At the moment in the UK, there is, quite understandably, a lot of bad feeling about the proposed new legislation for licensing, monitoring and generally interfering in the lives of home educating families. There is also a huge amount of incensed outrage at home education being blamed for the cruel death of Kyra Ishaq in Birmingham a couple of years ago.
In my view it is important to make our voices of protest heard, as best as we can. However, it is also my personal belief that our biggest weapon is to simply SAY NO, on an individual basis, when some interfering busy-body wants to come into our homes and interview our children on their own. We DO NOT have to comply with their requests, orders, threats or whatever else they may throw at us.
In my opinion, one of the greatest weapons we have in our armoury is to shout the SUCCESS STORIES of our home educated children from the rooftops.
In the US, there have been long term studies conducted over 25 years, which show that home- educated (or home schooled) children score consistently better in national tests, at every level, than their counterparts in school; they go on to have successful careers in all fields; they contribute to their communities and are generally well-balanced, happy individuals.
In the UK, we get accused of abusing and neglecting our children, of not providing a suitable education (according to a recent Times Education Supplement, 45% of home educated children are ot receiving a suitable education) and are told that "high percentages"; of 16-19 year old home educated children are NEETS (Not in Education, Employment and Training) and as families we are harassed and threatened.
In other words, home education does not work, is the most dreadful thing imaginable for children and should therefore be immediately banned and all children returned to school.
This is the drivel that is fed to the media by the government and they are happy to fill their newspapers, radio and television slots with every bit of negative, dramatic rubbish they can find.
We have been home educating for 3 years now and we have met so many families with success stories in every imaginable area, from exam success, to going to College or University, to success in Drama, Music, Art, Writing, Science, Sport, to awards like Duke of Edinburgh and Arts Award and just about everything you can think of.
I have got so fed up with hearing all the negative about home education that I have decided to set up a new area on this site to record SUCCESS stories of home educated children.
You can find the SUCCESS Stories by clicking the link below.
http://goldstonacademyfortheinsane.com/success/
If you have a success story, I would love to hear it and be able to put in on the website. The only criteria is that is must be true. The definition of Success is simply a home-educated child accomplishing something they set out to do.
Home Education DOES work for the vast majority of families who undertake it. Instead of defending ourselves by attacking the attackers, lets follow the idea that the "Best form of REVENGE is MASSIVE SUCCESS", let’s tell the world about our SUCCESS stories.
With abundant blessings.
Amanda Goldston
Tags: children, home education by Amanda
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