home schooling

wanabehome

Is anyone homeschooling here? Do you have to register a child below the age of 6 with the National Educational Welfare Board?

Nevyn

http://www.newb.ie/parent_guardian/education_outside_school.asp

Education outside of recognised Schools

Under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, you have a right to educate your child outside of a recognised school, for example, in the home.

The Irish Constitution acknowledges the role of a parent / guardian as the primary educator of the child and has enshrined in law that a parent / guardian may home educate a child.

Under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, the NEWB is charged with ensuring that every child receives an education and as part of this remit it must ensure the registration of children who receive their education through home settings. This requirement exists in order to support parents in their right to home educate and to safeguard a child's right to a minimum education.

If you decide to educate your child outside of a recognised school, for example, in the home, you must register the child with the NEWB. The Board will then carry out an assessment of the education being provided. Contact the NEWB on 01 8738736 for further information.

It doesn't state a lower age but as a child does not have to be registered until they are due to turn 6, but check to be sure.

http://www.henireland.org/he_ireland.html

Is a useful site as well.

abi2007

Think its a really bad idea, school is the best days of your life and you meet so many people. you learn social skills. you could spend extra time teaching your child outside school hours but i really think school is the best place for them. is home schooling for you or is it for your child? I honestly think people who home school their kids are doing it for themselves.

BoozyBabe

Well reading this, I had similar questions to ask.

what are the reasons that people choose to homeschool?
How does a home school child learn its social skills etc?

I mean, I'm not being judgemental here, I just honestly know so little about the area, that I can't really see many benefits.
Granted, you can devote a lot more time to you own child than a teacher could do in a classroom setting, but on a whole, are they not missing out on more than they'd gain?

Nevyn

School was never the best years of my life I fricking hated it, between the bullying and the getting bored as I was not being stimulated enough and then being told I was disruptive and slow as I had dyslexia.

I dropped out and tuned out at an early age and ignored the teachers for the most part and taught myself from the texts.

School years are not the best and childhood is not the idyllic dream people seem to think it is.

Boozybabe Children learn thier social skills in a lot of places and it is wrong to assume that school is the be all for socail skills, there are several that will never be taught in school.

If the only socialisation children do is in school then they usually will not end up well rounded, children need other outlets like sports, clubs ect.

silverharp

if you think about school is a very unnuatural setting, 30kids all the same age and maybe same sex being taught together. 1000's of years of history would have had kids of various ages mixing together and learning from each other.

silja

At home, you can teach your children at their own pace, and weave their interests into all subjects. You can give more attention to your child in areas where they are struggling.

You avoid a lot of bad influences in school, such as bullying, drugs, peer preassure etc. And also teachers... some are great, but some have little interest or have been teaching the same subject the same way for 30 years.

Lastly, if you hold strong views on a subject, be that you are Pagan and do not want your child in a Christian school or you do not believe in evolution or whatever, a standard school once again may not be suitable.

Socialising with others can still happen in the park, at church, the sports club or other places.

BoozyBabe

Well yea, Thaedydal, that was one reason I could think of, why you'd chose homeschooling:- if you child had been bullied. It makes obvious sense, but my question was more geared towards those who choose homeschooling without ever giving traditional schooling a thought.

Silja has made a few good points towards the benefits of homeschooling & I agree with what's being said.

I also know there are other means of social interaction than school alone, but I remember posting several months ago about gaelscoil V regular school.
My issue was that the gaelscoil is about 15 mins drive from our home & community, whereas the school is just as few yards.
My point was that I felt my child would be treated as an outsider in their own community because they didn't attend the same school as everyone else in the neighbourhood, so wasn't as well known as all the rest of the kids.
The vast majority of replies agreed with my concerns & for that reason recommended I stick with the local school.

The same concerns would apply here. A child being homeschooled could possibly be seen as an outsider, as the children don't interact with them on a dail basis in the playground.
A lot of sports teams at that age also take place within schools, with most games being played through a schools league, again, a homeschooled child wouldn't be a part of this.

I'm not saying any of this is fact. I'm not disagreeing with anyone here.
These are basically just questions in my mind that I'm asking out loud.
If your preference is towards homeschooling, please do not take offence of anything I say.

Nevyn

The thing is Boozybabe I think it would be wrong to assume that as mainstream schooling did not work for me that is would not work for my children.
That would not be catering to their needs at all.

Most childrens sports are done through sports clubs and while they mayadvertise in schools that does not exclude homeschooled children from being brought to thier local under 7s gaa or soccer club.

iguana

I've read a number of articles in the UK about how home-schooled children are often better socialised than school children as they get to make friendships in a more relaxed environment. I can remember some days in school where my best friend might be absent and it was so lonely, I'm sure it's happened to most people. You might have other friends, but they aren't your "best" friend and you can be acutely aware of just not fitting in.

I honestly believe I would be a more relaxed and better adjusted person if I had been home-schooled. I know I would have learned more from my parents than I ever learned in school. I can't believe the amount of subjects that as an adult I find I'm fascinated by but as a teenager I absolutely detested. And even worse the subjects that I loved as a child but learned to loathe in school.

I'd really like to home-school my kids, if I have them. My plan would be to register them with a decent primary school as soon as I would need to and give my kids the option to try it out but let them stay learning at home if they prefer. Of course the one thing I do know is that plans change and without the realities of actually having children I can't really tell what I'll do.

BoozyBabe wrote:

My point was that I felt my child would be treated as an outsider in their own community because they didn't attend the same school as everyone else in the neighbourhood, so wasn't as well known as all the rest of the kids.
The vast majority of replies agreed with my concerns & for that reason recommended I stick with the local school.

There is a total difference to a kid in a different school as their neighbours to a kid who doesn't go to school at all. When I was a kid I pitied the kids who went to Gaelscoil, but if I'd ever met a kid who was home-schooled I'd probably have treated them like a celebrity.

barrett1965

Here's a link I found for you: http://guiltfreehomeschooling.blogspot.com/

If I had my time over with my kids I think I'd HS.

Sangre

iguana wrote:

When I was a kid I pitied the kids who went to Gaelscoil, but if I'd ever met a kid who was home-schooled I'd probably have treated them like a celebrity.

Maybe you would have but it would be quite naieve to think most other kids would as well.

Imo, most problems kids face in school can be dealt with my parents who are involved their children's education rather then just dropping them off everyday.

Spyral

what are the reasons that people choose to homeschool?
How does a home school child learn its social skills etc?

I dont mean to sound judgemental, im sure there are many other sound reasons but in my experince of it in both the uk and at home Religous indocrination seems to be the reason. I think that's wrong as a child has the right to choose a religion (un human rights) and forced prayer is no devotion

mountainyman

I remember just before my eldest started Junior Infants the Headmistress advised us to get them there 5 minutes early because 'they love their line' pronounced lee na (fada on the i).

Sums it up School Sucks all about getting you to stand in line.

MM