Education comes in all shapes and forms

As are most home educators, I’m a member of many HE facebook pages. I think I’d certainly struggle without this membership as I have learnt virtually everything I know from these wonderful virtual social groups. Some are more than virtual. I am a member of a local group where activities and meet ups are arranged. Without these I would have not have made the many friends that I have in the world of HE. Neither would my children have.

It was while reading through some posts today on one of my many groups, that there was a conversation about how worrying it is when your child “doesn’t want to learn”. I know that feeling. C will often state “but I don’t like learning” on a regular basis and each time it makes my heart sink a little. I am the complete opposite. I love learning. I didn’t love school (really didn’t like my primary years but tolerated my secondary schooling) but I did like finding out new things. I was an avid writer in my teens and early 20s. After I left school I went to college (back then not everyone moved on to something else, it was perfectly acceptable to be in a full time job at 16). While in my first full time job I began a writing course. However, when I fell pregnant with N I put this to one side with the intention to continue at a later date, but I never did.

When N was a few months old, I started an art course which I loved! I reignited my love of painting and drawing which I’d had at school but lost enthusiasm for when I only gained a D grade in my GCSE. When N was 18 months old (and I was 27) I went to university for the first time in my life, to do a foundation degree in early years education. I absolutely adored being a student again and although it was tough juggling a job, a toddler and uni (and later in the course being pregnant and having a new baby as well!) I did relish my uni days. After I finished my foundation degree, I had a few months break and then continued my study with the open university topping it up to gain a BSc(hons) Open Degree in childhood and health studies. It was all this research that led me to question the state schooling system.

After my degree, my studies went by the wayside for some time while I concentrated on being a mum (and my part time job). However, when N and C were 6 and 8 I found out I was pregnant with F and I decided that this time i was going to do it my way.

Back to my point (I do have a habit of drifting off at times so please forgive me!) C will often tell me he “doesn’t like learning” and so the thread I was reading on facebook this morning was good to read. I need to step back a little when he says that. My initial instinct is to panic. However, this is exactly why I deregistered him. He was never the child who loved “lessons”. School was just a place where he had to go. He liked his friends and his best part of the day was playtime, but over the 7 years he was there, he never once said “guess what we did today?” with any information about something he enjoyed. Instead, you’d ask him how his day went and he’d shrug and say “it was ok”. You’d ask him what did he do? “not much. I can’t really remember”. This always made me feel a little sad.

At home he enjoyed writing stories and drew endless pictures. He’d build with lego and “act out” a scene with his action figures or while dressed up in a costume of some sort.

And now he’s not in school he still says “I don’t like learning”… but when he says that he only thinks of the English and Maths that I set him to do. The things he does enjoy (which I don’t let on is learning too!) is how to build a game on his PC, how to fix problems that go wrong on his laptop by googling or looking up on you tube. He goes to a drama class through his own choice and he is once again acting out scenes with his peers with the dream of one day being on the big screen. He’s also looking forward to his first show which will be in a big local theatre with a big audience.

He loves going on big walking expeditions and we have plans to do overnight trips while exploring new places. He goes to sea cadets which I know he would never have joined if he had been at school still. He adores going there and has just signed up to do his first weekend camp. Something that is a big thing for him as even sleepovers with friends often reduced him to tears a year or so ago. He’s learning how to be a sailor and hopes to learn power boating and life saving.

My little boy is growing up so quickly and the 11yr old who I withdrew from school less than 2 yrs ago is already turning into an independent man, making his own decisions and instigating his own adventures. If that’s not learning, I don’t know what is!!