People said I was mad.
They said they could never spend all that time with their children.
Most of all, they were concerned whether I was getting enough time to myself.
People I told said the same things. Over and over again.
Its troubling that our society has developed in such a way that we feel children are so difficult and painful, that spending more than a handful of hours a day with them is literally unthinkable. And that we have no belief that anything other than the state education system is capable of preparing them to live a good life.
It seems that we misunderstand children, life and learning greatly, despite having been children ourselves.
Most people have strong opinions about home educating, but I’m not sure they have much of an idea what it is, really.
My mum and I can discuss many things openly, and I did feel ok about telling her. Initially, she said she would go away and do some research, before she expressed any opinions. I couldn’t’ve asked for any more than that.
When we talked again, she said she understood what I was trying to do.
We were quite emotional. It is an emotional subject, raising buried feelings about our own childhoods, school experiences, and many other things.
My mum was the first person I felt fully supported me. And because she had taken the trouble to research, understood my vision of home educating.
Thanks mum.
My dad died in 2011. I would’ve loved to tell him we’re home educating. He was always questioning authority, never accepting the status quo. To put it mildly! Although I can’t know for sure, I think he would’ve understood what I’m trying to do.
The Little English Unschool 