Having their say…
16th October 2009
On Monday some home educators and their children have been invited to go to the Select Committee enquiry and speak with them. They will, hopefully, get a chance for their voices and opinions to be heard.
I thought perhaps there might be an opportunity to hand over a document with the thoughts of some other children on their home educated lives. if you’ve got time before tomorrow at 7pm, you could let your child dictate or type a short piece and email it to me, facebook it to me, comment box it or any other method you can think of; i’ll collate them and forward it ot the person going. Include a first name and age if you can, just to make it clear they are all from different people.
Who knows if it will get listened to or read, but i don’t think it can hurt 
Posted in 10 Responses to “Having their say…”
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I’ll see what my crowd can come up with!
My name is Hannah and I am 13 years old. I have been home educated all my life. I decided at 4 that I didn’t want to go to school, and I have never changed my mind. I know if I wanted to go my mum and dad would help me find a good school, and I am so glad they listened to me when I was little. When I was younger, I just liked being with my mum and dad a lot, now I appreciate the freedom to study what I want, when I want. I go to lots of clubs and groups, and I enjoy adventure camp holidays with my friends.
I am very worried by the proposals to have new legislation about home education, and the implication that children who are home educated are at risk. We are living in the world, not shut away from it. Some people want or need to go to school, and that’s fine. But I don’t, and I believe I should be left to have the best education for me, which is at home, directed by me, and helped by my mum and dad.
Hi, Hannah left a comment but I think it may be in moderation as she used her own email address. Use or not as you see fit – I know it doesn’t (yet) apply to us, but we’ve talked a lot about it, signed the petitions and responded to the consultation and she wanted to do this as well.
Oh, and now having read it, feel quite tearful. My baby is a grown up!
She certainly is! Thank you Hannah!
Caroline – i’m having trouble with voice clips; i need to send this as a word doc, is it possible to type them up? Sorry!
I’ll try !!
Being home educated is nice because we can do our own thing in our own time, such as maths and science whenever we want to. I have my own space to work and i have lots of time to do additional activities without being tired and stressed. I love learning new things that people don’t have time for in school. When i tried school for a term in Yr6 i was much more tired and couldn’t enjoy the other things important in my life. I couldn’t do all the day trips my family do. At home i don’t have to wait for everyone to finish before i can move on to something new. It was annoying being kept in at lunch when other people were naughty.
Having a years plan wouldn’t work because we wouldn’t have time to learn the things that are interesting. It would be hard to plan what i am going to be interested in and it is easiest to learn lots if it is interesting. Being interviewed on our own would be scary and i really wouldn’t like it; my little sisters probably wouldn’t be able to do anything and would be frightened. Saying home educators are abusing their children just isn’t right. It makes me feel cross that we are being thought to be abused.
We go out places lots, to castles and science museums, we have lots of time together as a family and i have time to join lots of groups and have friends there and learn from coaches and teachers.
Fran , age 11. (Dictated)
I like being home educated because you can do what subjects you want when you want and if you want to learn about a castle instead of just reading, we actually go to one. I think it is much easier to learn things and we have lots of time to practise things. I like maths and science and want to learn more french.
I think people who say we are shut away are really wrong. We like to be out a lot and when we do we learn a lot. I learn lots by asking questions from parents and friends parents. We get together with groups of friends and do stuff together and we join lots of places like gym, rugby, drama and ballet.
Instead of having a plan, it is easier to work at things you are in the mood for. The things i am interested change loads and i love finding out things from going out, reading or using the internet.
I would be confident talking to people about home education but i think my little sister would refuse to go into a room without a parent. I can think of some things that might go wrong with it, like it they don’t understand what you are saying. I think that people who say home educators are child abusers are completely wrong and it is not fair to say it, no way.
Maddy, Age 9 (Dictated)
Thank you for Fran and Maddy’s opinions!
And of course all the other children who are home educated. Let’s hope we get as many contributions as we can.
And it’s great to read about all the experience-based learning and being able to work at things when you’re in a mood.
The over-regulation of schools in Fran’s writing troubles me. I remember being kept in because other people were naughty and it was humiliating.
Good to see the curiosity in learning shining through.
letters duly handed in to the committee