Freedom-in-Education

About freedom-in-education.co.uk

All the articles on this site, unless otherwise stated, have been written by Gareth Lewis.

Gareth Lewis is the author of One-to-One and Unqualified Education, practical guides to learning at home. He is also the editor of the quarterly Freedom in Education Magazine, the articles of which have been reprinted in magazines and newspapers in England, America and Australia. He has been involved with teaching and education for most of his life and now lives in Brittany, France, with his wife, Lin, and three children. They write, publish, illustrate and edit their publications together.

Since October it is me, his daughter  Wendy, (writing now) who has taken over the duties of maintaining this website. With my brother and sister, I also run the Jamboree website which is intended for other young people like ourselves, who have an interest in learning, beyond what schools teach. I have been taught at home since I was five years old, and have had the great good fortune, I believe, to have experienced freedom in my education. I have been to school, I have been taught by teachers, I have been taught at home, I have learnt for myself and I have been allowed to make my own decisions and choose for myself the education I prefer. It is my hope that this site will help and encourage parents to do the same for their children.

Gareth Lewis
Gareth Lewis writes about the freedom in education site.

I have been involved in the field of education for the greater part of my life. I have taught in comprehensive schools and in Steiner schools, have taught excluded pupils and children who are considered too ill to go to school, worked as a private tutor, and, for the past twelve years have taught my own children, at home, with my wife, Lin.

This career has led me to see the best and the worst side of education. The enthusiasm and trust displayed by children has always been a source of inspiration, as has the care and dedication of parents (even parents who are routinely demonised in the press - single mothers on income support, people living in inner-city housing estates, etc.) Many teachers also are dedicated to the welfare of the children in their care and do their best to give them a good start in life.

The bad side of education comes from the way in which schools are run: the national curriculum, testing and league tables all contribute to exacerbating the inherent problem with school - the way in which it makes children conform.

The emphasis placed on examination results means that the school system - both public and private - is no longer involved in education in the true sense of the word: children have to conform to what the school expects of them rather the school adapting to what the children need from it.

The thing that saddens me is that there is so little resistance to this process. Working as a supply teacher, I have met hundreds, perhaps thousands, of children in secondary schools who all tell the same story - they cannot understand why they are having to spend their time in such unpleasant surroundings, doing such stupid things and being treated with such little respect. I have also worked with children who found that they could not cope any longer: some who have attacked the teacher with a chair, knife or scissors, others who are physically sick when they try to go into a school building and others who have chronic health problems which clear up when they are away from school and return when they go back to school. These children are always made to feel that the problem lies with them. 

Of course it is not their fault. There are better ways to educate children.

This site is about those better ways.

Gareth Lewis

I hope that this site is of use to parents, to children and to people working in the field of education. Please contact me, Wendy, if you have news, information or an article that you would like included.