Politics (just a bit) & Responsibility
I hope this will be the first in a series of posts on home education. It has been almost 1 year since we departed from mainstream schooling and, although William is still very young, in fact not yet even school age for some countries, we are experiencing life in a way that I could never have hoped for previously. We are living today. While we don't follow a curriculum or get het up about timetables, I do have a vision and think it might be useful, if only for myself, to set it out. Don't worry, it isn't just about how we go about "the three Rs"!
I hope this will be the first in a series of posts on home education. It has been almost 1 year since we departed from mainstream schooling and, although William is still very young, in fact not yet even school age for some countries, we are experiencing life in a way that I could never have hoped for previously. We are living today. While we don't follow a curriculum or get het up about timetables, I do have a vision and think it might be useful, if only for myself, to set it out. Don't worry, it isn't just about how we go about "the three Rs"!
I read and talk with others a lot about the politics of education, education theory, child development and just simply inspiring stories. It all contributes to a greater understanding of my own intrinsic motivation, by either supporting my world view, challenging it, or introducing lines of thought previously unconsidered. I reflect on my own experience of education, and the values I hold and want to impart to my children, and for William, I see his interests developing and wish to support those in a way that allows them to flourish without the constraints imposed by mainstream schooling.
Find the system that fits the child, rather than fit the child to the system,
especially if the system is not fit for purpose.
especially if the system is not fit for purpose.
 |
| Jodrell Bank 31/10/13 |
One of my aims is to encourage the ability to take responsibility for our own actions and ideas. In some ways, this follows on naturally from gentle parenting practices and an unschooling philosophy. It strikes me that it is often something that is lacking in politics, and is undermined by the very education system we have because of the heavy emphasis on external assessment, testing and evaluation. The very nature of this increasing micromanagement of children disempowers them of taking responsibility. Their scope for choice is so limited and their learning is so externally directed as to remove much of their autonomy. Furthermore, education is not about what is best for the child as an individual, rather it is about the schools and their results because they themselves are enslaved to central funding and inspection powers.
I'm not sure we have ever had a Golden Age in Education (policy) in Britain, but we certainly seem further from it than ever before. Politicians are very much a product of the system they now control, and perhaps this is part of the problem. They have been schooled in a way that discourages them from taking responsibility for their actions, stifles creativity and original thinking, and encourages blame and criticism without self-reflection. Perhaps that is rather uncharitable of me as I am not in government (yikes, nor would I wish to be). Most politicians probably don't enter politics purely because they are power-grabbing megalomaniacs. I say, most.
I listened to Sir Ken Robinson, Educationalist, (a Scouser, I might add!) interviewed on Desert Island Discs the other day. It was inspiring. Here is the link to his TED Talk on How schools kill creativity. Just under 20 minutes, really worth a listen - had me in stitches!
I listened to Sir Ken Robinson, Educationalist, (a Scouser, I might add!) interviewed on Desert Island Discs the other day. It was inspiring. Here is the link to his TED Talk on How schools kill creativity. Just under 20 minutes, really worth a listen - had me in stitches!
