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Setting a Standard

I received quite a few messages after the last newsletter and they set me thinking about the relationship between families who home educate and the rest of the community.

Even though it may not be a subject of everyday discussion in most homes, I believe that every family has home education as an option which it holds in reserve in case things go wrong with their children’s schooling. This is evident from the fact that when families find themselves in difficulties with local schools they often  do start to teach their children at home, even if it is only for a short time.

The problem for most parents is that they have no personal experience of home education and therefore they do not know where to draw the line between what is acceptable and what is unacceptable in a child’s education, and at what point they would be able to provide a better education for their children themselves than they are receiving at school. This has allowed schools to fall far below the standard which in any other circumstances would be considered to be the absolute minimum.

Parents who teach their children at home have discovered that it is possible for children to be treated with respect and for them to learn at the same time. They have also discovered that children’s capacity to learn is much greater when they are being treated with respect, than when they are not.

Even though it has not as yet been widely recognised, this represents a new educational standard  which schools are going to have to try to match. In the long-run, no one is going to voluntarily put their child into a situation in which they are less happy and receive a worse education than if they simply stayed at home. 

Judging by my post, many home educators still feel slightly victimised by officialdom, but I believe that home educators are providing an invaluable service to society by dispelling the myth that education inevitably involves causing children distress. The implications of this discovery are only just starting to be appreciated, but in time, it could revolutionise every aspect of modern life.

.

Please send comments and suggestions to:
gareth.lewis@freedom-in-education.co.uk

Learning About New Technology

The past few years have led to a dawning realisation amongst people involved in education that computer-related skills are now required in almost every area of employment, and that people who leave school without knowing how to use a computer are in danger of being unemployable.

In these circumstances, it is not surprising that educational policy makers have been trying to push new technology up the list of priorities in the school curriculum. The purpose of this article is, firstly, to point out that the nature of school means that it is unlikely for it ever to be able to teach this subject properly, and, secondly, to make some suggestions as to how parents can help their children to become proficient in the use of new technology.

Problems that Schools Have in Teaching New Technology

One of the most challenging features about teaching modern technology is the very fact that it is so new: the subject did not exist a few years ago, and there is therefore no depth of experience that teachers can draw upon when considering the best way of introducing it to children. In these circumstances it would make sense to at least consider the possibility that the subject requires a new approach, different from that which has been developed to teach reading and writing. Unfortunately, instead of taking a step back and trying to develop techniques which take account of the nature both of children and of computers, schools have tried to integrate new technology into their regime of classrooms, lessons, teachers, set curricula, tests, exams, qualifications, etc. – and it is not surprising that it hasn’t worked.

At the heart of the problem is the fact that technology is evolving at a rate with which schools cannot keep pace. Schools teach children how to use machines that at the time are considered to be state of the art, but which have already become obsolete by the time the children leave school and enter the real world.

Too Much Technology

This has been happening now for some years, but the lesson does not appear to have been learnt: for example, a popular current initiative in many countries is to give 12-year-old students a laptop computer of their own, which they can take home from school and use at all times; it is found that the children adapt quickly to using the machines, and soon find that they cannot work on any other medium. This is dangerous because they are becoming reliant on a machine that will almost certainly have been superseded in a few years time, and are missing out on the opportunity to become proficient in the use of books, which are likely to be around for a long time to come.

 Clearly, the important thing is not that a child should gain experience in using a particular computer, but rather that they should gain an understanding of computers in general. Ideally, they should finish their education with sufficient self-confidence to believe that they are able, on their own, to adapt to all the technological innovations that take place over the course of their lives.

Too Much Technical Support

One of the aspects of school computer facilities that tends to undermine this goal is their much-vaunted technical support system. Schools, and particularly those that issue free computers to every pupil, are now likely to have full-time technical support available on the premises to assist pupils who get into problems with their machines. This is very advantageous, in terms of being able to conduct orderly lessons and in helping pupils to get their assignments finished on time, but it is a disaster as far as learning about technology is concerned. The time when people learn most about their computers is when they cannot get them to work, and it is through learning how to solve problems that they acquire the skills that will enable them to adapt to new forms of technology in later life: when they leave school and find themselves having to use the next generation of computer equipment, they will not have an on-hand, round the clock, technical support person whom they can call upon to get it working every time something unexpected happens on their machine.

The Problem of Finding Good Staff

It must also be pointed out that the quality of teaching staff is never likely to be very high in this subject, simply because technology is developing so rapidly. To illustrate this point, repeated surveys over the past few years have shown that children who have internet access in their own homes are more skilled in the use of the internet than their teachers. This is probably due to the fact that many aspects of the internet are so new that teachers and pupils are effectively starting from the same point; the pupils are younger, more enthusiastic, more adaptable, and less fearful; the teachers are older, more set in their ways, more anxious to please their superiors, and more cautious. It is not surprising that the pupils learn more rapidly and are more skilled in the use of the new technology than the people who are supposed to be teaching them about it.

What Parents Can Do to Help

Parents, particularly those who ‘know nothing about computers’ may feel that they face at least as many difficulties in teaching their children about technology as do schools and that, on balance, it is something that should be left to professional teachers. A clearer understanding of how technology ought to be taught shows that parents always make the best teachers of the subject, and that ignorance is no obstacle.

Firstly, it is worthwhile taking a little time to stop and consider the nature of technology and its relative importance in the overall scheme of things: modern technology is very important in terms of employment – and is likely to become even more so; it is useful in a whole range of creative and leisure activities; it has revolutionised communications; and it has opened up business opportunities for ordinary people – but it is not of fundamental importance to life itself.

The Really Important Lessons in Life

When babies are born, they have a small number of inherent skills – such as knowing how to cry when they are hungry – but everything else they have to learn. One of the jobs of a parent is to ensure that their children learn the things that they need to know, when they need to know them. Unlike learning about technology, many of these skills are fundamental to life itself, and there is a pattern, established over the course of thousands, or perhaps millions, of years, through which parents introduce their children to what it is to be a human being: they teach them to walk, to talk, to be part of a family, to understand their place in the natural world, to be caring, to be compassionate, to be truthful, to be dependable, and to be responsible. These are the sorts of lessons that are reserved for the early years of a child’s life, and if they are neglected, everything that follows afterwards is out of context and becomes difficult to understand: clearly, new technology has no particular role to play in the acquisition of these lessons and it does not matter how ignorant mothers and fathers of young children are about computers, so long as they give their children plenty of love, and try to do what is right.

Reading and Writing

Next comes the stage when a child wants to learn to read and write. Reading and writing are skills that have, in the past, proved to be quite difficult to acquire, and even now relatively few people consider themselves to be really good at writing and few people are really confident in their ability to read and understand everything that they come across. It is, therefore, a mistake to skate over the process of learning to read and write in the hope that it will somehow be covered by a child learning to use a computer. A parent can safely spend years reading to their child, learning to write, writing out poems, designing greetings cards, reading stories, playing word games, writing stories, writing poetry, etc. – in short, taking as long as is necessary to explore and understand the vast wealth of experience that people have built up over several millennia of using the written word, without giving a second thought to computers and other forms of modern technology.

This is by no means a waste of time, not least because paper and ink is one form of technology that looks set to endure as other technologies come and go. Furthermore, no matter what their starting point, a mother or father who starts by reading simple stories to their child and who sticks with the process as their child grows older, starts to acquire the skill of learning things with their child – which is precisely what is required when learning about new technology. 

The Correct Time to Introduce New Technology

The most appropriate time to introduce new technology is when a child becomes interested in it themselves. This is how people have been learning about computers since they first started to appear thirty or forty years ago, and the speed with which technology has developed since then is a testament to the fact that a highly-organised, school-based learning programme is not necessary for this subject.

Everyone recognises the stereotype of the teenager who does not fit into school, does not do particularly well in their exams, does not like sports, is perhaps slightly awkward in social situations, but who develops a keen interest in computers – works out how to build their own machine from spare parts, perhaps accesses pirated software, pushes their machine to its limit in every direction, and by the age of nineteen or twenty knows more about computers than the people who make them. This may not be ideal from a broader educational perspective, but it demonstrates that the most effective way to learn about computers is in your own home, in your own time, and at your own pace. There is absolutely no reason why parents and children, who have developed the habit of working together in other areas of life, should not also learn about computers together in this way – even though the parent may be the slower learner, they are still able to provide the support and balanc­ing influence which is traditionally associated with parenthood, and there­fore should be able to help their child to integrate an understanding of tech­nology into a well-balanced life.

The conclusions to be drawn from this are, that, irrespective of the new initiatives and the money spent by schools on technology teaching, their efforts will almost certainly prove to be counter-productive, and that, as a result, all parents should be prepared to take a primary role in helping their children to come to terms with new technology. This does not necessarily mean rushing out and spending money on the latest computer, but it does mean making time available, when your child does become interested in computers, to sit down with them, to teach them what you know, and to be prepared to learn. In essence, new technology is no different from any other skill: it deserves to be taken seriously but not too seriously; the aim should be to integrate it into a balanced educational approach, rather than allowing it to displace other activities which, in the long run, could prove to be more fulfilling and of more use.

Gareth Lewis

Letters

Keeping Children Off The Streets

The announcement on the news today that truants' parents would be subjected to a fine and/or imprisonment filled me with horror......this announcement was accompanied by the usual bit of filming of police and truant patrollers questioning children out with their parents in town centres.  The announcement also included taking children out of school during term time to go on holidays.  

I have been sat on my laurels thinking that the 'free' in educating my child in freedom would mean that I could walk down the street/go about our day and enjoy this freedom and not be confronted with this nightmarish situation.......the dreaded tap on the shoulder, etc.

I already get asked when we are out and about........is he sick......is the school closed....and the other day, queuing behind a rather statuesque man in the supermarket, he accidentally swung his arm round and collided with my son's head.  The man turned and almost completed an apology when he saw it wasn’t me he had struck, by my son...........'Well', he said, 'he should be at school anyway'!!!!   It just beggars belief, the attitude of people when they see children out and about and not pigeon-holed where they think they should be ~~  IN SCHOOL. 

This Victorian attitude among the general public is probably what contributes to the general lack of patience and appreciation of our children.....the next Generation.   Seen & not heard!!  The children are supposed to be at school while the public go about their own business between the hours of 9 and 3 and woe betide any child that steps into that time zone!!!  I am beginning to think that how older children, teens and young adults behave is a direct result of this attitude.  Shut them up, lock them Up, whatever, so long as they are off the streets.

Of course, the other side of this coin is when people realise my son is homeschooled, they regale the horrors of their own school experience, or the current situation with their own children. 

Just a few of my musings......

Great site as ever

Sonia

hiding behind the net curtains!!! 

Feedback on February Article

Sad to have to report that in US, armed guards ARE patrolling many schools. Maybe it's because of the sheer size of our schools, maybe it's because of the fear of lawsuits, but starting in middle schools (age 12-14) adults seem to have lost the ability to control the students at all.

Protecting Children

Hidden away on a minor news page on CEEFAX today is a claim by welfare officers that some parents claim they are home educating their children to conceal the fact that they are abusing them. 

The Association for Education Welfare Management has asked the Children's Minister (for England), Margaret Hodge, for the power to check up on home educators. It says the forthcoming Children’s bill is a good opportunity to change the current practice. 

It concludes by saying 'Home educators regard the move as offensive and unnecessary'.

While I'm not saying that abuse never happens, the majority of HE parents have either never sent their children to school or, like me, removed them because of abuse suffered at school.  Moves like the one proposed are intended to erode parental rights to educational choice. The old chestnut about 'if you've nothing to hide etc' is a too well worn these days.

How many cases of accused parents have been proved wrong or are being re-investigated lately? (cot deaths are a case in point). All Prof Meadows cases are being reviewed, involving hundreds of children removed from home on the word of an 'expert witness'. How 'expert' will the education welfare opinion be? The only ones I have been in contact with are about 22 and talk down to you if you allow it.

Just lately there seems to have been a child a week either killed at school, or who have taken their own life because of school.

How do we hold onto our freedom of choice, especially when items like the above are tucked away where most people are unlikely to see them.?

I like to be left alone to get on with the job of educating my children, I don't usually lift my head above the parapet, but I'm quite annoyed about this item.

D Cartlidge

Freedom-in-Work follows freedom-in-education!

I've found the freedom in education magazine and website inspirational and very useful, however I have just one piece of feedback, which is to do with the world of work.  You mention the necessity of being able to obtain a good job at the end of a child's education.  I personally feel that having a job is akin to going to school.  In a job you are told what time you need to arrive and leave, you have to follow instructions even if they are contrary to your own intuition, learning opportunities are often limited and it is largely in the hands of someone else what you must learn ... sound familiar?

I'm not suggesting that you should attempt to persuade readers to give up their jobs and become self-employed.  I'm aware that this would have nothing to do with your guiding principles; I'm merely making a point that if children follow their heart and do something that fills them with passion and joy, then they are more likely to have the opportunity to be self-employed or start their own business and that freedom-in-work follows freedom-in-education!  I myself loved designing puzzles and was always told I'd never make any money at it.  I've now sold over 200 crosswords and still love designing them.   

Martin Woods

Homeschooling in Alabama

I just wanted to drop you a quick line to say thank you for your newsletter. It is filled with a lot information. I am a former Kindergarten-1st Grade Teacher in the public school system, we now homeschool our 1st grader after a distressing and disturbing year in the public school system. I must admit it was a little overwhelming at first. Our son has since announced that he will never return to public school. I know in this state of Alabama the schools are in such disarray.

We belong to a wonderful support group and they have Science and Art classes and "Socials".  There are 1,000 (give or take) of us here in this town (Tuscaloosa County) alone that homeschool, if it wasn't for the support group and the newletters I/we receive it would be a hard thing to do. My family supports us 100% however, my husbands family do not. We see so much improvement in our son, with his attitude and his school work, we are really pleased. He is happy to tell anyone and everyone that he is proud to be able to stay home and have his parents "teach" him. I personally could not imagine it any other way.

Linda Conley

Homeschooling in Canada

We are a family which has decided to embark on the homeschooling journey this year.

My oldest daughter was in the Canadian public system for 3 years. I became increasingly worried as I witnessed her loss of interest in reading, her boredom and reluctance to go to school over this time period.

After a lot of soul searching and research our family decided to try homeschooling.

Our girls are totally happy and do not miss one thing about school. I however, still suffer from periodic bouts of anxiety that I am ruining their education. I have read a lot about unschooling and believe strongly in this approach. However, it is difficult to always feel confident in our decision as it contradicts everything we've ever been told about education.

I always look forward to your newsletters every month. They confirm what I believe and help allay my deschooling anxiety!

Your newsletters are a lifeline!  Thank you.

Happiness

We suffered our first inspection by the Local Education Authority for 6 years ..yes ..6 years.!! We had been lost in the system and were not about to remind them of our existence. A pleasant but un-imaginative man left us un-happy .We have been told we are not organised enough, don't keep records of our every moment (at least that is how it felt) .Then the February newsletter arrived and brought a ray of happiness and relaxation back into our lives. I am not surprised that the idea of happiness doesn't seem to count for much in this qualification-obsessed, status-crazy world.

Thank-you all for helping us through a rather bad time.

 Angie, Jeff and Holly Cox

Great Newsletter!

As a parent who doesn't send my 7 year old to school, I look forward to your news about home-schooling kids, because I get strange looks from people when I say my child is home-schooled ,and even worse responses when I tell them that I only 'teach' her when she is ready to listen and we don't have a fixed schedule for anything. 

I will am interested to hear from any other parents in my type of position, and who may be experiencing the same things.

Thanks so much ....

Clare Finley

Please send letters and comments to:
gareth.lewis@freedom-in-education.co.uk

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