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HEM SUPPORT NEWS - December 2004
DECEMBER'S HIGHLIGHTED HOMESCHOOL GROUP - Education Otherwise
COMMUNITY SERVICE - H.E.A.R.T.S.
ISSUES TO WATCH
WEB UPDATES
HEM RESOURCES AND MORE
December's HIGHLIGHTED HOMESCHOOL GROUP
Education Otherwise
Education Otherwise is a membership organisation that is comprised of over three thousand families, individuals and groups who reside throughout the United Kingdom and abroad. The group was begun in 1977 by a small group of parents and has evolved into a self-help organisation that offers support and advise to families who are presently or considering home-based education. Committed volunteers complete the work and keep the group going. They take their name from the Education Act, which states that parents are responsible for their children's education, "either by regular attendance at school or otherwise."
It was my pleasure to interview Jacqui Houlding of Education Otherwise this month.
Mary: Jacqui, thank you for talking with us about "Education Otherwise". Your group has grown a great deal since 1977. Has home education in the United Kingdom remained the same since then 1977? If not, what changes have you seen.
Jacqui: Home education hasn't changed, but recognition of it by others as a viable, legal and (in many cases) a far superior option has changed. As the number of home educating families grows and our children achieve success in their lives, various organisations are helping by providing discounts and offers to HE families which match those offered to schools. This is certainly a change from what was experienced by the home educators during the early years of Education Otherwise.
Mary: I see that the law in England for Home Education is taken from section 36 of the Education Act of 1944.
Jacqui: The law in England for Home Education is taken from section 36 of the Education Act 1944:
"The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable:
(a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and
(b) to any special education needs he may have, either by regular attendance a school or otherwise[emphasis added]
This wording was carried unchanged into section 7 of the Education Act 1996"
Mary: Is The Education Act as unrestrictive as it appears?
Jacqui: Yes it should be. The LEAs have a right to make informal enquiries if it appears to them that an education is not taking place but they do not have a right to interfere in the education offered or to dictate how the education is delivered.
Mary: Your group serves England, Wales, Scotland, Channel Islands and N. Ireland. The Home Education laws for each are listed at your site and all appear similar to those of England, are they? Is the attitude of the government and general public the same toward Home Educators in each country?
Jacqui: Apart from Jersey in the Channel Islands, the laws are broadly the same. In Scotland parents have to seek permission for their children to be home educated if they have started in the school
system, but that permission must not be with-held unreasonably. Jersey's laws are much more restrictive dictating what must be taught and insisting on testing of the children. The attitudes of the general public are, most of the time, a feeling that home educators are either completely mad for wanting to be with their children all day long or that we must be some sort of superhuman being.
Governmental attitudes, as represented by the Local Education Authorities, vary. Some LEAs are very helpful and understanding whilst others obviously feel threatened by parents taking on the education role
of their children. Some will offer resources and guidance to home educators whilst others do not understand that one style of learning does not suit all children. In our schools, more and more often the aims of the teachers is to teach a child to an examination. Many of the LEA officials come from school and teaching backgrounds and cannot understand the more autonomous, child led education styles where examinations are not the ultimate goal, but a well rounded, well educated and curious young person with an ability to learn for themselves when they want and need to is at least as important as paper qualifications, if not more important.
There is also a blurring of the lines occurring between the education of our children and the welfare of our children. At the present time these two issues are separate (although laws are going through parliament
which will tend to join the two issues) but LEA officials are overstepping their legal boundaries by demanding access to our children and referring families to social service departments unnecessarily. For example, when an LEA is informed that a child is attending this sports club, this theatre group, this art class and that circus skills group or St John's Ambulance group, then it is unnecessary that an LEA official be allowed to visit the home and say that the child is healthy!
Mary: In the United States, home education laws vary from state to state. We remain vigilant in each state to protect and prevent home-education from coming under federal mandates as is happening to public schools in America. To do this we monitor educational issues such as No Child Left Behind, Student Tracking Data Bases, Truancy and as of late, the monitoring of children's mental health. Do you have similar issues you are facing in England? If so, how are you addressing them?
Jacqui: Yes we do have similar issues. Government is increasingly reacting to small problems by trying to create big laws. These laws will impinge greatly on the freedoms of home educating families. Your
mention of truancy is one example. Home educated children are not truants but this information is not clearly expressed to our police forces when they assist education welfare departments on truancy sweeps.
Education Otherwise has a group of people who regularly meet with the DfES (Department for Education and Skills) to discuss issues which are going through parliament and which would relate home education. EO also liaises with other home education organisations in Britain as far as possible to ensure that all groups of home educators are aware of what is going on and we can all approach the DfES in our own ways.
There is a campaign organisation called ARCH (Action for the Right of Children in Education) which works to bring pressure on government to protect the rights of all children, including home education.
We also operate email lists which are open to non-EO members (as do others) where we spread the word about home education to new families. By increasing the numbers of home educating families, and the knowledge of home education as an educational option, it will not be something that can be 'swept under the carpet' by the government and ultimately lost to those children who thrive on it.
Mary: What do you feel is the most valuable information you share with new folks? With veterans?
Jacqui: I think the most important thing is to pass on this option. I have met with several families who have talked about home education as a result of serious problems their child(ren) are experiencing in schools. These problems can be anything from school phobia, learning difficulties, boredom and bullying...sometimes the bullying is having such a severe effect on the child that they may be self-harming or can be suicidal.
Sometimes just having the knowledge that they do not have to attend school gives them the courage to continue...if that is what they want. But other times, it is a life saver. The child can learn in what they
feel is a safe environment and they can learn at a pace that suits them. They can learn the things that interest them at the time they are interested rather than when a school curriculum says they must. They can learn things that they will never learn in school, either because of lack of time, or lack of resources, or because it doesn't fit in with the national curriculum.
Here in Britain, as in the US, we still get asked about 'socialisation'. Most of us as home educators feel that our children are more socialised than most of their school counterparts. They are able to speak with people from all walks of life and of all ages. They can relate to other children, younger and older. They are not forced to
sit in a classroom with 30 others who just happen to be there because they are the same age...but maybe have very different interests. Our home educated children learn OF bullying and intolerance, they do not become victims of it and neither do they practice it.
I think also that The things new families want to hear is a success story. Whilst it is a growing movement over here, it is still not widespread enough that it is known by everyone. Many new parents are concerned that their child may miss out on something that is offered by a school. The local groups, both affiliated to Education Otherwise and independent groups, go a long way to reassuring them that they will
not be isolated; that there are others in a similar situation now and that the path has already been trodden by many people.
As with all institutions, school is right for some of the people some of the time, but it is never right for all of the people all of the time.
I think The things that is also reassuring for many people is that EO has been around a long time and has not just arisen overnight and that in those years, at least one of our volunteers will have a similar experience and is willing to help where needed. Iris Harrison, The founding members of Education Otherwise over 25 years ago, is still working as a volunteer for EO on an almost full time basis running the telephone Helpline. Without volunteers like her and everyone who has worked for EO since, we would have a lot more unhappy children in this country now.
Mary: Jacqui, thank you so much for sharing your time with us. Your group is a wonderful example of how support groups and volunteers have the opportunity to serve our community and to empower others to
"educate otherwise"! To learn more about EO- visit their webpage at: http://www.education-otherwise.org/index.htm
ISSUES TO WATCH
The Akron Beacon Journal "series", "Homeschooling, Whose business is it?" By Doug Oplinger and Dennis Willard ran from November 14, 2004 through November 20, 2004 in the Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio.
If you have not read it, you can do so by visiting HEM-Networking and clicking files at the left and choose the Akron Beacon Journal Folder, but it is lengthy and erroneous, so be prepared before you read it. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Networking/
Any news that a child or other human being has been abused is heartbreaking and the tragedies highlighted within this "series" are no exception. Certainly, in all of society there are criminals who break manmade, ethical and moral laws. My charges against this series do not defend anyone who would harm another. That is a societal problem that affects us all. Criminals should not be allowed to continue their heinous acts. However, those situations are the minority and I am not pleased with the tone, the innuendos, and the broad brush the ABJ used to paint homeschoolers. Since they chose to spend as much time as they did to focus on families' tragedies and inadequacies, let's take the high road and look to what we can do to help and not cause more harm. Certainly we are a minority to begin with. In addition to that, the percentage of homeschoolers who are racist, abusive and that belong to a national partisan homeschool lobby group are also a minute minority within the home education community.
I don't know why the Akron Beacon Journal used their paper's enormous amount of space to portray us as they did, but instead of pondering that fact, I'd rather focus on what we can do to protect ourselves and home education freedoms.
If you are not aware of your rights as a home-educator, now is a good time to learn them. Home Education Magazine has a listing of homeschool laws and regulations at: http://www.homeedmag.com/lawregs/lawregs.html Also at the HEM Homeschool Information Library you can learn more about protecting our freedoms within the Foundations of Freedom Archives: http://homeedmag.com/INF/free_index.html and you can read a sampling of articles posted at the new HEM-Magazine Yahoo group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Magazine/?yguid=195336795
If you are already aware of your rights and responsibilities as a homeschooler, share that knowledge with another who would like to learn.
Although the media's words sting, it is the legislators' pens we must watch. If you aren't aware of how to monitor your state's legislators and legislation, this is a good time to learn. If you are not aware of where your state legislature is on the web, you can visit this Library of Congress Internet page for state and local government listings: http://www.loc.gov/global/state/stategov.html
We can also follow our legislators on the Federal Level at the Federal Registrar. The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
We can read more about Federal laws at the Thomas Legislative Site. Here you can search for bill summary and status, bill texts, roll-call votes, committee reports, house and senate committees and more.
http://thomas.loc.gov/
As we follow and understand the issues, we can let our legislators know we are aware and care about the
issues. We can let our legislators know why we value homeschooling.
When we know our rights and let others know that we know them, we help to educate others and dispel
distorted information that others choose to report.
It took courage to home educate in the early days when there were just a few who chose to do so. This one week "series" can serve as a very small reminder of what early homeschoolers were willing to go through so that we can homeschool so freely now. We must not rely on others to protect our freedom. This is our responsibility and opportunity to stand together to protect the right to home educate freely.
Community Service
If your group is looking for a community service project to participate in visit:
http://www.h-e-a-r-t-s.org
If your group has found a rewarding community service project that you'd like to share here, please email them to me Support Groups Email and I'll post it here as inspiration for others!
WEB UPDATES AND RESOURCES
The Military Homeschooler -- 15 Nov 04
Read the articles, with linked references, at:
http://www.militaryhomeschoolers.com/
NHELD added a new article to their site: http://www.nheld.com/articles.htm
Free web book, Time for Bedlam by Debbie Harbeson about the lighter side of homeschooling can be viewed at: http://www.timeforbedlam.com
Homeschoolers' Free Media is a new grassroots organization made up of a growing team of homeschooling families. They are developing internet radio programming and a website dedicated to providing a place for liberal and progressive homeschooled kids and families to sound off and speak out. They will have interviews, news, and always a little humor. http://homeschoolersfreemedia.org
HEM RESOURCES and MORE
*** NEW *** HEM-Magazine Yahoo Group
This list has been designed primarily as a sampler of the printed Home Education Magazine (HEM), a place to share articles, columns, resources, letters, essays, editorials, excerpts, quotes and other features from current and past issues of Home Education Magazine, and occasionally from our free online newsletters. With over 20 years of issues to select from, we'll be presenting a broad-ranging collection of outstanding writings and resources on homeschooling!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEM-Magazine/?yguid=195336795
HEM's News and Commentary
http://www.homeedmag.com/whts_nw.html
HEM's Online Newsletter
http://www.homeedmag.com/wlcm_hemnewsltr.html
Be sure to bookmark Home Education Magazine's Support Group page, which can be accessed at:
http://www.homeedmag.com/wlcm_groups.html
If you need your listing updated or your group would like to be added, email me at Support Groups Email and it will be added in a timely manner.
Talk to you next year! Happy Holidays!
Mary Nix
HEM's Support Group Liaison
Support Groups Email
http://www.homeedmag.com/wlcm_groups.html
This service is available free. Read the newsletter at:
http://www.homeedmag.com/groups/2004/current.html
Subscribe to HEM's Support Group Newsletter here.
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