International Day of Education 2023

Today is Education Day
So I thought that I would tell you
A little about our home educating life

Home education had never been the plan for us
I was a passionate primary school teacher
And my dream was to live in a small village
With a little village school
Just like the ones I trained in
Around Cumbria and The Lake District
I wanted to be English Lead
Responsible for school productions
A drama club
And the library

My dream was that our children
Would attend the school
Pass their 11+
And head off to grammar school

But life had other plans for us
Esther and William were born
At just 27 weeks gestation
When they started at school
They were just too young
And too small
Though they were ahead academically
They were not ready in any other way
To be at school
We deferred their entry for a year
And we tried again
But for many reasons
It just was not right for the twins
Or for me
We all left the school together
In 2016

Apart from a short spell in preschool
For Bea
We have been a home educating family
Ever since
6 years and counting

Home educating four children is not easy
They have a HUGE range of interests
Abilities and needs
I always feel like I am failing someone
But I know that really I am not
The children are all thriving
They are intelligent and curious
They are creative
They are passionate about their interests
They enjoy the company of children
Of all ages and of adults
They are good conversationalists
They have good manners and all have
A great often a quirky sense of humour
They are also becoming very self aware
As they grow older
I am very very proud of them

I plan extensively for our home education
As I used to do for my teaching
I timetable our terms, weeks and days
And the plans change all the time
To fit with what is happening each day
I have learned to adapt our days
As they pass to fit with what the children need
An intervention for maths
Some revision time for Spanish
Bit of BBC Bitesize to reinforce grammar
A documentary about a certain animal
Linked to a book they are reading

This morning at breakfast
Edie asked why we need to drink water
So we had a chat about it
And then looked together at a website
About why humans and plants need water
What hydration is and what
Rehydration and dehydration mean
We learned which fruits and vegetables
Contain most water
And when we might need to drink more water

Our days start at 7am
Though Esther and I have decided today
That is not working for us
We are not natural morning people
At 7am William works with Daddy
Through the week they cover
Maths, Physics and Computer Science
All at GCSE level
I do maths with the girls
Though from now on that will
Mostly be Bea
Who is an early riser
With Edie and Esther doing their maths
Later in the day
At 8ish we have breakfast
9.00am we do English
(Or Spanish with an online tutor)
Focusing on phonics and spelling
Grammar and punctuation
We then do science
History, RE or Geography
This often is part of a project
A topic
Or it might be a skills lesson

Topics and projects are often guided
By world events and awareness days
By religious and cultural celebrations
And by the children’s interests
We sometimes plan around a specific day out
Or holiday
So last year when we spent a week in Cornwall
We learned about the legends of King Arthur

We also try to loosely follow
The National Curriculum

We try to build creative writing into our days
And an art activity
We read a lot together
And watch television linked to our learning
The resources that we use the most are
Twinkl
CGP Books
Classroom Resources
Literacy Shed
CLPE
Authorfy
Teaching notes from publishers and authors
The Chatty Zebra
Theatre of Science
Mr Humanatees and
E Learn With Amy
The walls of our house are lined with books
And one of my greatest achievements
I believe
Is that my children all adore books
And love to read
We are in theory a structured home ed family
But in reality all our best laid plans
Often give way to tangents and spontaneous ideas
We also try to slow down and rest when it is clear
That at least one of us, including me
Needs to do so
And it is becoming clear to me as the children grow
That much of the magic happens in these quiet moments

This is when they write stories
Design clothes
Compose songs
Create junk models
Make spreadsheets and databases
Code computer games
Build small worlds and
Lose themselves in imaginative play
We also love to be outside
And try to get out and about as much as we can
The children all attend classes outside of the home
Drama, dance and singing
They also attend forest school
Our lives are very busy
As a home educating mummy
I am always with my children
Or sat in the car waiting for them
While they are at a class
I have very little time to do anything for me
Most of the time I am okay with that
But I do worry
I worry that the children see ALL sides of me
They see me when I am sad and frustrated and cross
I am always with them
I do not go out to work
I cannot go out for a walk or a run
It is very hard for me to see friends
Unless the children come to
I hope that in the future they will look back
And understand why they have grown up
Seeing all of me
I feel a HUGE responsibility
To get every decision about their education right
I worry about everything
That they do not have enough opportunities
That not all their needs are being met
That they are not being challenged enough
That they have too much screen time
Not enough outside time
I spend my nights researching and planning
Finding and preparing resources
Educating myself so I am best equipped
To help them
I do not know what the future holds
I hope William might consider going to sixth form
I think Esther might head for art or animal college
Bea is keen to go to secondary school
And I think that is the right decision for her
But I want her to go to a good school
With good pastoral care and a strong
Performing arts department
Edie will most likely follow a similar path to Bea
Secondary school in Kent frightens me
For an intelligent talented girl who I think
Will not pass her 11 plus
I worry a lot about Bea and Edie
Esther and William have always had each other
I think that home ed life is different for Bea and Edie
As they do not have the bond that the twins share
I think time will tell us all what the best answer is
For our littlest learners
As for me
When the children fly the nest
Will I return to education?
I am not sure that I will ever return to the classroom
I love the idea of opening a bookshop
Or becoming a school librarian
I cannot imagine my life now
Without children and books

Even on our hardest home ed days
I would not change them
I know that as things stand in England
Our children are much better off at home
Than they would be in any school
I just need to believe that more myself
Believe in me more
And cut us all some slack
To enjoy our time together
As nothing ever lasts forever
Something we as a family know all too well

Education is vital
But it is about so much more
Than schools provide
I am proud to be a home educator
And I hope that my children will
Always feel proud to be and have been
Educated at home