Anyone else home educating?

[Familyofmonkeys]

School isn't working for our family, so we're in the process of pulling my older two kids out of school before the youngest finishes kindy. We'll be starting our home education adventure a week from now, and I was just wondering if there are any forumites who are already home educating? I know this is a bit of a long-shot, since it's still considered rather 'alternative', but it doesn't hurt for us to make as many contacts as possible

[Kiwijo]

My Step bother and his wife did homeschooling with their three in Canterbury. I think they did it for religious purposes (most familes in their church did it, so they had a big suppoer network). They tried the kids for a couple of years in Secondary school, but they really didnt adjust well at all. I would suggest you try your local library to see if you can find any support groups (there may be a group who get the kids together once of twice a week for an afternoon). Good Luck - you're very brave. :O)

[Familyofmonkeys]

Hiya, I've already made a few contacts as there are various support groups around...all seem very nice friendly people. There are quite a few group activities going on and they have resource libraries available. However, the vast majority are home educating for strong religious reasons and whilst we share many of the same family (and often social) values, we are athiests with very different reasons for pulling our kids out of school and different aspirations for their future. We obviously see schooling (or education in general) in a different light, coming from the UK and it's nice to have people with a similar background to bounce ideas off and share experience, who don't think we're bonkers.

you're very brave. :O)

I'm being told that a lot at the moment. To be honest, it doesn't seem like something we need to feel brave about. Mostly we're feeling relieved that we have finally made the decision to do things our way, and excited about all the opportunities that lay ahead. My kids are unbelievably excited and have already got a ton of plans for things they'd like to do

[sophiedb]

Mostly we're feeling relieved that we have finally made the decision to do things our way, and excited about all the opportunities that lay ahead. My kids are unbelievably excited and have already got a ton of plans for things they'd like to do

That's fantastic! I really hope it all goes brilliantly

[Azkateaz]

We're not in New Zealand yet and I'm not sure we'll home educate when we get there, but we have home educated our eldest in the US. We did it for a few reasons primarily because she's a brilliant kid who was terribly bored in school. As she wanted to fit in she would pretend to not know the answers so she didn't get made fun. And the school she was in had some really strange ideas of the importance of rules (and I'm a strict rule follower but most of the things they deemed important were just odd). She is young and we didn't want her school behaviors to become too much of who she is as a person.

We found here that almost everybody we met who kept their kids home for school were highly religious as well. This was tough for us - we're also atheists but the current climate in the US is not friendly to the non-Christian base. I have since become friends with several traveling families who educate themselves - some use paid curriculum while others fully embrace "unschooling" where the kids guide the learning process. All of their kids are doing really well so I can see merit in both systems.

We found the most difficult time the first few months when we had to learn how to work with our the kiddo. Things we thought she would love she hated and there was a lot of resistance in the beginning. We were totally unprepared as she had chosen home school herself and is generally quite agreeable!

So, I guess my long ramble is to empathize and let you know if you need a friendly ear we've been there

[Familyofmonkeys]

We did it for a few reasons primarily because she's a brilliant kid who was terribly bored in school. As she wanted to fit in she would pretend to not know the answers so she didn't get made fun.

That is one of several problems we've been having too, especially with my oldest who is quite shy around other kids. When she does try and explain herself she becomes self-concious and starts getting tongue-tied, which means people who don't know her well think she can't articualte her thoughts or comprehend stuff properly, when the opposite is true.

We've also found that even with a good teacher, in a class full of children it is hard to balance the need for intellectual stimulation and challenge when their academic skills and maturity levels have yet to catch up. And of course we don't want our kids to miss out on their childhood by pushing them to grow up too quickly, so it's a tough one.

So, I guess my long ramble is to empathize and let you know if you need a friendly ear we've been there

Will send you a PM later

[Catchers]

Hi not sure if it helps but I've home added my 2 on and off in the uk - I have a whole pile of books and bits and bobs coming over from the uk (soonish)? If want to pm I might be able to give a bit of advice/pointers. My 2 are now back in NZ school and so far are loving it - very different from the uk. I'll see how they get on when "proper" school starts next year!

[victoria24]

I'm curious as to how the social aspect works for home schooling.. at some points, kids have to interact with large groups either at uni or in the workplace. are there skills that can be incorporated throughout the home school process to equip them for this? where will they make their current friends also? I'm not being critical- each to their own but wondering how it all works short and long term.

[Catchers]

When we did it in the uk we joined other families for get togethers - usually just fun activities and a way to socialise - this meant that rather than just mixing with their own peer group they interacted with a much wider age range. When my son started school in yr3 his teacher was most surprised that he was keen and able to put up his hand and speak up for himself. However that's not to say that there weren't some issues sling the way - but only those that others in his class also experienced. I know that it's always the first thing that people bring up - and I think that there are probably some home ed kids who are isolated - but the vast majority aren't. Plus as they get older they tend to join in the other out of school activities with everyone else.

[Familyofmonkeys]

I know that it's always the first thing that people bring up - and I think that there are probably some home ed kids who are isolated - but the vast majority aren't. Plus as they get older they tend to join in the other out of school activities with everyone else.

Yep, the socialisation thing is pretty much the first thing most people mentioned when we said we were going to start home educating. Until we started looking into it a couple of years ago we had the same concerns, but the more we researched and talked to people (both here in NZ and in UK & US), the more we have realised how false this perception is in most cases. If anything the children we have met so far and the families I've been in touch with probably do more activities (and voluntary work) than many school kids as they get older, simply because they have more free time and more flexibility in their day since they don't have their time eaten up with school related stuff like doing the roll, assemblies, homework, break times etc. Those that aren't completely autonomous can fit their more academic work around other activities, and often get excellent exam results.

There are an absolute ton of home ed groups when you start digging a bit. In our local area (North Shore) alone there are various daytime social groups, parent support groups, resource libraries, group tutoring for exams, music lessons, sports lessons and teams, group art and science sessions, educational trips, ...there is even a daytime St. John Youth group that started recently because there were enough home ed families in the Auckland area to form a new division.

Now a few other home educating families are coming out of the woodwork at my kids extra-curricular activities, the more I'm liking what I see. The children in question are mostly well rounded, well mannered and mature with good social skills, because they are used to socialising with a wide age range of people and have learned to interact with people appropriately, just like the would in adult life, as opposed to school where children spend the majority of time with people their own age groups.

As for making friends, I think home educated kids seek out and form friendships with people that have common interests, which they meet through various activities, rather than befriending kids that just happen to be in the same class at school. My kids don't finish school until this Friday, but I've certainly found the same to be true in their case. They have made just as many friends via St. Johns Youth and music/swimming lessons as they have at school, so I have no worries about their future opportunities to socialise.