Monday 6 July 2009

Someone needs an image change

Shark, we home educators are engaged in a battle out there. For hearts and minds. Because right now, across England, school-choosing parents have been drip fed crap about how home educated children live.

Like how they never leave the house. Or they cannot socialise. They are unable to achieve academically. They are controlled by their parents. And they never meet other children.

Shark, when those school-choosing parents see you, that means they see a typical home educated child. And in what ways could the typical home ed child help change those minds, and swing things in our favour, Shark?

She could be charming, couldn't she? Well mannered, pleasant, erudite, able to articulate herself clearly and be respectful to all people? She could tell everyone that she takes part in many different activities with many different people of all ages, couldn't she Shark? She could be a model for the home educated child!

And all that might help those people we meet change their ideas about home education. Because we know some of those ideas are put there without any real experience or thought, and some of them are just plain wrong, and crazy, aren't they, Shark?

Now. Come and finish dressing properly. Knickers would be nice. So would a dress. You could even put on some shoes. Help me brush your hair and wipe the strawberry jam from your face. And please stop screaming that Squirrel is a poopy bum and you would like to pelt her with rocks. Do not scowl again at the window cleaner.

And please, please, please, now come down from the tree.

6 comments:

Firebird said...

LOL! No, I shouldn't, I should be more sympathetic ... but leaving the bit about the tree until last, pure comic genius :-)

Any time dd is playing up I have only to think of you and know that it would all be so, so much worse if there were three of her!

Maire said...

No pressure then, lol.

Brad said...

But if the home educated kids are all bright and shiny, you'll just stir up contempt in the hearts of parents who turn thier beloved tykes over to the state won't you?

mamacrow said...

lol!

and I'd like to point out mine were emenently compariable to Shark before ever we took them (the oldest two in this case) out of school!

Just trying to say that kids that are schooled are just as chatoic/barmey/barking mad/tree obsessed

Irene said...

I really wish there had been three of me. United we would have formed a front against my mother who was a force to be reckoned with. I'm glad I was not home educated by her. No reflection on you Grit.

R. Molder said...

Sounds like my childhood, spent in trees reading books.