There has never been a better time to home-educate our kids.
Around the country, there are a growing number of vibrant local support groups and friendship circles, that are fantastic in offering mutual support to home-ed families.
Many of them organise daytrips to local parks and activity centres, sharing experiences and their wide-ranging skills-sets with one another. Some of the most interesting and remarkable people I’ve met are those that have taken the plunge, and removed their children from mainstream state education, and embarked on a fantastic adventure with the most important people in their lives – their own children.
Such a commitment can be a daunting prospect, but we have to remember that we do not need to maintain the doctrine of a 9am to 3.30pm principle like at state school, wherein a vast amount of that time is actually wasted. We are not trying to copy schools with our home-schooling, but replacing it with something far better. Quality over quantity of time usage, forms the very ethos of good constructive home education.
Twenty minutes of engaging and mentally nourishing experience as a child, can be more beneficial than an entire day of being ushered from room to room, very often with other children that are apathetic sometimes to the point of being disruptive. Schools are today more concerned in satisfying the mile-long bureaucratic requirement of box-ticking and red-tape, than actually assisting parents in raising wholesome, intelligent and spirited young adults, ready for the world in front of them.
Bureaucracy
The situation has now become very convoluted in state schools, and their agenda toxified with “political correctness” or the “woke agenda”, as it is more commonly known as now. It has now reached the point where this unnatural agenda is directly affecting, and in some cases, damaging the mental health of the very children schools are supposed to be protecting and guiding.
Very recently I met a family who had removed their teenage son from school after he had been punished with detention, for accidently referring to a male teacher as “Sir”, after the individual had recently decided that they were now a “Miss”. Another child I know of was verbally chastised in front of her classmates for apparently not using the correct “pronoun” to describe another child.
Teaching our children tolerance, inclusivity and equality is of course of vital importance, but intimidating and forcing them to unquestioningly accept such lunacy thinly veiled as “progressiveness”, during such a vulnerable period of their early life, is entirely unacceptable.
Home-schooling allows us the opportunity to choose a fair and balanced path through so many issues and subjects, that very often we as adults can also use as an opportunity to learn alongside our children. Home-schooling groups and networks also provide a far more varied range of mixed age groups, which enrich their learning environment. Older kids play, learn, interact and teach the younger ones taking and learning responsibility, the younger look up to the older kids and seek to emulate them. Such natural, fluid and mutually respecting social groups of mixed ages are a joy to watch, and will often create such wonderful dynamics between them all.
The simple act of an older child teaching a child younger to achieve something so simple as tying their shoelaces for example, should be taught at every opportunity, and the feeling of self-worth it can provide cannot be given a price. This is how our ancestors taught and learnt, and to a large degree we need to rekindle that community-based style of learning. Remember also, that cramming rooms full of kids of only the same age inhibits critical thinking and the desire to question. It has been proven that it creates an unnatural psychological environment whereby the children feel uncomfortable in daring to question the authority of the teacher, or the information they are receiving.
The premise that same age only classes are designed to assist and facilitate the greatest number of kids per teacher, by setting a difficulty level in keeping with that age group, is not supported. All children are individuals, and they learn at differing paces and in different ways, and this remains with us all the way through childhood and into adulthood.
Authority over us
The truth is, cramming age-based groups together into boxes at school is all about forcing obedience and conformity, whilst squeezing rebelliousness and free-thinking out at the same time. It is based on a Victorian model that hasn’t changed much in 150 years, and has been instrumental in keeping our society filled with a largely obedient and placid population, who will rarely question the authority of the state.
The irony is of course, that some of the most brilliant and successful people throughout history, are those who were regarded as renegades or menaces by their mentors. Many of these driven individuals who challenged the system and the status quo in their subject, often rewrote a new book by tearing up the old one, usually in the face of great hostility and opposition. Such people are the best of us; they are our lifeblood and they are our oxygen.
The only way humankind will ever progress further from where we are now, and address many of the problems we have created for ourselves, is by supercharging brilliant young minds. We need to be providing every opportunity to talented young people with space, scope and all the resources they need to become everything they can be.
Our dream
HOPE Sussex, was born out of the desire to create a community hub for independent tutors, to teach kids as well as adults, using a natural and depoliticised approach.
This dream was made a reality by a small group of dedicated people that came together, firstly through their disillusionment with the government and it’s handling of the major global events of the last three years, as well as the treatment of our kids in state schools. One year later the seemingly impossible has been made a reality, and indeed HOPE is now flourishing!
Our range of independent tutors are gradually covering the entire spectrum of subjects, such as learning to grow our own vegetables, understanding how plants and herbs can be used for natural remedies, through to the core subjects of English, Maths and Science. Sport, drama, music and healthy cookery have also become very popular at HOPE, and are vital in developing self-confidence and independence. Needless to say this subject includes the dangers of the modern junk-food culture, which poses a substantial risk to our youth. Huge increases in cases of type 2 diabetes and childhood obesity, can be effectively headed off early with the right guidance and understanding.
Our facilities are constantly undergoing development, and as with all things, such work requires revenue. We have therefore recently opened our doors to host events for critically thinking people, to use our buildings to host music events, talks and seminars, bridge and games evenings and birthdays. We have a fully functioning dinning hub and kitchen and can cater for groups of people providing nutritious food and drinks, all very reasonably priced.
Last summer we held our first Freedom Festival, which was a resounding success, completely filling our attendee allocation. Everyone attending acted respectfully, were well mannered and had a fantastic time listening to a wide and varied range of live music, and DJ sets during the three-day event. As organisers we sourced local produce wherever possible, and encouraged those leaving the site for a walk to drop into the local store and café to support them also.
A Christmas Fayre to remember!
Friday 2nd December from 3pm till 7.30pm, we will be holding our Christmas Fayre, and we hope to attract plenty of people eager to get into the Christmas spirit and support us.
The nineties hit group, Right Said Fred, will be holding a book signing during the fayre for their new book ‘Still too Sexy’.
Karl Howman, best known for playing ‘Jacko’ in the hit sitcom, Brush Strokes, and Buster in Eastenders, will also be there to sign his new book ‘Secret Spitfires’ that beautifully complements the breath-taking documentary he directed.
Live music will be provided by the wonderful pianist and vocalist, Peter Trott, who performed to a packed marque during our festival.
Our local Hook butchers will once again be suppling our burgers with vegetarian options available. We will of course have carol singing, various stalls, mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, a raffle, and we’ll light our giant fire-pit to keep us all warm. It is all set to be a lovely event.
HOPE is generating a great deal of interest both locally, as well as from much further afield. The steady flow of pledges of support and words of encouragement we have been receiving have fortified us all, as we look forward to the new year ahead, and everything we will achieve!
Matt Single
HOPE Sussex
www.hopesussex.co.uk
support@hopesussex.co.uk
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