Home Schooling - Education For Live

November 24, 2021

More children being home-schooled as parents worry about Covid-19

More children are staying away from the classroom and being home-schooled after the pandemic (PA) (PA Wire)

The number of children being home schooled in England has risen amid parents’ concerns over Covid-19, a survey suggests.

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) estimated 115,542 children and young people were being home educated at some point during the 2020/21 academic year, up 34{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} from the previous year.

The ADCS said the most common reason parents decided to home-school children was due to concerns over Covid-19.

It added that local authorities said they had been notified by parents who were pulling children out of school because they had become concerned over their emotional health, anxiety and mental health needs.

A child during a Year 5 class at a primary school in Yorkshire (Danny Lawson/PA) (PA Archive)

In a snapshot comparison, the ADCS also looked at the number of children being home-schooled on school census day on October 7 this year. It concluded an estimated 81,196 children were being home-schooled across all 152 local authorities in England – a rise of seven per cent from the same school census day the year before.

The report published by the ADCS said the number of children being electively home educated has been growing 20{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} each year for the past five years.

A total of 117 local authorities told ADCS they provided support to families with children being home educated using video calls, phone calls and meetings. The authorities said there was a “huge loophole in elective home schooling’s national policy, which makes the existing policy unsafe”.

In a comment made in the report, it was said: “There needs to be a statutory duty implemented to ensure our children who are home educated are learning, have regular home visits (that are statutory, not parental option) so the child is seen and to observe the work taking place.”

Gail Tolley, chair of the ADCS’s educational achievement policy committee, said: “Every child has the right to a suitable education, and we recognise that parents have the right to educate their child at home.

“For six years now, we have seen year-on-year increases in the number of children being educated at home. This report highlights just how much of an impact the pandemic and the closure of some schools has had on this number.

ADCS is concerned that without powers to see both the child and their place of learning, we cannot know that these children are receiving a suitable education in a safe and appropriate learning environment

Gail Tolley, ADCS

“Local authorities have a duty to ensure that children being educated at home are safe and receiving a good education, yet we do not have a role in assurance of this, nor is there adequate guidance on what a suitable education looks like.

“ADCS is concerned that without powers to see both the child and their place of learning, we cannot know that these children are receiving a suitable education in a safe and appropriate learning environment.”

She said ADCS is calling on the Government to establish a mandatory register of all electively home-educated children, with a duty on the local authority to visit the child to assess their education provided.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “We support parents who want to educate their children at home. However, now more than ever, it is absolutely vital that any decision to home educate is made with the child’s best interests at the forefront of parents’ minds.

“We have provided guidance for councils and parents to help them in situations where home education is being considered, and remain committed to a registration system for children not in school, which will help councils with their existing duty to make sure all children receive a suitable education.

“Further details on the register will be set out in our upcoming consultation response.”

Although most parents and carers provide a good home education, the LGA is concerned that the pandemic has led to increasing numbers of children receiving education outside the classroom and missing out on the benefits that a school environment brings

Anntoinette Bramble, Local Government Association

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “The Government must find out the reasons behind so many more families choosing home education.

“The concern is that many appear to have chosen home education because they have lost faith in the Government’s approach to school safety during the pandemic.”

He added there was a “clear safeguarding concern”. This was because there was no legal obligation for a parent to provide any notification to a school about the withdrawal of a child to be home educated.

He said: “It could lead to a child at risk being missed, with neither school nor local authority knowing for certain what has happened to them. Without an officially maintained register, there remains the risk of children becoming lost outside system.”

Councillor Anntoinette Bramble, chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said local authorities need to be given more powers to enter homes to ensure children are receiving a suitable education.

She said: “Although most parents and carers provide a good home education, the LGA is concerned that the pandemic has led to increasing numbers of children receiving education outside the classroom and missing out on the benefits that a school environment brings, such as safeguarding and learning and socialising with other children.”

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November 23, 2021January 9, 2022

Homeschooling mothers are ‘extremists’ now

As lawmakers, technology companies, and media outlets try to come up with more restraints on “extremists,” it’s important to keep an eye on whom they include under that label, Pay Per Touch.

You might think, when a journalist, tech mogul, or politician says “extremist” speech needs to be reined in or we need more federal surveillance of extremists, that they are talking about neo-Nazis or coup-plotters. We know, though, that “extremist” has long been expanded to include anyone with fringe beliefs, such as polygamists or RFK-style anti-vaxxers. Also, “anti-vaxxer” has been expanded beyond its old meaning, which involved rejection of all vaccines, to now include anyone who doesn’t want the COVID vaccines.

The trend here is to gradually stretch the definition of “extremist.” This combines with the trend of demanding new government and corporate efforts against “extremism.” The ugly result is a massive push to crack down on a huge portion of the country that rejects the cultural demands of the elites.

It’s an ever-widening culture war purge.

The Sacramento Bee has just published
a great exhibit in this “Great Excommunication
.” It’s a 4,000-word, sprawling piece warning that “women in extremist circles often use their leadership to uphold white male culture.”

You see, typically, a reporter for a major newspaper uses a shortcut to show you that some group is bad — they point out that the person is a white male, or the group is dominated by white males. That shortcut isn’t available when the groups the newspaper wants to villainize are run by women. To build a greater permission structure for hating women with bad politics while still preserving the ability to use identity politics to protect one’s own belief from criticism, the Sacramento Bee ran this opus.

That’s the strategic purpose. Here’s the tactic, which is also tried and true: Blend together extremism, fringiness, or slightly odd beliefs with perfectly normal people you just happen to dislike because they are of another cultural tribe.

Mark Hemingway pointed out the core paragraph of this piece:

“The women in extremist coalitions call themselves ‘mama bears.’ They organize homeschooling pods and plan public protests against mask requirements and COVID-19 shots for students. They show up en masse to statehouses, school board meetings and city halls”

THE HORROR https://t.co/s1hVlqyy96

— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) November 22, 2021

Got that? This piece profiles women who object to vaccine mandates, homeschool their children, or don’t want their 4-year-old to be forced to wear a mask while trying to learn speech alongside white nationalists and QAnon ladies. These people are causally called “conspiracy theorists” in a piece that attempts to link violent rioters to women who form homeschool pods and try to grow their own lettuce.

You may recall the recent effort by education bureaucrats, the news media, and the Biden administration to tar parents as domestic terrorists if they got upset about their schools’ failures. This is all part of the same effort: Politically active parents on the Right, or even those who opt for some sort of child rearing outside the governmental channels, are now extremists.

So, recall, the next time someone calls for action against “extremists,” they are including homeschooling mothers.

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November 22, 2021

two parents’ reasons for leaving the traditional classroom

HELENA — Some parents got a taste of homeschooling during the pandemic, but for thousands of Montana families—homeschooling is just normal, everyday life.

Lareena Enquist lives in the Boulder Valley with her husband and three boys. She has been homeschooling for about seven years.

“Every day is a little different with three boys,” Enquist said.

The Enquist family decided to homeschool when her oldest son was getting ready to move on from preschool. Enquist said a lot of different considerations went into the decision, but the main concern was class size.

Homeschooling in Montana: two parents’ reasons for leaving the traditional classroom

“My oldest was in a preschool for two years—a co-op preschool—and he did okay, but even with eight kids in the room, it was sometimes a lot,” Enquist said.

In the Helena area, Chris Hauer homeschools four of her seven kids—it’s something she’s been doing for about 10 years.

“You start homeschooling when your child is born,” Hauer said. “You teach them to talk and walk, and if you’re ambitious, the ABCs and how to count. One day, you’re like ‘maybe I can teach them to add too.’”

Hauer said her family makes the decision to homeschool—or not to homeschool—based on the child. For example, she said one of her daughters learns better in a public school setting.

Since three of her children are in public school, Hauer’s homeschool schedule follows the public school schedule for breaks and summer vacation.

Enquist, on the other hand, describes her family as year-rounders, meaning they do school throughout the year.

“We consider all learning,” Enquist said. “Whether we’re at church, whether we’re in Yellowstone—we just were on a road trip to Yellowstone—there’s learning on vacation if you make use of it.”

The Enquists and Hauers are just two of thousands of Montana families who have chosen to homeschool their kids. According to the Montana Office of Public Instruction, 9,868 kids were homeschooled during the 2020-2021 school year—that is 6.1{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} of total enrollment.

Homeschooling has also grown over the past three years, from 5,743 kids homeschooled during the 2018-2019 school year, to 5,815 in 2019-2020, to the nearly 10,000 in homeschool this past school year.

Hauer runs a homeschool group in the Helena area, the Enrichment Co-Op, and she said she has noticed that growth.

“We saw a 25{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} increase this year in families,” Hauer said.

Hauer said about 120 kids are enrolled in the Enrichment Co-Op this year. The program meets on Fridays and provides different parent-led classes for kids, like art, physical education and performance.

Hauer said it’s meant to supplement what kids are learning at home, allow kids to socialize, and let parents mingle too.

“The only requirement is you show up and actually be part of it,” Hauer said.

Enquist said she often supplements at-home learning with trips to the library and museums. She said there are also other homeschool families nearby for her kids to socialize with.

“There are kids in town,” Enquist said. “Through Facebook, I’ve met some homeschool families, through church—we have quite a few homeschool families at church.”

While homeschooling is a choice thousands of Montana families make, it isn’t always an easy choice.

Enquist said she uses some boxed curriculum to teach her boys, but she also does a lot of reading of her own to find things that fit her boys’ learning styles.

“The hard part is knowing what to do and how to do it,” Enquist said. “Your kids aren’t all the same, they’re not the same as other kids. A favorite quote of mine is ‘comparison is the thief of all joy.’ Don’t compare.”

Hauer said she uses a set curriculum too, and standardized testing to see how her kids perform, and where she needs to improve as a teacher.

Hauer said she enjoys that homeschooling allows her kids to learn at their own pace.

“The most rewarding thing for me is when they are able to succeed and move on at their pace,” she said. “Sometimes, my second oldest will decide she wants to skip through a whole chapter of math—she’ll read through it all, say ‘I understand all this,’ take the test, and be like, ‘I’m done with that, I got 100{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} on the test, I’m moving on.’”

Enquist said the freedom of homeschooling has allowed her boys to explore their own interests. Her oldest son has recently taken up drawing—specifically vintage trucks.

“He has taught himself how to draw, I had nothing to do with that,” Enquist said. “I’m letting him explore that.”

Being a full-time parent and full-time teacher can be challenging, but both Enquist and Hauer say it is worth it for them, their kids and their families.

“It’s amazing how when a kid is able to just be who they want to be, how that just changes everything,” Hauer said.

November 21, 2021

Note to policymakers: Home-schooling is here to stay | Lifestyle

Homeschooling is here to stay and the time has come for policymakers to acknowledge that fact. After years of increasing at a rate of about 3 percent a year, the number of parents choosing to homeschool their children has spiked, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the portion of children being homeschooled doubled from 5.4 percent during the 2019-20 school year to 11 percent in 2020-21. Among Black families, homeschooling jumped nearly five-fold during that time, from 3.3 percent to 16.1 percent.

Even in Massachusetts, where only 1.5 percent of students were homeschooled before the pandemic, the number was up to 12.1 percent by the fall of 2020.

And it’s no longer just for religious conservatives. There has been a big jump in “second choice” homeschoolers, who choose the option for more pragmatic reasons. With more parents working from home when the pandemic began, they had a bird’s-eye view of K-12 education in the age of COVID. Many didn’t like what they saw.

It didn’t take an education degree for them to see that overall student progress was slowing – a fact that has since been borne out in state tests. It was equally clear to parents that online learning wasn’t working for one or more of their children.

Many thought about homeschooling for the first time. Others who had previously considered it concluded that this was the time to give it a shot. Lest we forget, homeschooling IS “in-person” learning – one of the factors that public school authorities have insisted that parents were demanding.

Another indication that homeschooling has grown beyond its fundamentalist roots is that about half of parents with more than one child in school don’t homeschool all of them. This not only suggests that parents can tell when online education is working and when it isn’t, but that their motivation is educational, not ideological.

While the belief that learning at home is a safer environment than going to school was a motivator, especially for urban parents, having more say over their child’s education was the dominant reason for the increase in homeschooling.

As for the idea that attending school is critical to a child’s socialization, homeschooling parents would counter that their choice doesn’t prohibit their children from participating in sports, cultural and other group activities, or even just hanging out with the neighborhood kids.

Still, homeschooling will undoubtedly be a temporary solution for some. But the upward trend in families choosing to do it is sure to continue and likely to accelerate. Many parents had options for educational choices during the pandemic. But the increase in families opting for homeschooling was far more significant than that experienced by other options such as private/parochial, charter, vocational and virtual schools.

Many in the educational establishment vehemently oppose homeschooling, but the fact is that it results in massive savings for traditional schools. If it were banned and the five million American students the Census Bureau estimates are being homeschooled is correct, it would cost $50 million-to-$75 million a year, or nearly $1 trillion over a student’s 13-year K-12 career.

In addition, schools across the country would need 80,000 more teachers at an annual cost of $13 billion, and between 4,000 and 10,000 school buildings would have to be built.

Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, but each has its own regulations. Some are encouraging, but others make the homeschooling choice unduly difficult for families.

Opposition from traditional education interest groups is one reason why homeschooling often gets the cold shoulder from government. But the time has come for policymakers to acknowledge it as a viable educational choice and do more to support those who are considering non-traditional options for their children’s education.

That means school districts should provide information to parents seeking information about those options and include links on their websites to the homeschooling support groups that exist in every state.

We are only beginning to appreciate the long-term impacts the pandemic has had on our way of life. In education, one of those impacts is accelerating the rise of homeschooling. It’s time for policymakers to catch up with the times.

November 20, 2021

Parents home schooled all 10 of their children into university by 13

The Harding family, — Monalisa and Kit Harding’s little ones have long gone on to be lawyers, medical doctors, architects and spacecraft designers (Shots: SWNS)

The family from San Jose in California have lately celebrated their youngest, 11-calendar year-previous Thunder, passing his entrance exams for college.

When he starts off he will sign up for his older sister Lorennah, 13, who is in her next 12 months at Bellevue College.

Reaching these spectacular milestones so early has come to be commonplace in the Harding relatives – as each and every solitary one particular of the small children has begun university by the time they switch 13.

The Harding family. A family in San Jose, California, who wrote 'The Brainy Bunch', have homeschooled their children into university by the age of 13. — Monalisa stated she and her partner had to make sacrifices to home university their youngsters so effectively (Picture: SWNS)

Seth with Serennah. A family in San Jose, California, who wrote 'The Brainy Bunch', have homeschooled their children into university by the age of 13. — Seth earned his law qualifications at 19 – starting to be the youngest lawyer at any time (Image: SWNS)

Lorennah. A family in San Jose, California, who wrote 'The Brainy Bunch', have homeschooled their children into university by the age of 13. — Lorennah is in her 2nd yr of studying at Bellevue College at the age of 13 (Image: SWNS)

Thunder James at the beach. A family in San Jose, California, who wrote 'The Brainy Bunch', have homeschooled their children into university by the age of 13. — Thunder James is about to start his very first year of college at the age of 11 (Photo: SWNS)

The couple even produced a e-book about their instructional procedures in 2014 – humorously named The Brainy Bunch.

Monalisa explained: ‘It’s vital to find that balance concerning not putting also substantially tension on your children and generating sure they are achieving they’re entire likely.

‘We just have Thunder and Lorennah to get by college now, and then we can lastly think about producing some time for ourselves.

‘It’s been a hell of a journey but we would not adjust it for the earth!’

The brainy bunch’s milestones

Hannah, 34, received a bachelor of science from Auburn College at 17
Rosannah, 32, received a bacher of art in architecture from California College of the Arts at 18
Serennah, 30, received a bachelor of artwork in mobile biology from Huntington School at 17
Heath, 26, received a bachelor of artwork in English from Huntington School at 15 in advance of he attained his master’s in laptop science at 17
Keith, 23, got a bachelor of arts in new music from Faulkner College at 15 prior to he attained his master’s in counselling at 17
Seth, 21, acquired a bachelor of arts in political science from Huntington Faculty at 16
Katrinnah, 18, got her bachelor of artwork in political science from Huntington School at 16
Mariannah, 16, acquired her bachelor of artwork in overall health science from Bellevue College at 16
Lorennah, 13, is now in her 2nd calendar year of university studies
Thunder James, 11, is about to begin his very first calendar year at Bellevue College

Get in contact with our information crew by emailing us at [email protected] kingdom.

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November 19, 2021

Homeschooling is ‘so efficient’ say parents of 10 kids who all started university before 13

The parents of 10 children who all started college before the age of 13 insist their precocious sons and daughters are ‘not geniuses’ – instead crediting their ‘efficient’ homeschooling regimen for their family’s academic success.

Monalisa Harding, 53, and her husband Kip, 53, who are high school sweethearts from San Jose, California, homeschooled all their children from the same syllabus instead of sending the kids to traditional schools.

They knew they were on the right track after getting each of their first three children through high school by the time they all turned 11, and their younger kids went on to achieve similar success.

Their oldest child, Hannah, went on to earn a bachelors degree in mathematics at the age of 17 from Auburn University, Montgomery in 2004 – making her the first child prodigy.

Last year, their youngest child Thunder, 11, passed his entrance exams to college, joining Lorennah, 13, who is already in her second year.

Those of the Harding siblings who have already graduated from college have gone on to become doctors, architects, spacecraft designers and lawyers.

Monalisa Harding and her husband Kip, both 53, homeschooled all 10 of their children using the same methods and techniques

The sixth Harding child – Seth (pictured with sister with Serennah) became Alabama’s youngest lawyer at 19, after passing his degree and professional exams during the pandemic

Monalisa says her children ‘aren’t geniuses’. She says that the efficient nature of homeschooling (and her children’s hard work) guaranteed their academic success

Eight of the brothers and sisters have already graduated by either 15 or 16 – and all went to university before they were 13.

The most recent family graduate Mariannah, 16, is now applying to do her masters in horticulture in January.

Seth Harding, 20, child six of 10, became Alabama’s youngest lawyer at the age of 19 after getting his law degree and passing his professional exams during the pandemic.

But humble Monalisa insists her kids ‘aren’t geniuses’ – and said their success is down to homeschooling which is more ‘efficient’ than going to school.

Lorennah (left), 13, is a sophomore at Bellevue University. Katrinnah (right), 18, earned a BA in political science from Huntington college at age 15 and is now in law school

Lorennah and Katrinnah are seen posing with sister Mariannah, 16, who earned a BA in health science from Bellevue University in Nebraska at the age of 16 and is planning to study further

Lorennah is the ninth of the Harding family’s 10 children – all of whom started university by the age of 13

Monalisa, said: ‘The nature of homeschooling is so efficient – anyone can do it.

‘It’s just about parents dedicating the time to get it done and prioritizing their children’s education above all else.

‘We’re not a wealthy family. We had to make sacrifices so that I had the time to teach each of them individually.

‘When you raise kids in an environment where homeschooling and hard work is the norm, then, as they grow, they’ll naturally adapt to it and take it in their stride.

‘They all worked and continue to work extremely hard, which is why they’re breaking new ground every day – I couldn’t be more proud of them.’

In 2014, the couple released their own book titled ‘The Brainy Bunch’, detailing their methods and techniques which has brought their children so much success.

The book goes into detail about the intricacy of homeschool study and offers advice and support for parents wishing to do the same.

Monalisa and husband Kip, who used to be in the military before working in government, also offer private consultations for families about home schooling.

Mariannah, who received her BA in Health Science from Bellevue University at the age of 16, is currently waiting for a response to an application from Auburn University for further studies

Son Heath (left), now 26, earned his BA in English, aged 15, and a master’s degree in computer science at the age of 17

Thunder James, the youngest of the brood aged just 11, is currently a freshman at Bellevue University

Mother Monalisa with her lawyer son Seth. She described homeschooling her children as ‘a hell of a journey’, but said they ‘wouldn’t change it for the world’

They’ve spoken at conferences across the U.S., and have even travelled to Japan to share their experiences.

‘We’ve had the best time travelling around and helping other families who want to homeschool their kids,’ Monalisa added.

‘It’s really fulfilling because we put our hearts and souls into our children, and knowing people admire that and want to do the same is a really great feeling.

‘It’s important to find that balance between not putting too much pressure on your kids and making sure they’re reaching their full potential.

‘We just have Thunder and Lorennah to get through college now, and then we can finally think about making some time for ourselves.

‘It’s been a hell of a journey but we wouldn’t change it for the world!’

Homeschool success: The Harding children’s academic achievements

Hannah, now 34, earned her BS in mathematics at the age of 17 from Auburn University in Montgomery.

Rosannah, now 32, earned her BA in architecture from California College of the Arts located in San Francisco, aged 18.

Serennah, now 30, got a BA in cell biology from Huntington College in Montgomery, Alabama at the age of 17.

Heath, 26, has a BA in English, which he got aged 15, from Huntington College and then earned a master’s degree in computer science at the age of 17 from Troy University in Montgomery.

Keith, 23, earned a BA in music from Faulkner University in Montgomery Alabama at the age of 15 and then earned his master’s degree at the age of 17 in counselling at the same institution.

Seth, 21, got a BA degree in political science from Huntington College at the age of 16.

Katrinnah, 18, earned her BA in political science at the age of 15 from Huntington college and is now in law school.

Mariannah, 16, earned her BA degree in health science from Bellevue University in Nebraska at the age of 16. She is currently waiting for a response to an application from Auburn University for further studies.

Lorennah, 13, is a second year college student at Bellevue University.

Thunder James, 11, is a college freshman also at Bellevue University.

The brainy bunch’s milestones

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Homeschool success: The Harding children’s academic achievements

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