Oh dear, a theme is emerging. I just can't be bothered to find a more descriptive title for recent blog posts, what with the welter of rubbish that heads our way.
Apparently, five out of 37 home educated children in the Merton area are not receiving a satisfactory education.
Hmm. And what criteria are they using precisely? Well, first off, we hear, courtesy of a council spokeswoman, that home education is checked by a "qualified school inspector".
Merton councillors, you really do need your heads seeing to. You wouldn't ask an unqualified lay person to provide testimony on the efficacy of a brain surgeon. Why on earth should home educators be inspected by someone who is not only not trained in the subject, but is trained in another entirely different subject but who appears to think the second is the same as the first?
Really, "duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh" is the only sensible reaction at this point, though I could throw in that I really, really don't want anyone that thick coming anywhere near my family.
Merton confirm their error by talking about the need for a "curriculum". Oh just bog off. Sorry, have lost all patience.
Ok, in calmer mood, here it is - our curriculum that is: the children in our family follow their interests. We, the parents, help them pursue these. We offer our best theories which the children are free to critique and reject if they see fit. We seek common preferences and the children learn without coercion. Unsurprisingly, for those who have seen this process all the way through, this works to create responsible adults.
There, that's our "curriculum". Don't suppose that is good enough for Merton though.
2 comments:
Well as someone has just said on Facebook, we need to document these things in the public domain and challenge them to the nth degree. Can you send this to Matt.
My educational philosophy is:
I'm available full time to help my son answer his questions.
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