngsters then that experience will have an impact on how they treat the planet later on. Children who are shut away in cloistered, clean, indoor environments, where dirt is bad and exploration scary, can sometimes become uncomfortable and even fearful in natural spaces because of lack of understanding. And they fail to experience the wealth of advantages that nature has on our physical, mental and spiritual well being.

I've written before about the effect of the outdoors on the children's moods when I did manage to prise them out. Moody, argumentative and hyper little aliens become reasonable beings again after an episode outdoors. Their behaviour becomes less tense, and they have a tranquillity about them, and a sense of fulfilment which you never see in children's eyes when they are in front of a games console. I don't know whether you've ever been on holiday by the sea but you can often spot utterly contented children just happy to sit and play for hours in the sand, those that are not continually reprimanded for getting dirty that is! For our children have become too cloistered and cosseted, even imprisoned inside, in our attempts to over protect them from a world we're conditioning them to believe is threatening and full of dreaded bacteria. Yet being out in this muddy and jean-ripping world, exploring and discovering, and able to have some natural uncontrolled time, is exactly what does them good.

Time within the natural environment calms children down and physical activity increases intelligence. It can therefore have a good effect on their academic ability and concentration when they are required to undertake activities which are more academic and perhaps less appealing.

I appreciate that suggesting going for a walk can evoke the biggest groan from the children sometimes, absorbed as they usually are in the Nintendo. But actually, there are even better activities for them than walking.

If you get togged up against the weather, arm yourself with picnic, snacks, hot and cold drinks and friends if possible, get out into a natural environment where you can set up 'base camp', i.e., picnic bench, clearing in a wood, rug on the ground, park or whatever, and stay put, the children can then go off and play, build dens, explore, gather bits for ID, or just play war games as they inevitably do. They far prefer to spend time like this, when you stay in one place and they can keep checking in, because they can have a little independence and play with their mates instead of the dreaded 'walking'. And all the time they will be gaining experience of being out in natural spaces, building their confidence and playing games that stretch their imaginations beyond computer gaming. And if you can manage not to put any of your anxieties upon them (for generally the children don't have these concerns until you mention it!) about getting dirty or muddy, ripping their clothes, falling over, getting scratched, bitten or stung, then they will have the best time ever and you will come home with contented, tired children.

I know that not everyone has easy access to natural spaces. But even cities offer similar opportunities in parks and play areas. Walking past front gardens is as good an opportunity for spotting wild things (you can often spot ants on the pavements) as walking down a lane and many of them have more hedges! There are riverbanks and canals, playgrounds and hanging baskets and other unexpected places to find wild life, like cemeteries for example. You don't necessarily have to live rurally - you just have to open your eyes. Birds sing in cities and I see more foxes in London than I do where I live in the country, city parks often have more trees.

So why not give it a go and see if it works for you? Get exploring and adventuring. Make the natural world a regular experience for your children. And perhaps even start your own little nature table!

Ross Mountney

(I'm sure you're aware that you should not be picking wildflowers, digging up plants, breaking branches or destroying trees or habitats - there should be chances to collect natural objects without resorting to that. But you might like to check out this website for more info: countrysideaccess.gov.uk and check your council website for local green spaces.)

I was really moved by the story: ‘The Foundation Stage’ in the last newsletter. It is the kind of story I’ve heard many times before and it raised so many often forgotten issues relating to the education of our children.

The first issue is to do with ‘what is a good school’? We perhaps all have differing personal views on this! But our different views aside, the procedures to inspect and label a school as ‘good’, or not, are so farcical as to be virtually invalid. As the article pointed out ‘good’ schools probably earn their reputation on a polished performance for a short period in time - put on for the purpose of inspection – and bear no relation to the actual reality of daily school life. This was indeed my own experience when I worked in school, and is also backed up by colleagues, still in the profession, who describe a magnificent demonstration of ‘goodness’ during Ofsted time, and sloppy practises for the rest of the year. I’ve also heard about the teachers who can give a brilliant act during their assessment yet generally deliver poor teaching for the rest of the time. (It was a secondary teacher who told me that!) Obviously there are many brilliant teachers but sadly it only takes one of the opposite to damage a child for life.

And this brings me to another important issue about children’s education also raised in the story: it is the people involved that matter far more than the school or other physical resources. Something parents are not always clear about when they pick the schools with ‘good’ Ofsted reports, with the best equipment, the biggest science lab, the fastest technology, the shiniest decor, is the fact that none of this stuff is any good whatsoever if the people in the school do not have good relationships with one another. Both adult/child relationships, adult/adult and child/child relationships. These matter more than resources. Anyone can learn, even without fancy resources and other physical advantages, if they have encouraging and respectful relationships. Without those, you could be in a palace of learning resources and still not get anywhere.

For a third important issue raised in the story is the fact that children have to be comfortable in order to learn well and achieve their full potential. A good school provides a comfortable learning environment with good relationships. However, each child’s need for ‘comfortable’ will be different – how can schools cater for that? Would it ever be possible therefore to have a ‘good’ school so do schools just cater for general? At home we can provide the exact and individual environment our child needs to be comfortable enough to learn.

Small private incidents, however insignificant they seem to us, are Big Things to children. Children have to be comfortable and confident in their setting, and with the people who have charge of them, in order to learn well. Children who feel threatened, fearful, disrespected or unhappy do not learn well. Children’s education needs to be based on trustworthy and respectful relationships in order to be successful. From the story, from the way in which the parents were deceived by the school into thinking their child was happy, that could never be achieved at that school.

I’ve worked with young children in schools. I have seen cold hearted teachers drag crying children into classrooms. I personally experienced the fear and distress the school environment brings. The sense of overwhelm created by such a place. And I too took my crying child back off a teacher and brought her home. For in my heart I knew this could not be right; it was not right to leave a child in a distressed state, with a complete stranger, to ‘settle down’ as they call it. Sometimes children are distracted or their distress is momentary. But in many cases they do not ‘settle down’ they just learn instead to conceal their grief and that their feelings don’t really matter in our adult world. I could never understand how people can be so un-empathetic towards children’s personal preferences. Some kids like the hurly-burly of school. Others don’t. But what is so destructive is that these children are made to feel that there is something wrong with them because of their personal preferences. Made to feel pathetic if they can’t bear the school environment. How discriminatory is that?

When you think about it, how many adults would revel in the idea of being in the hurly burly of school, with a mass of other children, some who were very threatening, day after day, year after year? I wouldn’t. I don’t know anyone who would! Some adults maintain that exposure to the school environment is a good preparation for life later on in the outside world. But this is absolutely ludicrous, for life in the outside world is nothing like conditions in school where you are thrust with a load of folks all the same age as you, without any kind of choice, or the maturity and experience to deal with it. As adults in the working world we can make choices about where we work and who we work with and we have the maturity to deal with it. Children are denied that choice in school, and are even made to feel bad for expecting it. And made to feel bad for being afraid. Fear is not conducive to learning, neither is a fearful environment going to be one which fosters good behavioural skills. It is more likely to teach kids how to be aggressive, how to put others down.

Thank goodness we can give them choice with HEing, and we can also give them the skills with which to make appropriate choices; demonstrate how to care and how to interact caringly with others. For that’s what HE is about, as much as it is about education; it is about care and respect. And love.

Mrs Fatima is absolutely right: the best foundation for a child’s learning is a happy environment. One filled with love. Children who are loved make the foundation of a loving society. It’s a loving society we need, not an aggressive one. And I would extend her comments further to say that in fact a loving approach to children, whatever age they are and whatever learning stage they’re at, can continue – and works - right through their education and their lives. A loved and supported child will be a child who learns and achieves their potential. Who feels good about themselves and can carry that goodness over into their adult life and extend it to others.

Thank you to her for sharing her story, congratulations to her for sticking with her beliefs in providing a loving foundation for her child, and to all you other HEors out there who are doing the same. Long may there be people like you who will continue to do so and show others that there really are other more loving ways to educate our children than only school ways!

October 2008

I'm sure learning was never so funny at school!

Anyone peering in over the last moments wouldn't have thought we were doing English. Not with the amount of giggling going on. But with home educating you never know.

It all started with the children's father calling out 'nipple'. We'd been quite serious and focussed up until then on an English exercise looking at word endings, 'le' in particular. And I was wracking my brains trying to think of other examples for my daughter to spell when he joined in.

'Nipple', he offered, with a little waver of humour in his voice that we couldn't miss even though his back was turned.

Our daughter wasn't sure this was an appropriate word for her list but I think it would have been okay if he hadn't at that point caught my eye. The smirk on his face clearly indicated that he wasn't thinking about English, rather our activities the night before after the girls had gone to bed. And that's when the giggling started!

I perhaps would have been able to hold it together if he hadn't then added 'ogle', 'fondle' and 'grapple' from which point on it went from bad to worse and we were in hysterics. You remember - the type of uncontrollable laughter you could feel creeping up on you in school when the teacher told you to wipe the smile off your face! I'm afraid, English lesson or not, I was helpless!

Children can become incredibly prudish when their parents are having a laugh, can't they? You think of all the times you've had cause to tell them to calm down, tell them to stop larking about and be sensible, then the minute you're having a bit of fun they go all mature and superior on you and accuse you of behaving like kids.

Suspecting what we were up to she gave us the most withering look ever - you'll be familiar with it - the one you practise giving them when they're doing something disgusting in company but you're trying not to bring everyone's attention to it. It didn't work on us and we couldn't get our serious heads back on so she stood up, scraped back the kitchen chair, called us a couple of immature perverts and flounced out. But she didn't quite make it without me seeing a little twinkle in her eye and a smile wrestling with her trying-to-be-serious expression.

We'd had enough of English anyway. And who says education always has to be serious?

This is such an important thing to remember. For I think we get so engrossed in our home education sometimes, and so worried and intense about all the concerns it brings, that we forget that simple point; that day-to-day it hasn't always got to be serious.

I was reminded of this again the other day when another HEor and I were discussing all our concerns, as you inevitably do when you get together with others. After all, that's what you mostly get together for! But the danger is, before you know it, that's all you end up discussing, spiralling down into a great pit of worry and moaning and anxiety, very often so all-consumed by concerns you completely neglect to mention all the positive, uplifting and inspiring aspects of being a home educator. And the silly thing is; the worry-mongering doesn't do any good at all. Not in the bigger picture.

In the bigger picture home educating is such a positive, courageous, inspiring, and incredible thing to be doing, something that gives our children such wonderful opportunities - but how often do we reflect upon that? How much do we simply dwell the serious issues?

Obviously we all have worries and concerns about our children. And one of the drawbacks of HE is that, similar to any work at home when it's in your face all the time, it can become quite insular and inward focussing. The tiny minutiae of the everyday can become so all-consuming we lose sight of the fun and enjoyment. We forget to lighten up and have a good giggle while we're learning. For it really is true that learning can be fun.

You're probably thinking; but education does have to be taken seriously. And I agree it should, it's a serious matter. But that doesn't mean that every single moment of every HE day should be serious at the time. Take education seriously by all means, but your approach to daily learning can be as much fun as you like. It is still valuable when it's fun. In fact, if your children are having fun with their education then it is going to have much more of a serious and effective, but positive, impact on their lives long term than any other approach. It will make education a happy experience. When education is a happy experience it will be something that the children will want to have in their lives, both now and in the future.

So, just to lighten up, perhaps we could keep in mind some very serious considerations:

• There is no law written anywhere that says home educating has to be one hundred percent serious all of the time!

• There is nothing to prove that just because there is laughter there is no learning taking place. In fact, it is more likely that the opposite is true; children learn when they are happy.

• No evidence to say that a serious/intense approach works better than a light hearted/fun one!

• And children like fun - fun ways to learn have the biggest impact upon them, helping them to retain and remember.

So you might as well get as much fun and laughter into your home educating as you can - remembering to do it on a daily basis. And the beauty of it is; it will have as good an impact on you as it does on the children!

Meanwhile, I perhaps need to go and be a bit more mature and sensible right now and make peace with my teenager!

December 2008

A man from The Times Educational Supplement phoned me the other day. He was a journalist after material for a ‘Day in the Life of...’ series about people involved in various aspects of education.

I don’t know whether you’re familiar with the TES but it is not a paper I would have expected to feature such an out-of-ordinary and non-institutional approach to education as home educators have. After all, the Times Educational Supplement is an institution in itself! So I established right at the outset that I didn’t want anything negative about HE to appear, since other journalists have been known to twist things round in the past. Poor man, he was quite taken aback, but reassured me that he was pro-HE so I gabbled on happily without him hardly having the chance to get a word in!

I had to fumble around in my mind to work out what a ‘typical day’ was when he asked me for, as you know, there’s nothing less typical than a day HEing. But it all proceeded fairly well until he asked what I did in my former life and I had to go and admit to something I absolutely hate; I was a teacher!

Now the reason I hate to say this is not because I know most HEors like to get their wooden stakes out when they find out, but for lots of other reasons. These being: a) even though there are some wonderful teachers, there also seems to be many of the opposite kind – this being backed up by sad stories my friends tell me of their children’s encounters in schools - so it’s not a categorisation I’m that proud of! b) It sometimes makes people think that because they haven’t been a teacher they can’t HE, which of course is in no way the case and c) it gives the impression it is easier for me to HE when in fact the opposite is true.

The reason the opposite is true is because, like many of you, I’ve had to de-school not only my thinking, but also my teacherish approach to learning in order to HE successfully. And having been entrenched in the profession this has been extremely hard.

You might argue that at least my knowledge from inside school must be an advantage. But not really for, as many agree, a school style approach to learning doesn’t always work. And a teacher/child relationship is not the sort of relationship I want with my children; I think it would be pretty upsetting for the children if I suddenly started behaving like their teachers did – thrusting learning at them without respect for their point of view.

As I pointed out to the journalist; I don’t really teach the children at all! Of course, I had to qualify this, before he thought my kids had been totally neglected through all their years at home, by saying that what I do is carrot dangle! I tempt them.

Perhaps the best way to describe how the children’s education works is to say that, rather than by teaching, I facilitate their learning but it’s essentially a shared thing. Their position in their education, and the influence they have over it, has always been important. I don’t take the stance of being someone who is superior, who talks at them or dictates what they should do, or who doesn’t value what they bring to it, like teachers tend to do. Instead the children are completely involved and engaged in all the processes, planning, and decision making. They are engaged by hands-on experiences, discussion, interaction, questioning, listening, talking, finding out for themselves, experimenting, practising, sharing, seeing and doing. Their learning is active rather than passive. They share the responsibility for their learning rather than simply being a receptacle for it. Teaching doesn’t really come into it.

This is quite hard for some people to understand because teaching has always been considered an essential ingredient to learning. But it needn’t be. Teaching, or sharing of knowledge when it’s asked for, is a helpful tool. As is showing or demonstrating something. But it isn’t an essential tool. It isn’t the only way to get children to learn either. Children can learn for themselves. Information is available to everyone via the Internet now. And many children learn much more effectively by experimenting and finding out, by making loads of mistakes thereby having loads of experiences and insights into how to get it right, than by being passively spoon fed by a teacher!

When we first decided to HE many people assumed it was because I thought I could teach my children better myself. Far from it. We HEed partly because we wanted to get poor and intrusive teaching out of our children’s learning experience. And partly because the approach to learning in schools was not in my mind good for children and it put them off.

So, as I told the journalist, teaching plays no part in our HE. And I am mightily glad that it hardly plays a part in my life any more as I never felt comfortable with it. Teaching may be part of school life. But it doesn’t always have to be part of a learning life. I almost wonder whether teaching is a remnant of an archaic system that our children don’t need any more. Now that we all have ready access to knowledge, (which is originally what teachers were needed for), what our children perhaps need instead are inspirational leaders, learning mentors and loving encouragement from a caring adult.

Anyway, let’s hope the journalist paints a good picture of a day in the life of a HEor in his article. (I think he’s used a lot of ‘writer’s licence’!) I was very cheeky and asked him to mention my book "Learning Without School: Home Education" which is due to be published at the end of the year by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

I also asked him a few questions of my own in return, just to keep him on his toes! And guess what? He was a teacher in his former life too. You’d think the government would begin to ask, not only what’s wrong with the education system that increasing numbers of families are opting to HE, but also why so many teachers are coming out of school too!

Ross Mountney.

(The article was expected to appear in the TES on 19th September)

Ross Mountney.