I was a primary school teacher for over ten years.  I didn’t start with any grand illusions about it, but did think I could make a difference, play a part in changing schools for the better, and found that challenge exciting to begin with.  But I have reached the end of my patience… There would need to be a complete *revolution* in the whole education system for me to even consider sending my own children to school.

One analogy I’ve mulled over recently is that ordinary schools are like battery chicken farms.  Making positive changes only amounts to achieving something like those barns that are still crammed almost as full of chickens, with a few bales of hay and toys to peck at….. ie not that different!  I want my chicks to be free range… no, more than that; I want them just to happy living in the wild, doing their own thing…  Busy living, busy learning.

My little one is still very little, so early days for us.  I have been inspired by:

Life Without School by Veronika Robinson & family
The Unschooling Unmanual - a great read even if you want to ‘home educate’ rather than ‘unschool’, I think
anything by John Holt.  I’ve just finished ‘Learning All The Time’ which is very practical, including lota about reading, writing & maths

Hope this helps!

I would love to home ed our children..  I have doubts as to whether I would be a good enough mama to HE and whether I would meet their educational needs but I’ve come to realise that actually this is more reflective of my own self confidence (or lack of!) rather than anything else.

Sunflower, I just reread your first line.  You will be fine, fabulous!  Lots of people have said to me “Oh it’s all right for you to HE because you’re a teacher so you know what to teach them…”  I think this is rubbish.  Yes I’ve spent many years thinking about learning, but really the only advantage I might have over any other parent is that I know what the school system is like from the inside… and in my own humble opinion, what a lucky escape my children will have not going into it.