Home School Shaming

Every time I see a news program they focus on a family doing great at home schooling.

This family have overcome the odds – they’ve borrowed laptops from the school, they live in less than ideal conditions. There are 3 children of different ages. They sit down daily at 9am and do all the lessons prescribed by the school with parents – sometimes ones, sometimes two – overseeing their efforts and assisting with the lessons. Each parents taking up the slack if the other is weaker in that subject. Making the most of all the available resources on the internet. Substituting PE with Couch to 5K or a walk in the local park.

Fabulous.

Meanwhile a significant percentage of parents and children are desperately trying to hold it together, worrying less about completing the curriculum and more about their mental health. Claiming a success if the teenager gets out of bed before 2pm. Happy if the children are not lost in their internet world and still resemble human beings.

Great work for those home schooling heroes – but please – many of us just aren’t that good.