Reading 9A

Learning at Home

Have you ever thought about leaving school and learning at home? Thousands of young people do exactly that. It’s called ‘home- schooling’ or ‘home education’. So why do parents make the decision to do this? Some parents take their children out of school due to bullying or other serious problems, but there is a growing number of British parents who choose to home-educate their children from the start.

We spoke to Erin Morgan, who chose home-schooling for her children. ‘We took our children out of school when my son Joseph was six and daughter Lily was eight. There were no problems with teachers and neither of the children was being bullied - in fact they were quite popular - but they were simply bored. With large class sizes, little money and other problems, it’s difficult for teachers to give some children the individual attention they need.’

‘When we started home-schooling, I was worried the children wouldn’t fit in socially, so they have a few organized activities a week. Joseph is learning the trumpet and plays in a band. Lily goes to ballet classes and they both have swimming lessons.

This means they learn skills and enjoy the company of other children at the same time. In addition, I belong to a home- schooling network so we often get together for trips with other home-schoolers.’

‘We don’t have a set timetable, but negotiate what we’re going to do every day. Morning activities include using the computer, writing, spelling, reading, maths and science. After lunch, we generally choose something more creative like art, sewing or gardening. I have to admit that some activities are more popular than others, but in my view, it’s important to get through every subject in order to get a good general education.’

‘People ask what happens when home-schoolers get to secondary school age. I have friends with teenage children and most of them have decided to follow a syllabus and take GCSE exams. This has meant a more organized day, but the young people still take a great deal of responsibility for their own learning. One boy I know is planning to stop home-schooling when he is 16, do a part-time college course and then go on to university.’

‘Whatever the age of your children, home-schooling is a challenge, but in my opinion the worst thing to do is to turn the home into a formal school. Learning should be fun, and children and young people need to feel happy in order to achieve.’