From the moment a baby is born, we make choices on their behalf. Cloth or disposable, sling or buggy, co-sleeping or crib – never have we had so much power over someone else’s life experiences says Naomi Fisher. And whilst there’s a bewildering array of experts telling us which choices are the ‘right’ ones, the diversity of parenting styles I see around me suggests that any claim to have the definitive answer is likely to be suspect.
By the time it gets to education, a few short years later, the choices are far less diverse. School is seen as inevitable, with many not even realising that there are other ways to receive an education. Even when parents do choose, it tends to be between different types of schools all of which accept core assumptions such as the need for age-based classes and a standardised curriculum, whether it be based on the National Curriculum, Maria Montessori or Rudolf Steiner.
