Brighton families stand up for home-schooling (From The Argus)
Get involved: Send your news, views, pictures and video by texting SUPIC to 80360 or email us.
Brighton families stand up for home-schooling
6:00am Friday 7th August 2009 in News By Emily-Ann Elliott
FLASH MOB: Pearl Ahrens, 12, takes part in a flash mob style action demonatration in New Road Brighton
Shoppers in Brighton were greeted by a colourful sight as children filled the streets with bubbles as part of a protest.
Boys and girls of different ages, many wearing T-shirts saying “The world is my classroom and life is my curriculum”, took part in the “flash mob” event to protest at proposals by the Department for Children, Schools and Families which would change the way they learn.
Ali Moir, 44, from Lewes, who helped to organise the event, said: “We chose bubbles because part of what the Government review is saying is we are hidden in society, so we wanted something very visual to say we are out and about in the community.
Bubbles also represent childhood and freedom.” And it is part of this freedom which parents who home educate are worried they could lose.
The Government proposals which are currently under consultation would give local councils new powers to decide which parents are allowed to educate their own children, track home educating families on a Government database and enter family homes to interview children alone.
Another issue which is worrying many parents is that they would be asked to create an education plan for their children a year in advance.
However families say this goes against the way in which their children learn.
Ms Moir, who has always home educated her eight-year-old daughter Freya, said: “What Freya learns comes very much from her.
I would say 90% of what we follow is what she is interested in and 10% comes from me saying ‘we are going to have a go at this’.
“Her interests take us forward and my role is to facilitate activities and make suggestions.
“For example Freya is currently reading an encyclopaedia and enjoys studying her atlas.
“These proposals are just going to make home education look even more difficult to people and I really worry that some kids are going to stay in school or start school who would have been much happier in home education.” Ms Moir, a freelance translator, believes Freya should shape her own future.
She said: “If she wants to take exams or go to school in the future we would always support her.” Nic Goodard, 45, also began home educating her children Davies, eight and Scarlett, six, after deciding Davies was not ready to start nursery.
She said: “We started off thinking we’d see what happened when he hit five, but by the time he was five there was no question that we would home educate him.
“Our method of learning is utterly organic, we don’t follow a curriculum or any structure.
Children, if you let them, never stop asking ‘why?’ and I love that.
“I can’t teach them everything they need to know and I am very honest about that, but I can assist them in finding out about it.
The best people to teach a subject is someone who knows all about it and is passionate about it.
For example Davies is interested in archaeology, so he has joined a club.” Mrs Goodard, who lives in Sompting, near Lancing, is also concerned about the suggestion that learning plans should be provided for the coming year.
The part-time library assistant said: “I am utterly confident I can convince anyone that in the last year I have provided a fantastic, well-rounded education and my children are living proof of that.
“But I can’t tell you what they are going to be learning in nine months or a year.” Lucy Milner-Gulland, 40, has always home educated her children Ione, 13, Cory, nine and Kit, five.
She said: “I found out about it when Ione was about two and it seemed to be something really worth doing.
“In those days it just seemed natural she should carry on living and learning as she had been doing.
“At four years old children are already learning by helping their mums with things like the cooking and looking at money.
They are learning all the time and it made sense that a five-year-old would learn in just the same way.
“We found a really good way for our children to learn and enjoy life.
I don’t think it works for everyone, but it works with our life and it’s not a difficult choice because the children are happy.” Parents use many different methods to teach their children and in Brighton and Hove there are different groups they can join.
Ms Milner-Gulland, who lives near Queens Park in Brighton, said: “We are autonomous educators so I take my lead from them.
“My daughter is in every group that is going.
Every day she has activities to go to.
She is taking her GCSE English, goes to French classes and is in a band.
She likes to learn out of the home with other kids.
“But my son doesn’t like group learning at all.
He wants to do everything himself so he reads books a lot and talks to us and asks questions.
“The nice thing about home educated kids is they get to meet a large range of different age groups and they mix really confidently with adults because they see them as mentors and friends.
“I am completely guided by my children.
One of the proposals has asked for a plan to be registered of what we are going to learn in a year.
But autonomous education doesn’t work from a curriculum.” While some parents chose to home educate their children from the start, others opt to remove children from schools as a result of situations outside of their control.
Writer Roz Barber, 45, took her sons George, 16, and Charlie, 14, out of school for different reasons.
She said: “With George it was an absolute necessity.
When he went to secondary school he was bullied relentlessly every single day.
“I withdrew him at end of Year 8 when he was 13.
“I wished afterwards that I had done it earlier but I didn’t know anything about it.
“We had left him in school because it was quite scary to withdraw him and we were ordinary parents with busy lives.
“But I believe home education saved George’s life.
He was so depressed.” George has now been offered a place at City College Brighton and Hove for an art and design course on the strength of his art portfolio.
Ms Barber’s other son Charlie also had problems at school, but his was caused by dyslexia, which although a problem was not at a level which could be supported within a school environment.
Ms Barber, who lives in Brighton, said: “He was being made to feel a failure and we found we were spending more one on one time with our school educated child than our home educated one.
“School was not an appropriate environment for either of them.” Ms Barber also home educates her five-year-old daughter Milly.
Tasha Middleton, 26, also removed her eight-year-old son Toby from school after he became increasingly unhappy.
She said: “He was really miserable in school and by his third year he hated it.
He wouldn’t want to go to school in the morning and he’d by crying as soon as we got there.
Then when he came out of school he wouldn’t want to talk to anyone for about an hour.
“He has been out of school for a year now and he is a lot happier and a lot more confident.
“He works a lot better at his own pace and he doesn’t like big groups of people.
He was popular at school and did very well academically but it just didn’t suit him.
“Now he has got back into exploring things himself.
He likes to do science experiments and really enjoys photography.
“Anything that takes his fancy we will jump on it and explore it.
“That is why the proposals of planning ahead are impossible when you are learning autonomously.
You can’t possibly tell what he’ll be interested in next week, let alone next year.” To sign a petition against the Government’s proposals visit the Number 10 petition.
Comments(51)
jeremy radvan
says...
9:41am Fri 7 Aug 09
kerryfee
says...
9:59am Fri 7 Aug 09
Since when?
Anti-Stupid
says...
11:51am Fri 7 Aug 09
Don't really understand the negative comments here - what's the problem with bubbles being associated with childhood and freedom, for instance?
welykuk
says...
12:15pm Fri 7 Aug 09
therealworld
says...
12:38pm Fri 7 Aug 09
MerrilyMe
says...
1:20pm Fri 7 Aug 09
It is inspiring to see kids and parents interacting, having passion for life and caring about their freedoms. These are the future of this country - we NEED kids who will express themselves and think outside the box. We are already seeing a country caught in a spiral of exam results meaning and achieving nothing so congratulations to the parents prepared to put time and effort into the lateral thinkers of the future.
There is nothing so depressing as the tedious pap fed to kids at school - hurrah for the right and desire to do something different!!!
AllieGreenhouse
says...
1:36pm Fri 7 Aug 09
As for looking different, well, isn't that diversity of people one of the joys of living in Brighton? Personally, I think one of the most important lessons to learn in life is to be yourself. We can't always change the world but we don't always have to let the world change us.
Arnie
says...
1:42pm Fri 7 Aug 09
This is purely my opinion, but I do wonder what benefit there is in dropping children out of school because they are unhappy. Surely this is just teaching them that when things get tough, you completely drop out of society altogether. There also seems to be an element of snobbery involved as all these parents are highly critical of state schools and the apparent bullying that is rife.
jaxb
says...
2:04pm Fri 7 Aug 09
To ppl saying why shouldn't the government monitor our standards - the reason is because we are not out sourcing education. The government should monitor standards in schools as they stand in loco parentis and have a responsibility to the families they are serving. We are serving no one but ourselves. And there are already systems in place so that if there is any concern that a child is not receiving education, they can be required to go to school - those systems are perfectly adequate for need when used correctly. It is training local authorities need, not more power to intrude.
AllieGreenhouse
says...
2:06pm Fri 7 Aug 09
At the risk of being repetitive, home education isn't about dropping out of society, Arnie. If you're not happy in a job you can take many courses of action, including changing your job, yes? If your child is not happy at school then home education is just one choice among many. Children are individuals with differing needs and having a range of educational options open to them is surely a good thing.
4StarGeneral
says...
2:19pm Fri 7 Aug 09
jaxb
says...
2:22pm Fri 7 Aug 09
some take exams and go to uni, some decide they'd rather not bother and set up their own businesses, some find employment via a portfolio of interests - it varies. Kind of like the rest of society in fact. Not sure when exams and university got to be the be all and end all of measuring success? There's an awful lot of ppl who didn't get much out of their schooling in the way of certifications who are doing very nicely for themselves in the so called real world, and I don't see why ppl think home educated children would be any different.
4StarGeneral
says...
2:32pm Fri 7 Aug 09
jaxb
says...
2:34pm Fri 7 Aug 09
ime, home ed kids tend to be pretty resourceful and get where they are aiming at getting by hook or by crook. If this means getting themselves some certificates, they'll do it.
Genuine question back - why do you think parents need to teach the full curriculum of subjects as offered in school?
magicalmonday
says...
2:35pm Fri 7 Aug 09
Anti-Stupid
says...
2:38pm Fri 7 Aug 09
AllieGreenhouse wrote:Hi Arnie of Shoreham, interesting questions, here's what I would answer:
Home educated children are very much part of the community in Brighton and Hove. We value the learning opportunities on offer in our museums and libraries, our parks, beaches and community groups. Home education isn't all about being at home with your parents - it is about being out and about in the world.
As for looking different, well, isn't that diversity of people one of the joys of living in Brighton? Personally, I think one of the most important lessons to learn in life is to be yourself. We can't always change the world but we don't always have to let the world change us.
"If you're doing a good job of teaching them yourself, as you say, then why are you worried?"
They are doing a good job, and there is already legislation in place to ensure that that continues - it's not broke, why fix it?
"This is purely my opinion, but I do wonder what benefit there is in dropping children out of school because they are unhappy. Surely this is just teaching them that when things get tough, you completely drop out of society altogether."
No, this is teaching them not to put up with daily inuries and insults that no adult would put up with - a sensible and mature move. It's teaching them that they can take control of their lives and improve them and that they can regain confidence
"There also seems to be an element of snobbery involved as all these parents are highly critical of state schools and the apparent bullying that is rife."
Perhaps they should have said that bullying is also rife in 'posh' schools then? Home educators that I have encountered have ranged from people in rented flats to people in big houses and they all made sacrifices to support their children in their endeavours
Anti-Stupid
says...
2:40pm Fri 7 Aug 09
AllieGreenhouse wrote:oops quoted the wrong person - sorry AllieGreenhouse - if I'd been home-educated I probably would have got that right!
Home educated children are very much part of the community in Brighton and Hove. We value the learning opportunities on offer in our museums and libraries, our parks, beaches and community groups. Home education isn't all about being at home with your parents - it is about being out and about in the world.
As for looking different, well, isn't that diversity of people one of the joys of living in Brighton? Personally, I think one of the most important lessons to learn in life is to be yourself. We can't always change the world but we don't always have to let the world change us.
Anti-Stupid
says...
2:44pm Fri 7 Aug 09
4StarGeneral wrote:Hi 4star general - also a good question.
I'm kind of sat on the fence with this issue. I understand why some parents don't trust the education system - there are flaws in it but... Do the kids still take a full set of GCSE's and A-Levels? Do they ever get to university? If not, how do they ever get a decent job?
Two home-ed families that I know of found that their children didn't need exams/qualifications to get into university - their real-world experience and ability to talk about a whole range of things they'd done, at interview, made them very attractive candidates, more attractive than the standard school-leavers in fact, who struggle to distinguish themselves from everyone else with same grades
Pantsy
says...
2:47pm Fri 7 Aug 09
With the endless press about the dumbing down of the education system, the pointless-ness of SATS (not to mention the damage they do to kids, even the teachers are anti),bullying, peer pressure, kids leaving school unable to get jobs, graduates leaving Uni with fantastic degress, and thousands of pounds worth of debt, and unable to get jobs, why is no-one questioning this system??!!
Seems to me that intelligence goes far beyond being able to regurgitate a load of facts under pressure to gain all important exams. The system is flawed, in so many ways. But because the masses subscribe to it, it is seen as normal, and desirable.
The home educators I know are a mixed bunch (haven't met any of aforementioned snobs yet), but what shines out, is the fact that THEY TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, and their children are HAPPY!
Good for them.
Pantsy
says...
2:55pm Fri 7 Aug 09
The more I hear about home education, the more sensible it seems!
4StarGeneral
says...
3:17pm Fri 7 Aug 09
Jaxb, to answer your q, I guess when kids are young (and they start learning) ppl don't know what they are going to be good at, so they get taught a bit of everything until they show an aptitude or a passion for a particular area / subject. Your q strikes to the core of the british education system - do we give our kids a bit of knowledge in a lot of subjects or do we focus them down a certain path at an earlier age...?
Back to work now... :-(
jaxb
says...
3:40pm Fri 7 Aug 09
I also don't think that parents need to "teach" their children all the subjects - especially in this day and age there are huge numbers of resources out there that can be accessed, often at very little cost, and parents can and do learn alongside their children. I have a history O level, but yesterday I learnt about the 100 years war and the battle of agincourt beside my kids at an English Heritage event. My O level contained very little information on general history at all, and the stuff about Disraeli and Gladstone has never been any use to me whatsoever.
jaxb
says...
3:48pm Fri 7 Aug 09
I said that parents don't need to teach, they can learn alongside their children in many cases. For example, yesterday, despite my history O level which has never been any use whatsoever, I learnt alongside my children about the battle of agincourt and the hundred years war at an extremely enjoyable hands on English Heritage event. Bet my kids remember that better than I remember anything about Disraeli and Gladstone!
Home ed homes often start out with parents offering opportunities in all sorts of areas while the children are young, and then as the children get older and express interests, those interests are followed, sometimes to the exclusion of all else. This is not unhealthy though - Maria Montessori recognised this type of happening and allowed for it in her classroom, and Montessori has been an extremely successful and popular educational system around the world for over 100 years. But not really here for some reason, I don't know why.
And then, when they've got whatever it is they wanted out of that interest, they move on, and parents assist and facilitate as they go.
jeremy radvan
says...
4:34pm Fri 7 Aug 09
nicgee
says...
4:57pm Fri 7 Aug 09
The right to a decent education is indeed a basic human right. I doubt there is anyone who could confidently say that our education system and state schools are actually providing that. It is my belief that all the energy, time, resources and government legislation should be being directed towards achieveing that bare minimum which in far too many cases it is failing to do.
zebz
says...
4:58pm Fri 7 Aug 09
Hope that helps to answer your query.
jeremy radvan
says...
5:15pm Fri 7 Aug 09
nicgee
says...
5:39pm Fri 7 Aug 09
I am sure that we all recognise that a child’s education is the responsibility of the parents.
Is it just me or do the two above quotes contradict each other?
nicgee
says...
5:44pm Fri 7 Aug 09
Thank you for the correction in my spelling - another failing in the state education system that I received perhaps... fortunately as a life-long learner I continue my education on a daily basis. In pretty much the same way as my children do.
1of2mums
says...
5:50pm Fri 7 Aug 09
"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 educational needs he may have,
either by regular attendance at school or otherwise."
So even if you send your children to school, it is still your duty, as a parent, to ensure that they receive a suitable education.
It is not the responsibility of government at all.
Local authorities do have a duty to step in if parents are not fulfilling their responsibilities, but this is very different from government being responsible for the education of all children, whether or not there is a problem.
kellywelly
says...
5:50pm Fri 7 Aug 09
The duty to educate a child lies with the parent in law. When we send our children to school, it still lies with us that an education is provided suitable to their age, aptitude and any special needs. That is why nobody can sue the school for failing the child. This is why schools are inspected, because they are educating our children on our behalf. If parents decide to take up that duty themselves, then it would seem ludicrous that they should be inspected in the same manner. The school inspection is FOR the parents, because it is the duty of the parent to educate. So yes, if you send your child to a failing school, you are in fact not meeting your duty under section 7 of the Education Act. Also there are measures in place to send children back to school in extreme circumstances. But these are very rare. The new recommendations propose that Local Authority workers will be able to take children off on their own and question them. A prospect that my children find horrifying. They also propose a registration scheme which will basically mean that you have to ask the council permission to home educate. Children do not have an automatic right to education, otherwise they would be suing the authorities left right and centre. The parents have a duty to provide one, and unless it appears that they are not, there should be no reason to intervene. Much in the same way that we have a duty to feed and clothe our children. We would not expect yearly inspections into our fridge would we? Or permission to feed our children at home? Or to have to draw up a menu for the next 12 months, to be approved by the State? It would take signs of neglect before anyone intervened.
jaxb
says...
5:58pm Fri 7 Aug 09
"If a child is removed from the state sector by its parents and educated at home, in the private sector or that curious hybrid of the two -‘Steiner’ - is not of great importance to me."
Am intrigued by this - how is Steiner a hybrid of state and private education? are these now the three types of education available in this country?
I was under the impression that Steiner is an educational methodology, as is Montessori (for example) and that there are Montessori state schools, private schools and home educators. So have I found a fourth system?
he then went on to say:
"My concern is the welfare of the child."
Ah, the welfare of the child. Wondered when that one would crop up.
Currently in this country there is a system to ensure that children are receiving a suitable education - where a local authority is concerned they are not, they have powers to intervene.
There are also ppl with responsibility for children's welfare where it appears that there is a problem, they are social workers and police.
The two systems are different. In this article we have been discussion home education, not children's welfare. The two do not require conflating.
kathrynrichards
says...
6:32pm Fri 7 Aug 09
jeremy radvan
says...
6:42pm Fri 7 Aug 09
Dear KellyWelly, did no one explain to you that a metaphor is a rhetorical device not an argument? I was not discussing food but education. You have not answered the point that home educators should be expected to provide an adequate education. How is the local authority supposed to do that? Telepathy? Personally I would not want to waste any more money than was absolutely necessary on home inspections, however much the parents enjoyed the special attention.
Dear 1of2mums, the 1996 education act says that a child should be provided with an efficient full time education, how do we know this if home educators are not inspected? If the government have found that planning a curriculum has helped in schools why should ‘home-schoolers’ not be expected to do this?
Dear nicgee
“The principle has been established and accepted for many years that it is the responsibility of government to ensure that education is provided.
I am sure that we all recognise that a child’s education is the responsibility of the parents.
Is it just me or do the two above quotes contradict each other?”
Let me explain. The government has the right and responsibility to ensure that a child has a decent education. This comes from its ability to pass legislation on the matter.
Parents have a private and personal duty to ensure that their children are well educated.
I am sure that your children do and will continue to learn. My argument is not especially with home education although I find it a mystery. I object to the notion that a child can be denied a good education simply on the whim of his or her parents. I am, however, sure that is not the case in most families. Good luck to you and your children.
homeeducator
says...
7:44pm Fri 7 Aug 09
TheInsider
says...
7:50pm Fri 7 Aug 09
However, walking away from bullying is almost as psychologically damaging as being bullied. Wherever you are in life, it is likely you will have someone bullying you...it may be dressed up as something else "management", it may be your neighbours, a partner, someone you buy good from, and sadly you can't avoid it.
Facing it, managing it and giving children coping mechanisms is absolutely critical to good mental health for adult development and also we need to be adults who stand up against bullying and not teach generations that bullies are in charge.
kfirette
says...
7:53pm Fri 7 Aug 09
imran2020
says...
8:09pm Fri 7 Aug 09
This made sense on two counts. I looked at my own personal experience of learning as a child and as an adult. The stuff that stuck was the stuff that I was interested in, that I pursued as a hobby outside of school hours. So I remember vividly reading the novels of Joseph Heller at the weekend, while I sat bored through the set texts we had at school. Somebody in some office, in some meeting somewhere, a long time ago, who didn't know me, had decided that I should read those texts.
Then I read and read about child development and how the brain works, and how we are hard-wired to learn. I also looked at the importance of play, and how even schools and the government acknowledge that one of the most important factors in how well a child learns is the involvement and commitment of the parents.
Now we home educate our two. Since the eldest is 5, our approach is to let him play, and play and play. He can hold his own in a conversation with any adult, knows more about science than I did at his age. He is bilingual, can recognise letters, write his name, do simple addition to sums up to 10, and loves counting to 110. All this without any formal instruction.
He never has to worry or be fearful of being bullied, or witnessing bullying, and best of all is absolutely happy.
A happy child loves to learn, and learns quickly. That's what I see happening to my two.
jaxb
says...
8:13pm Fri 7 Aug 09
Couple of points spring to mind. Do all school children get asked if they wish to spend so much time in school? Given the number that vote with their feet to do otherwise, I'd guess not.
The majority of home educators do discuss choices with their children, and I know personally several families where children have chosen to try school at some time or other. Some have continued in school, some have decided to return home. My own children have discussed school with me - for a while they were flexi-schooled at a Montessori school and that worked well, but they are currently full time at home and that is working well too. I fully anticipate at some point my daughter may well choose school, I also expect that my son probably won't. Horses for courses, and they will be fully supported in the choices they make.
We've discussed universities, qualifications and employment above, there's little to add given that you don't appear to have taken any of that discussion on board.
Bethgranter
says...
8:18pm Fri 7 Aug 09
Arnie wrote:I was home educated for a few years and it was the best thing my parents could have done for me. We did have home inspections then (15 years ago) and they checked the standard and diversity of my work, which was fine. No need to check the next year's plan!
What is wrong with making sure that home-schooled children are getting the same quality of education that they deserve? If you're doing a good job of teaching them yourself, as you say, then why are you worried?
This is purely my opinion, but I do wonder what benefit there is in dropping children out of school because they are unhappy. Surely this is just teaching them that when things get tough, you completely drop out of society altogether. There also seems to be an element of snobbery involved as all these parents are highly critical of state schools and the apparent bullying that is rife.
The benefit of dropping out of school is to save your child's mental health. It teaches them not to put up with environments that make them miserable, so that they don't end up accepting miserable jobs as adults, and strive for happiness.
I'm not sure about snobbery or state versus private schools, but unless things have changed since I was at school, it's a simple fact that bullying is rife.
Also, often it is the most intelligent children that get bullied, so they will be perfect for home education as they will be able to teach themselves.
Pebbles100
says...
8:52pm Fri 7 Aug 09
kellywelly
says...
9:03pm Fri 7 Aug 09
Bullies don't bully confident, self-assured people who will not tolerate being bullied. if you live amongst bullies you either learn the role of the victim or become the bully, or you sit in the sidelines hoping not to get noticed. None of these scenarios are desirable. If you are brought up to find this unacceptable, you will confront it, or walk away. Either way the bully becomes powerless. If more people did this in the workplace, then maybe society wouldn't have this skewed view that our children all need training up to deal with the workplace bully!
frannylou
says...
9:03pm Fri 7 Aug 09
Perhaps having parents that care enough about the individual welfare of their children, and who can trust the abilities of their children to guide their own learning, will help to create enough self esteem to avoid needing to sink to these levels in a debate.
jeremy radvan
says...
9:45pm Fri 7 Aug 09
1of2mums
says...
10:23pm Fri 7 Aug 09
You said: "the 1996 education act says that a child should be provided with an efficient full time education, how do we know this if home educators are not inspected?"
I think we have to assume that people are law-abiding unless we have reason to believe they are not. This is how society normally functions in most areas. Why is this so different?
You also said:"If the government have found that planning a curriculum has helped in schools why should ‘home-schoolers’ not be expected to do this?"
Well, we have found that *not* planning a curriculum helps us to provide an education suitable to our children's ages, aptitudes and abilities. I think the schools should give it a try - it might help them too!
Lapps
says...
10:32pm Fri 7 Aug 09
It is really sad that this is your experience of life, it isn't like that for everybody. Most adults have the choice to remove themselves from situations that are damaging to their health (mental or physical). Self preservation should be a higher priority than what one could teach a bully.
"Have these children said they want to stay home with their parents 24/7 and learn"
I think the majority of home educated children have the option of going to school if they wish, after all part of home educating is about the child having choice in what and how they want to learn. Who says they stay home with their parents 24/7 anyway?
"- have they also at young ages decided that a university is not for them - without GCSE's and followed by A levels sadly these children will become part of a dole cue or maybe find a job that doesn't need qualifications!"
At a guess what percentage of the dole queue do you think were home educated? And why would home educated children decide that university is not for them? Plenty of home educated children go to university, some take GCSE's and A'levels and some choose other routes.
jeremy radvan
says...
10:54pm Fri 7 Aug 09
“Good Morning” he croaks his voice heavy with menace.
“Good Morning, sir” says a single voice. It is a proud voice, a voice filled with energy and pleasant courtesy.
Orpen recognises the voice, it is a voice he has heard before, it is the voice of the autonomously educated. A cruel sneer plays across the teacher’s face.
“Bulge! Gripper! Seize that child” Two large powerful and stupid boys grab the child that spoke, they pull him to the front of the class and force him to kneel before the teacher’s blood specked desk.
“well what have we here” says the teacher “what’s your name boy!!”
“Angelflower----- Angelflower Hasty-Campbell” the child answers .
Gripper turns the child’s hand into his back and screams into his ear
“Angelflower Hasty-Campbell WHAT!!!!”
“Sir” cries the child.
“Angelflower? “ says the teacher “what a sorry little name” he laughs and gestures to the class. A few fearful little giggles fill the room.
“it seems we have found one with some self esteem, HHMMMM, this is going to be fun”
“
An excerpt from ‘The Home Educator’s Handbook’
kellywelly
says...
11:04pm Fri 7 Aug 09
davyboy
says...
5:11pm Sat 8 Aug 09
jeremy radvan
says...
1:19pm Sun 9 Aug 09
stan bailey says...
7:55am Fri 7 Aug 09
Staying at home with your parents is also depressing. What a life