HomeSchooler.org.uk

Hi Everyone,

Lord Lucas ( http://lordlucas.blogspot.com/) has asked for responses to the
Badman review on his blog. Amanda asked if I'd post a copy of my letter here.

(Yes--might be a bit wordy--but how do you summarize such anger over so much
stupidity in under 1000 words??)

Dear Lord Lucas,

Thank you for showing your support to the Home Education community. As I'm sure
you are aware-we are not a cohesive community. We have all come to home educate
our children for a huge variety of reasons.

We chose to home educate our children before they were born, and it had nothing
to do with the current UK school system. We have not been `forced' to home
educate—it is a way of life that we have freely chosen to live. As a child I
enjoyed school and can't think of any `bad' events—but I always felt I could
learn more at my own pace, and if I followed my interests. We educate our
children at home as we feel it is providing them a loving and stable environment
where they are free to explore the world at their own pace. I have two very
clever and extremely happy children. I have nothing to hide—but I want the
sanctity of my home life to remain as it is and I do not want my rights to do so
taken away.

I see this report as eroding away the civil liberties of not just home
educators, but all families. If they want to talk to my children alone without
a family representative-then they will have to apply that law to all families in
the country. I'm sure no one thinks, or can prove, that child abuse in the home
only happens Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30am and 3:30pm.

Why do I need to submit a 12 month plan—are they planning on extending the
school year? If they actually learned anything about home education during the
review—they would have realized our children do learn year round. They are with
their `educational facilitators' 24/7. Learning does not occur during school
hours only. To say you cannot learn without going to school is absurd. That
would mean no one would learn anything from the day they are born till they
entered school, and that you couldn't possibly learn anything when you left
school.

Why do they think our children are hidden? I'm sure every museum throughout the
country will vouch that they have booked numerous home education outings. Our
children are the ones that are enjoying all the wonderful things the UK has on
offer. We are out and about every day. Our children interact with all walks of
life. They have private and group lessons, they join in the Scouts movements,
they see the shop clerks, run errands with their parents, go to home education
group functions, and numerous other events throughout the year.

We are not hiding our children; we are not abusing our children. We are taking
full responsibility for our children's happiness, their well being and their
educational provisions, as is our legal right. I have never, and will never,
abdicate this responsibility to the State. The State does not love and cherish
my children—only we, as their parents, can ensure they have a safe and happy
life—not some unseen bureaucracy.

********************************

I wanted to stress that we aren't all 'forced' to HE, what rules apply to my
kids must apply to all, and our kids are our responsibility.