1. Do you think it's important for children to go to school to be educated or is it possible for a child to be educated at home, without attending a school?
It’s perfectly possible for a child to be educated at home, providing that their home-education is up to scratch. I don’t agree that a child should be educated at home if the education they are going to receive there is poor quality, but if the home-educator is serious about their job then it’s totally fine. If the child is taught by a private tutor then this can actually be a great advantage for them as they’ll receive personal attention and won’t have to compete with a whole class of other children. The trouble is that private tutors don’t come cheap! Another potential worry if the social effect of spending all your time in the house. An important part of school life is being with your friends and learning to be sociable. I think that if you were educated at home then it might be trickier making friends or spending time with them.
2. Why do some parents prefer home schooling for their children?
Well, obviously with a private tutor you get a lot more bang for your buck with a better education for your child. Some parents may also love their ‘little darlings’ so much that they want to keep them at home where they are safe and sound. Maybe parents want to know where their child is at all times and want to be involved in their lives all day. Some children are home schooled because they have disabilities that mean they wouldn’t fit in at school and I’d say that’s a very legitimate reason for home schooling. The same applies if they are getting bullied at school. They may also have a problem with the school’s curriculum and wish to teach them their own lessons. On the whole though I think a lot of parents are just too over-protective. Another reason for home-schooling might be because the parents are extremely religious and feel that only they can teach their child the ‘correct’ education according to their faith.
3. Do you think most parents are capable of educating their children at home?
I’d a bit dubious about this. To be honest I think that teachers, as professional educators, are by far the best people to be teaching children. For all their best intentions, many parents are not qualified to teach and may do a very bad job. This is unfair to the child concerned. I think that most parents can educate their children at home; I just don’t think the education they provide will be up to much. They really need professional advice from an expert and a structured curriculum to follow.
4. Do you think it's important for students to relate to teachers on a personal, face-to-face basis?
This issue is a little up in the air for me. Some of my best memories have been of teachers at school who mentored me and saw me through some tough times. The personal contact I had with has been very important in shaping who I am today. However, I’m not sure if people need personal face-to-face contact to get a good education. I think you can learn a lot on your own simply by reading or going on the internet. There are many courses out there that don’t have a personal teacher for you, just a reading list and some tests.
