Rediscovering the joy of learning through World-schooling
What’s been said?
A Shropshire Star story on 19 October 2019 about Telford mum, Lea Beven, and her 7-year old son Harrison, reports how they home educate by travelling to different countries. Lea states that she decided to start home educating after Harrison had been in school for a year: “I watched my son go from a lively character with 50 questions an hour, to a tired and angry child who was losing his spark.”
She relates how their travels to places like Pompeii, Amsterdam and Venice, as well as travelling around the UK is “allowing my son to be his true self, to explore the subjects he loves, and the world he wants to see.”
His learning through travel is supplemented by reading, maths, and other curriculum subjects which occur naturally alongside their experiences. The pair also get involved in community projects as volunteers, and enjoy fossil hunting and metal detecting, learning the history that goes along with any finds.
Lea observes from their school experience, “Our kids are taught to sit down and listen instead of get up and explore. If they have a hundred questions to ask, they will be lucky to get one answered, so eventually they can stop asking questions, because there is no point.”
Like most home educators, Lea tells about how often she is asked about socialisation, which, given their busy lives, and friendships within the home educating community is an unfounded concern. If anything, they sometimes find it necessary to take a break from social activities because they are “peopled out.”
The article ends with Lea’s final question – one which parents all over the UK find themselves asking:
“Why do they all have to learn the same? Why do they all have to sit down and listen?”
Why does it matter?
Many home educators have become wary of journalists as they have been known to edit news items to confirm their “angle” or bias, as evidenced in the Dispatches programme on Channel 4 which aired back in February. Fighting prejudice and bias towards home educators is an ongoing battle, often fuelled by the media propagation of ignorance and misconception. For that reason, we welcome articles like these which show the many positives of home education. It is in the interests of home education to encourage and share positive, or even simply objective, reporting which has potential to reach an audience outside of the home educating community.
What can I do?
Share positive stories like this one on your social media pages and in your groups, where appropriate.
If you are an experienced and confident home educator, you might want to consider being interviewed if approached by journalists who view home education favourably, and who would be willing to report on the many advantages and unique potential of home education. Note: It is very important that you negotiate any editorial decisions in advance.
Use social media to promote your own positive stories about home education.