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A title of 'Do's and Don'ts' and then a Gif of 'Don't Tell Me What To Do'. Confusing, right? Well I thought I'd give everyone the choice. For this blog post I'm basically making a list of home ed Do's and Don'ts based on what our personal experience has been so far. You don't have to follow it at all, or even see it as a guide, I'm just sharing. So here goes.... Do spend time researching. There's so many ways to home educate that it can get a little overwhelming especially when there's so many forums and blogs saying what is the best or better way. The truth is, that's rubbish. The only way is YOUR way, the way that suits you all as a family and what makes your child happy. But researching about the different ways to home ed is helpful and very insightful. Remember that you don't have to follow exactly one way, you can pick and choose and change as you go, which is the great thing about home ed. Do know the law. Find out what the home ed laws are for your country in the UK. For example, Wales have just had a law passed making it mandatory for all home edders to be on a register so that the Local Authority can account for your child. Also find out about YOUR RIGHTS. "In school or Otherwise" are the favourite keywords of any home ed family. It is your legal right to home ed in the UK, you aren't doing anything wrong. *See my previous blogs posts about the current Bill trying to be passed for home ed families*. Do socialise with others. Or at least try! It's not easy starting out especially if you have no support from family and friends in which case home ed groups can be a life saver. If you live remotely or can't get to a home ed meet up group (or just don't want to) then go online and join a virtual group (if you and kids want to). It really can be helpful and you get alot of advice and ideas too. Do be patient. If you haven't always started off with home ed the transition can be a tricky one for both child and parent. You have this ideal vision of what it will be like, and to an extent it very well might be, but there will be days you question if you have made the right decision. We all go through it. Look up "De-Schooling" for more info. But most of all be flexible (check out my previous blog post called 'Flexing')
Do have faith in yourself. For people who have taken their child/ren out of school it can feel daunting but remember that you taught your child/ren everything they needed to know before they went to school so there's no reason you can't go back to doing so. You don't need to be qualified to teach your child/ren. For those who don't want to send your children to school at age 4 or younger for nursery, then the same applies. Parental teaching doesn't have to stop at age 4. Now for Don'ts.... Don't rush to the shops. As tempting as it is to get down to the nearest B&M and The Works stores (those are my favourites) and buy the whole education and stationery isles, just hold fire! I spent loads of money on curriculum books, science kits, craft items, educational board games and reading books. What an immediate waste of money that was! Ok, so some things we did use right away but there's alot online that you can resource that is free and if you go to you tube for science experiment tutorials you find you can often buy things for science experiments cheaper than buying it as a kit. Use libraries, free museums, free online curriculum resources, play parks and forests. Then as your child/ren develope you'll know exactly what they need and won't waste money. Don't listen to others. Lots of home edders get support from their friends and families and lots don't. We were lucky enough to have no negative feed back but even if we hadn't have had support we would have done it anyway. Only you alone know what is best for your child/ren so your opinion is the only one that matters. Don't be disappointed. Expecting too much will ultimately make you feel like a failure. I have a saying which goes, "expect nothing and you won't be disappointed". Take your time, all children learn at different paces. I still have to remind myself of this and I've been home edding for 2 and a half years now. Don't be scared. Trying new things can be scary but also can be exciting and can really pay off. If you're taking your child/ren out of school or choosing to home ed from the begining this applies to you all. If we don't try things how will we know if we're any good at it or like it? Try everything you can within reason and if you have the funds. Even styles of learning, try them all and see what fits best. Teaching your children and watching them grow is beautiful but it can also bring out a need to learn new things yourself. You might be able to attend courses at college or do an Open University or distance course. I like to go to the university of You Tube and watch tutorials. I'm quite a creative person and feel that online tutorials give me everything I need to cover my interests. If you're lucky enough to know someone who can teach you something then jump at the chance. Maybe you have a friend who knows yoga or who can speak another language. If you do and they are happy to give some private lessons you are very lucky. Take all opportunities going.
Don't argue. As hard as it can be to keep shtum at times, don't get into arguments with other people about your home ed life choice. It will only give others ammunition to say you are incapable or not good enough to be an educator (not that their opinion counts for anything but it's not nice to hear). These people are ignorant and this doesn't just apply to people you may know or strangers in the supermarket (yes they do ask and do make rude comments), it also stretches to local authority, GP's, hospital staff and teachers. Many don't realise home ed is perfectly legal or that you don't have to teach curriculum and that you don't have to be at home all the time learning at the table. Have a short paragraph or two memorised about your choice to home ed. It's up to you what you say but some people need to be educated about it and some need to be shut down. I usually find a sarcastic reply works best on nasty comments. Facts, for those genuinely interested. A list of planned activites and progress reports, for authorities, and a philosphical choice explanation or SEND reasons for the medical professionals. So be calm, be smart, and be in control of the conversation. And that about covers it. I hope this has been helpful or useful for you all. Bye for now.