The huge difference is that the vast majority of parents in the UK are not at all equipped to educate their children, let alone have the time or money to do so. Teaching is a full-time job and teaching your own child goes without pay.
I hated school as I was a very shy, inward child. I never found it easy to make friends or contribute to class conversations. I left in 1979, aged 16, with just 7 CSEs, only one was a grade B [or grade 2] English language. I went straight into work and had many different jobs until I later settled working for central government as a civil servant. When friends and family tell me they enjoyed school, it was because they 'fitted in', they were popular or/and weren't shy or 'awkward'. As an adult and later, a wife and mother, I became more confident and learned how to socialise, how to have conversations, to work within teams. Becoming a mother made me even more determined to show an outward personality, for the sake of my son, because I didn't want him to be a shy and awkward child, as I had been. I encouraged him to speak up, question, instilled confidence in him, praised him when he felt his work wasn't good enough. He's now a 39 yr old father to 3 girls and is a fantastic dad.
I was shy too and looking back it held me back. I wish my mother had did what you did to me and pushed me to do things. You definitely had the right approach. Well done you
A very interesting documentary which seems just as relevant today as it did when it was made. We home schooled our child too just over 20 years ago and found our local education authority very supportive and we had a lovely lady drop by once a month to assess the quality of our progress in a similar way to the professor in this film. I like to think it is documentaries like this that have helped to change government attitudes towards being more supportive rather than threatening.
My niece home schooled her 5 children along with a number of other parents and children. They all took GCSE and A levels and passed two years before these exams are taken in School.
These parents have such wise answers to the same old tropes, which people still rattle out today for why school is good and home education bad. Harry Ray was a humble man.
Thanks for uploading - fantastic documentary. We home educated our son from age 10 (in 2012) and with a similar child led approach. Apart from the internet it seems pretty similar all round. Best thing we ever did for our son! ❤
Being at school didnt teach me how to get along with very nasty people. I got bullied everyday, I didnt learn how to deal with it. How exactly was I supposed to learn how to get along with bullies ? Home-ed parents generally facilitate peer relations and ensure as best they can that they arent in daily contact with abusive/troubled children.
Bullied children end up learning nothing at school ,they end up just trying to get through the school ,it causes anxiety and affects their mental wellbeing ,to many teachers don't even know bullying is taking place or don't want to watch out for it
I once accompanied my son on a trip to a museum in London with his home ed group of about fifteen kids all of whom impressed me and the museum staff with their politeness, good behaviour and the ability to sit quietly and get on with various tasks they were given. They then went on play without fighting. The museum had never seen anything like it from a school trip before and said so!
State education in the UK has been dire for several years and now it is absolutely disgraceful with much more evidence placed on following nonsense rules and targets to be met. The child's interests and thirst for knowledge is drummed out of them very quickly in the modern education system. More parents should home educate as it is very easy, rewarding, and far more beneficial to children. I have home educated my youngest child and I am a teacher too.
Regardless parents need to get involved . My mother sat down in front of the TV every night and pretty much ignored me . Was told go do your homework in the next room. Even if I told her I did the home work and to sign my book she would just sign it without checking . Often I was supposed to read to somebody as my home work and she couldn’t be bothered listening so just signed the book to say I did it . Ended up leaving school without any qualifications because I just couldn’t keep up in later years . Managed to get a minimum wage job then latter in life as a young adult gained highschool equivalent qualifications and later went on to get several diploma’s . Life could have been so much easier just having an adult that was interested in my school work when I was younger .
Having taught in classrooms for 15+ years, I could say you were one of thousands of students who had parents like that. They trusted the system to "raise" their children. I dealt with them day after day. Now that I've been homeschooling for almost two decades, I can see that the ratio of loving, devoted parents is outrageously high to the neglectful. And I only know about neglectful ones from the news.
This to me seems like it would work for the right sort of child. Not all children thrive in large environments and learn. You need to watch and see how your child is developing. There are so many books out there now to help parents home school if they wish. School did nothing for me. I learnt most of my maths engilsh and social skills through work. I pushed myself to learn. If I were home schooled I feel I would have done much better. So good on these parents for loving there children and trying to do the very best for them ❤❤
I home educate my son. It's much more common these days, though not without judgement. An interesting watch! To whomever posted the video, it'd be better without the timer on the screen as its distracting.
First time I have seen this - I was a school refuser back in the day because I hated school for a number of reasons (teachers; kids; lessons; bullying, not wanting to get up in the morning, etc), and so this was so fascinating to see now. I would have liked Granada to have made a World in Action on the same subject in the early to mid 1990s - not an update from 1979, but a brand new documentary on the same subject as it would have been around the same time that I was at school, and I believe that it would have been a lot of help to me. This episode was made a few years before the Education Reform Act 1988, and it would be been interesting if the subject had been covered in the 1990s after that Act had been put in force by the then Government. I was never home educated because my parents were not intelligent enough, but as an adult, I am in full support of home edication - my own philosophy with regards to edication is that there is a lot more education outside a school than inside one, and that school is just a convenient place where education is all in one place for the benefit of both the pupils and the teachers. A local library is just as much a place of education for example, and so is a church (learning about religion); a leisure centre (learning to swim) and so on. Margaret Watson is so fascinating in this edition - the fact that she was a teacher herself and then helped to home educate her youngsters.
"School teaches children to get along with each other in the mass.' Really? Ask any child in school to describe the hierarchy of bullies and popular kids and bullied kids in school. But school is the most UNNATURAL socialization imaginable! Where in the adult world do you find people all stuck with people exactly their same age who are only united by being under the control of ONE all-powerful authority figure? Just think about that: school teaches your child to conform to the peer pressure of people exactly your child's age - often through bullying and at the expense of their own talents, personality and home values - under the authority of ONE more powerful person. That's what the government wants: for people to be trained in group-think and under the control of the elites who hold all the power. Home-schooling your children is one of the most subversive things you can do in a corrupt, totalitarian regime. That's why the government, media and other 'powers that be' do all they can to ridicule or outright ban it. If parents have the power to teach their children, answer their children's questions, foster their children's individuality and encourage them to question and investigate, how on earth will you control them later? Better to put them in school and make them mindless drones used to following orders under threat of punishment (bad grades, detention, etc.). That will keep the populace under control of the elites, believing everything they are fed by the media.
Pardon me for saying so, but this is a rather histrionic response to schooling. I was a teacher for over 30 years (recently retired). There are hierarchies everywhere in life. They cannot be avoided unless you become a recluse and refuse to leave your home (if you have one after opting out of school and have no qualifications). Good schools and teachers do their best to foster positive learning environments and most teachers genuinely care about their pupils. Negotiating and coping with adverse social situations is a hard life lesson, but one that will equip you to prepare for adult life. I know that not all children are the same and some may well find this a lesson too hard to deal with, but we cannot judge the negative feelings of some to be the outcome for the majority. Your statement: 'Where in the adult world do you find people all stuck with people exactly their same age who are only united by being under the control of ONE all-powerful authority figure?' I would respond to with, any job or organisation (bar the part about being all the same age), unless they have created their own business. Home schooling is a great option if you are able to (a) ensure your child has access to others from their social cohort (b) as a home-schooler, provide the time, energy and equipment to provide a rounded education (c) can provide specialist post primary education in subjects such as maths and science or can afford private tuition. School is not the best option for a small minority. Most survive and thrive. I have a niece who is severely dyslexic. She pushed through with supportive parents behind her and has gone on to gain a masters degree. Her secondary school was not great in catering to her needs (not directly the school's fault - underfunding and the fact the school was in the process of closing down) but she was, nevertheless failed by her secondary school. Her engaged and supportive parents had a big part to play without ever home schooling.
Vincent made it, what he promised. "Vincent Theobald studied Forestry (BSc, Bangor) and Biological Computation (MSc, York), before joining the HSE in October 1989. He was based in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne ‘Area Office’ and assigned to an Agriculture Group. During this time he learnt the basics of being an Inspector and obtained his Postgraduate Diploma (Aston). Vincent also undertook prosecutions, presenting the cases himself instead of using a solicitor. This was unusual for an Agriculture Inspector at that time. Then followed three years in HSE head quarters and a further five years in a construction team, again involved with some high profile cases. After 10 years in the HSE Vincent moved on to Newcastle University and after three years took on running the Health and Safety service at the University. Ten years later (in 2012) Vincent finally went freelance as a founding partner in Safety 4 HEd."
Absolutely this - i was looking at him and thought what an enigmatic boy! Having googled Vincent now he isnt quite Mick but has achieved brilliantly...
Professor Ray is basically saying, 'What we're trying to do, is turn factory education of hundreds of children into the same as education was before factory education: one-on-one and sensitive to the child's own natural curiosity.' The whole point of factory education is to fit every single child into the same shape, forcing them if necessary to conform to the lowest common denominator in order to force every child through the assembly line so they all come out the same at the end. That's inimical to letting the child's natural curiosity and interest in learning have free rein while at the same time guiding the children to mastering the topics that develop their intellectual abilities. The idea that home-schooling is impossible or won't be successful for ALL children is nonsense. How can you explain the most brilliant and accomplished minds in the world - BEFORE the idea of assembly-line education of the masses was invented by the Enlightenment - all being schooled at home by parents and/or tutors or other adults around them?
As a retired state-school teacher in my mid-70S who follows with interest developments in education, I'd be very wary of allowing the state to educate my children now. There appears to be much more indoctrination than otherwise in modern education. Years of dumbing down has produced very many dumbed-down teachers, most of whom seem to be possessed of a rather dismal, unquestioning brand of socialism. I imagine science subjects are still ok, but anything on the humanities side is shot through with crude propaganda and bias.
Yup as a parent you have to be vigilant and aware of what they ar e indeed indoctrinating them >some of us are clued in and combatting this underground. TBh alot of teachers don't like this either and are secretly skirting around alot of it and ticking boxes.
One thing that I've noticed about homeschooled kids is they seem more confident. Also they seem calmer. As long as they are covering the curriculum & being socialised outside school I don't see a problem with it.
I am no teacher but I taught my two daughters at home. One up to college standard, into which she was offered a place. So how wrong this professor was that you couldn't do it beyond primary age!! Our home education was carried out from 1993 with first daughter overlapped later with second daughter up to 2014.
i was at secondary from 79 till 84 and hated it i now know i have ADHD also ASD and i really struggled but no one really picked up on SEND needs unless it was really showing also being in a low teaching class all the way through i was picked on i did leave with 7 CSES but not maths
If the parents are serious and dedicated to their children’s learning they will be better educated than at school, at their own pace and individualised teaching/mentoring. There are plenty of after school activities where children can socialise too. Many children are perfectly happy at school , but forcing those who are not to go, only hinders them and can cause dis-ease in the body. I have been a teacher for many many years.
This is really amazing to see. I had family members who were illegally home educating their children before this time. I was educated at home and there was so much controversy surrounding the subject then. Now, 40+ years after this film was made, there are 3.7 million children being homeschooled in the United States alone! But people still ask or rather just judge that poor socialization will be an issue. In public school where a child gets a one size fits all education, they will mostly be with their own peers for 5 days a-week, 35 hours per week in a crowded building being told to be quiet and then come home to do more hours of homework... It's a cookie cutter factory. And people fear child abuse in the home if the child isn't under the watchful eye of the school system. Is bullying from both peers and teachers and guns not abuse? Children as young as 12 took their lives last year after suffering abuse in schools. I'm not saying every Home Education setting or the parents who choose to facilitate them for their children are perfect. We've all heard horrific, scary stories of anything but education going on in a home. But that is not the majority. The crisis families and children are facing is coming from the public education system. Our children have a right to be free from that.
Kids do far better being educated at home than they would at school, yes many children leave school can’t even read and write what does that say about education?
Depends on the child, depends on the parents. Danger for some children at risk of abuse if there is not another set of eyes alert for problematic situations. There have always been alternative options for schooling, correspondence, private tutoring, for example. And compliance inspectors I imagine would be checking standards are kept up. Most parents teach their children many additional things whenever they are at home as a conjuct to their formal education
I was eight in 79 i remember when Maggie Thatcher got into power one off the first things she did eas stop the free milk for school children thus the nickname Maggie Thatcher the milk snatcher.i spent most of my secondary school years truanting put my mam and dad through hell thank god my three children didn't follow in my footsteps.😅
Professor Ray is on about keeping up with the latest methods... Reminds me of something GK Chesterton pointed out a century ago: that the methods are actually younger (newer) than the kids being experimented on with those new methods. As someone who had to watch endless demonstrations of methods of teaching, the ONE thing I came away with was 'do what works,' because in EVERY method-driven lesson I observed, the method broke down when confronted by real people with real questions or learning problems, and the teacher had to abandon the 'method' and do some actual teaching in response to the student they were working with. I have taught for more than 30 years, and I KNOW that the best teaching is teaching that 'puts the hay down where the goats can get it.' Educational methods and models and 'new trends' are ALWAYS trying to force the individual to accommodate and adjust to the METHOD. It's a bit like Marxism in action: people don't matter; they only exist to support the goals of the regime. It's the same with teaching methods: children only exist as lab rats to prove that the method 'works.' If it doesn't turn out to work... oh well, the person who invented the method has already got his PhD or his professorship or tenure and those children harmed by being forced to conform to an abstract method can just suck it up.
I went into mainstream school, I loved it. But I know it’s not for everyone. I do wonder how these parents might have reacted if the had a child who might have thrived in a physical school environment
A friend took their children out of mainstream education for several years. They did extremely well, most chose to join school for GCSEs and passed with flying colours. University level 1st class degree achievement by the lad who went that route. All lovely people who integrate as well as their peers.
The brother and sister in this documentary seem too clever and articulate for the average child they're age and at least two years ahead of other children their age. The local school cannot accommodate them because they are so far ahead for the ages they are,so maybe secondary school could accommodate them better then a transfer to a college . They definitely have very high IQ .
You'll see that's common trait in homeschooling. They're not high IQ, they only seem so as they can follow their passion, which leads to greater understanding
It raises some interesting points. I do wonder what would have happened if the Watsons were more middle class, would they have got less hassle? There are pros and cons to both though especially as I think schools are better - not great but better than they were- at picking up on learning disabilities and mental health problems. I was slightly concerned that the little brother and sister seemed judgemental of other kids, just because they wanted to play and be frivolous. The other wee girl seemed to be flourishing but she was probably going to face similar issues when she tried to socialise or went into the workplace. I think the Watsons could support and help her but not all parents could. Schools are facing a problem of children not being toilet trained- those parents are not going to home schooling. So to me it ' s not that it should be home education or school, it' s that learning is not confined to academic subjects. We need parents, grandparents etc to want to teach their kids and spend time with them, whether it' s history or gardening, we need schools doing after school clubs, we need youth clubs, forest schools, museums, local libraries, scouts and guides, and at a later stage apprenticeships, evening classes and training schemes.It' s not just a binary of school or home education. Kids need a lot of adults helping them. Less focus on curriculums and exams and more on bringing up future adults and preparing them for the challenges of adult life.
COVID quashed any delusion that I could home school my children. Interesting documentary though - it's nice to see parents showing a concern for their childrens' education.
They were brave. You still have to be brave these days and know your rights etc but its clear the family from the North East were really up against it. I wonder how their story turned out.
There’s one issue that hasn’t been addressed either on the program or the comments. If parents are going to abuse their kids, it’s far easier if there aren’t prying teachers’ eyes keeping an eye. It happened during COVID with a couple of very high profile deaths of tiny children due to abuse and no one else noticing. I am a retired teacher. There’s the joke that teachers have to put on a number of different hats including being a social worker - but schools have a legal responsibility to document any cause of concern for a kid’s welfare, make referrals and follow up. Take the school away, you take away that safety net.
Children are abused in schools and it's overlooked. My SEN son was traumatised by the education system and I can never forgive them for that even though he's a young adult now. He was a school refuser and one time left the school and they didn't even realise until the end of the day and called me hours later. This is a boy who regularly threatened to 'off' himself, was impulsive and was vulnerable to coercion so not really a safe situation.
I reported it to Ofsted, they did not care as it "Wasn't a whole school matter" I'll never understand how safety of pupils is not a whole school matter but there we are, the systems aren't fit for purpose and vulnerable kids are vulnerable regardless!
Funny 😀. In the seventies nobody wanted to disclose abuse , it was always turned a blind eye to and disbelieved , made excuses for etc . Nobody actually did anything to help children. My friends /peers were all.aware of how adults despised children except those few who were well behaved and top of the class .
Covid forced children to stay at home, even if their parents weren't happy with that, whereas normal homeschooling is a choice. Some parents would obviously cope far better with it than others.
@ I mean there designed so that both parents can work, making it more beneficial for the gov because both parents can pay taxes and work, because that’s all we are numbers and tax payers
@WillScarlet1991 but it is not the truth, just the same old first thing that comes to people's minds about home schooling. We didn't shut them in a cupboard hidden from the world for goodness sake.
@@WillScarlet1991 it does not have to operate like school with set lesson times and break times over each day. You can "socialise" any time not set to a time table. Many children are not enjoying the school break times but wander the playground on their own with no friends. Seen it over the years and personally know of, so done with this thread now.
A lot of the problem can be laid at the feet of the teaching profession. The Labour Party pander to the teachers, government ministers have been teachers in a previous life. Tony Blair once stated 'Teachers only teach to the level of their own Independence.
That is utter rubbish, in schools children are scolded for chatting to other children and now they are segregated according to their class in the playgrounds. Home educated children attend multiple meetups with lots of children on a regular basis where they are free to chat and play in all age groups no bells, no scolding and no segregation. Good socialisation comes from confidence and having a strong bond with their parents!! How do I know all this? I'm a mother of two very confident extremely social home educated girls who will walk into a room with 100's of children they don't know and come out an hour later with smiles on there faces and names of children they can't wait to see again🙂 Home Education is the best choice we have ever made!!
That is utter rubbish, in schools children are scolded for chatting to other children and now they are segregated according to their class in the playgrounds. Home educated children attend multiple meetups with lots of children on a regular basis where they are free to chat and play in all age groups no bells, no scolding and no segregation. Good socialisation comes from confidence and having a strong bond with their parents!! How do I know all this? I'm a mother of two very confident extremely social home educated girls who will walk into a room with 100's of children they don't know and come out an hour later with smiles on there faces and names of children they can't wait to see again🙂
Depends on the school and the ethos etc.. Its hard work homeschooling but nowadays I totally understand why they do. I have to watch like a hawk what my kids learn in school especially when schools are seeping into curriculum infinite genders, and how you can choos e your gender and insist on being called they , and the world is going to burst into flames due to climate channge agendas etc..I have seen this first hand. Even our libraries are full of this crap have a good look in a childrens section around dewey no 551.6 and see whats there etc...yes it is in our curriculum
What rubbish, most children were poisoned by the school, that's why they are out! Don't worry not that many people like their children enough to have them with them constantly, so the schools won't close in the near future!
Eloquent , intelligent and a charming young man , what an advert for home schooling
The huge difference is that the vast majority of parents in the UK are not at all equipped to educate their children, let alone have the time or money to do so. Teaching is a full-time job and teaching your own child goes without pay.
I hated school as I was a very shy, inward child. I never found it easy to make friends or contribute to class conversations. I left in 1979, aged 16, with just 7 CSEs, only one was a grade B [or grade 2] English language. I went straight into work and had many different jobs until I later settled working for central government as a civil servant. When friends and family tell me they enjoyed school, it was because they 'fitted in', they were popular or/and weren't shy or 'awkward'.
As an adult and later, a wife and mother, I became more confident and learned how to socialise, how to have conversations, to work within teams. Becoming a mother made me even more determined to show an outward personality, for the sake of my son, because I didn't want him to be a shy and awkward child, as I had been. I encouraged him to speak up, question, instilled confidence in him, praised him when he felt his work wasn't good enough. He's now a 39 yr old father to 3 girls and is a fantastic dad.
Your text is inspiring. You faced adversity and truly learned from it. Your children, I’m sure have benefited from your early struggles x.
I was shy too and looking back it held me back. I wish my mother had did what you did to me and pushed me to do things. You definitely had the right approach. Well done you
Wow, the mum is ahead of her time allowing her children to direct their learning.
A very interesting documentary which seems just as relevant today as it did when it was made. We home schooled our child too just over 20 years ago and found our local education authority very supportive and we had a lovely lady drop by once a month to assess the quality of our progress in a similar way to the professor in this film. I like to think it is documentaries like this that have helped to change government attitudes towards being more supportive rather than threatening.
There are plans afoot now (January 2025) to introduce legislation to outlaw home schooling in the UK.
@@IanPritchard I know! I heard about this just an hour after leaving my comment! I feel both shocked and saddened by it.
i googled vincent and it looks like he did in fact go into forestry. amazing!
Wow 😮 ❤
Same. He’s done very well for himself
I've just Googling him ... could not find him?
Title music takes me straight back to my childhood !
Some programmes used to have some great theme tunes back then. I never forgot this one.
'Jam For World In Action' by Jonathon Weston (officially) and Shawn Phillips and Mick Weaver (unofficially).
My niece home schooled her 5 children along with a number of other parents and children. They all took GCSE and A levels and passed two years before these exams are taken in School.
These parents have such wise answers to the same old tropes, which people still rattle out today for why school is good and home education bad. Harry Ray was a humble man.
An update would be amazing.
Thanks for uploading - fantastic documentary. We home educated our son from age 10 (in 2012) and with a similar child led approach. Apart from the internet it seems pretty similar all round. Best thing we ever did for our son! ❤
Being at school didnt teach me how to get along with very nasty people. I got bullied everyday, I didnt learn how to deal with it. How exactly was I supposed to learn how to get along with bullies ?
Home-ed parents generally facilitate peer relations and ensure as best they can that they arent in daily contact with abusive/troubled children.
Bullied children end up learning nothing at school ,they end up just trying to get through the school ,it causes anxiety and affects their mental wellbeing ,to many teachers don't even know bullying is taking place or don't want to watch out for it
I once accompanied my son on a trip to a museum in London with his home ed group of about fifteen kids all of whom impressed me and the museum staff with their politeness, good behaviour and the ability to sit quietly and get on with various tasks they were given. They then went on play without fighting. The museum had never seen anything like it from a school trip before and said so!
State education in the UK has been dire for several years and now it is absolutely disgraceful with much more evidence placed on following nonsense rules and targets to be met. The child's interests and thirst for knowledge is drummed out of them very quickly in the modern education system. More parents should home educate as it is very easy, rewarding, and far more beneficial to children. I have home educated my youngest child and I am a teacher too.
Exactly
Regardless parents need to get involved . My mother sat down in front of the TV every night and pretty much ignored me . Was told go do your homework in the next room. Even if I told her I did the home work and to sign my book she would just sign it without checking . Often I was supposed to read to somebody as my home work and she couldn’t be bothered listening so just signed the book to say I did it . Ended up leaving school without any qualifications because I just couldn’t keep up in later years . Managed to get a minimum wage job then latter in life as a young adult gained highschool equivalent qualifications and later went on to get several diploma’s . Life could have been so much easier just having an adult that was interested in my school work when I was younger .
You've leveled up compared to you mum. You're in a good position now to do better for your children.
@ chose not to have children . Don’t want them to have a sub par existence like I had
Having taught in classrooms for 15+ years, I could say you were one of thousands of students who had parents like that. They trusted the system to "raise" their children. I dealt with them day after day. Now that I've been homeschooling for almost two decades, I can see that the ratio of loving, devoted parents is outrageously high to the neglectful. And I only know about neglectful ones from the news.
This to me seems like it would work for the right sort of child. Not all children thrive in large environments and learn. You need to watch and see how your child is developing. There are so many books out there now to help parents home school if they wish. School did nothing for me. I learnt most of my maths engilsh and social skills through work. I pushed myself to learn. If I were home schooled I feel I would have done much better. So good on these parents for loving there children and trying to do the very best for them ❤❤
I home educate my son. It's much more common these days, though not without judgement. An interesting watch!
To whomever posted the video, it'd be better without the timer on the screen as its distracting.
First time I have seen this - I was a school refuser back in the day because I hated school for a number of reasons (teachers; kids; lessons; bullying, not wanting to get up in the morning, etc), and so this was so fascinating to see now. I would have liked Granada to have made a World in Action on the same subject in the early to mid 1990s - not an update from 1979, but a brand new documentary on the same subject as it would have been around the same time that I was at school, and I believe that it would have been a lot of help to me. This episode was made a few years before the Education Reform Act 1988, and it would be been interesting if the subject had been covered in the 1990s after that Act had been put in force by the then Government.
I was never home educated because my parents were not intelligent enough, but as an adult, I am in full support of home edication - my own philosophy with regards to edication is that there is a lot more education outside a school than inside one, and that school is just a convenient place where education is all in one place for the benefit of both the pupils and the teachers. A local library is just as much a place of education for example, and so is a church (learning about religion); a leisure centre (learning to swim) and so on.
Margaret Watson is so fascinating in this edition - the fact that she was a teacher herself and then helped to home educate her youngsters.
"School teaches children to get along with each other in the mass.' Really? Ask any child in school to describe the hierarchy of bullies and popular kids and bullied kids in school. But school is the most UNNATURAL socialization imaginable! Where in the adult world do you find people all stuck with people exactly their same age who are only united by being under the control of ONE all-powerful authority figure? Just think about that: school teaches your child to conform to the peer pressure of people exactly your child's age - often through bullying and at the expense of their own talents, personality and home values - under the authority of ONE more powerful person.
That's what the government wants: for people to be trained in group-think and under the control of the elites who hold all the power.
Home-schooling your children is one of the most subversive things you can do in a corrupt, totalitarian regime. That's why the government, media and other 'powers that be' do all they can to ridicule or outright ban it. If parents have the power to teach their children, answer their children's questions, foster their children's individuality and encourage them to question and investigate, how on earth will you control them later? Better to put them in school and make them mindless drones used to following orders under threat of punishment (bad grades, detention, etc.). That will keep the populace under control of the elites, believing everything they are fed by the media.
Pardon me for saying so, but this is a rather histrionic response to schooling.
I was a teacher for over 30 years (recently retired).
There are hierarchies everywhere in life. They cannot be avoided unless you become a recluse and refuse to leave your home (if you have one after opting out of school and have no qualifications). Good schools and teachers do their best to foster positive learning environments and most teachers genuinely care about their pupils. Negotiating and coping with adverse social situations is a hard life lesson, but one that will equip you to prepare for adult life. I know that not all children are the same and some may well find this a lesson too hard to deal with, but we cannot judge the negative feelings of some to be the outcome for the majority.
Your statement: 'Where in the adult world do you find people all stuck with people exactly their same age who are only united by being under the control of ONE all-powerful authority figure?' I would respond to with, any job or organisation (bar the part about being all the same age), unless they have created their own business.
Home schooling is a great option if you are able to (a) ensure your child has access to others from their social cohort (b) as a home-schooler, provide the time, energy and equipment to provide a rounded education (c) can provide specialist post primary education in subjects such as maths and science or can afford private tuition.
School is not the best option for a small minority. Most survive and thrive.
I have a niece who is severely dyslexic. She pushed through with supportive parents behind her and has gone on to gain a masters degree. Her secondary school was not great in catering to her needs (not directly the school's fault - underfunding and the fact the school was in the process of closing down) but she was, nevertheless failed by her secondary school. Her engaged and supportive parents had a big part to play without ever home schooling.
Best comment you are! The idiot underneath is just supporting her own indistry
Great comment by the op.
@@russiasgreatestexports4026 I guess you didn't complete your schooling judging from your grammar and spelling.
Vincent made it, what he promised.
"Vincent Theobald studied Forestry (BSc, Bangor) and Biological Computation (MSc, York), before joining the HSE in October 1989. He was based in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne ‘Area Office’ and assigned to an Agriculture Group. During this time he learnt the basics of being an Inspector and obtained his Postgraduate Diploma (Aston). Vincent also undertook prosecutions, presenting the cases himself instead of using a solicitor. This was unusual for an Agriculture Inspector at that time. Then followed three years in HSE head quarters and a further five years in a construction team, again involved with some high profile cases.
After 10 years in the HSE Vincent moved on to Newcastle University and after three years took on running the Health and Safety service at the University. Ten years later (in 2012) Vincent finally went freelance as a founding partner in Safety 4 HEd."
Vincent has a touch of the Mick Jagger about him!
My thoughts as well.
Absolutely this - i was looking at him and thought what an enigmatic boy! Having googled Vincent now he isnt quite Mick but has achieved brilliantly...
Great doc, thanks for uploading.
Professor Ray is basically saying, 'What we're trying to do, is turn factory education of hundreds of children into the same as education was before factory education: one-on-one and sensitive to the child's own natural curiosity.' The whole point of factory education is to fit every single child into the same shape, forcing them if necessary to conform to the lowest common denominator in order to force every child through the assembly line so they all come out the same at the end. That's inimical to letting the child's natural curiosity and interest in learning have free rein while at the same time guiding the children to mastering the topics that develop their intellectual abilities.
The idea that home-schooling is impossible or won't be successful for ALL children is nonsense. How can you explain the most brilliant and accomplished minds in the world - BEFORE the idea of assembly-line education of the masses was invented by the Enlightenment - all being schooled at home by parents and/or tutors or other adults around them?
I have been home educated all my life
As a retired state-school teacher in my mid-70S who follows with interest developments in education, I'd be very wary of allowing the state to educate my children now. There appears to be much more indoctrination than otherwise in modern education. Years of dumbing down has produced very many dumbed-down teachers, most of whom seem to be possessed of a rather dismal, unquestioning brand of socialism. I imagine science subjects are still ok, but anything on the humanities side is shot through with crude propaganda and bias.
Yup as a parent you have to be vigilant and aware of what they ar e indeed indoctrinating them >some of us are clued in and combatting this underground. TBh alot of teachers don't like this either and are secretly skirting around alot of it and ticking boxes.
Science isn't even real science, it's a load of Freemason beliefs taught as fact 😠.
One thing that I've noticed about homeschooled kids is they seem more confident. Also they seem calmer. As long as they are covering the curriculum & being socialised outside school I don't see a problem with it.
Education otherwise still exists today. Fascinating to see where it began.
I am no teacher but I taught my two daughters at home. One up to college standard, into which she was offered a place. So how wrong this professor was that you couldn't do it beyond primary age!! Our home education was carried out from 1993 with first daughter overlapped later with second daughter up to 2014.
i was at secondary from 79 till 84 and hated it i now know i have ADHD also ASD and i really struggled but no one really picked up on SEND needs unless it was really showing also being in a low teaching class all the way through i was picked on i did leave with 7 CSES but not maths
If the parents are serious and dedicated to their children’s learning they will be better educated than at school, at their own pace and individualised teaching/mentoring. There are plenty of after school activities where children can socialise too. Many children are perfectly happy at school , but forcing those who are not to go, only hinders them and can cause dis-ease in the body. I have been a teacher for many many years.
A beautiful video. ❤ Thank you
My husband and I home educated our three youngest. It was a great decision! ❤ That was back in the 1980s.
Get rid of that stupid OFSTED, get control of the children and then maybe our schools could teach effectively again.
agreed! OFSTED should be held accountable for the poor mental health of our children.
This is really amazing to see. I had family members who were illegally home educating their children before this time.
I was educated at home and there was so much controversy surrounding the subject then.
Now, 40+ years after this film was made, there are 3.7 million children being homeschooled in the United States alone! But people still ask or rather just judge that poor socialization will be an issue. In public school where a child gets a one size fits all education, they will mostly be with their own peers for 5 days a-week, 35 hours per week in a crowded building being told to be quiet and then come home to do more hours of homework... It's a cookie cutter factory. And people fear child abuse in the home if the child isn't under the watchful eye of the school system. Is bullying from both peers and teachers and guns not abuse? Children as young as 12 took their lives last year after suffering abuse in schools. I'm not saying every Home Education setting or the parents who choose to facilitate them for their children are perfect. We've all heard horrific, scary stories of anything but education going on in a home. But that is not the majority. The crisis families and children are facing is coming from the public education system. Our children have a right to be free from that.
Such a precious children!
When 11 years old, I missed eight weeks of school due to illness. I got so bored at home that eventually I couldn’t wait to go back.
Kids do far better being educated at home than they would at school, yes many children leave school can’t even read and write what does that say about education?
That is very true,I have seen people learn the basics when they leave school and do quite well,after learning nothing at school
Parents are certainly the key to a child's successful education, whether the child is in school or not.
Cool theme tune with the hammond organ etc.
More important now than ever
Depends on the child, depends on the parents. Danger for some children at risk of abuse if there is not another set of eyes alert for problematic situations. There have always been alternative options for schooling, correspondence, private tutoring, for example. And compliance inspectors I imagine would be checking standards are kept up. Most parents teach their children many additional things whenever they are at home as a conjuct to their formal education
I was eight in 79 i remember when Maggie Thatcher got into power one off the first things she did eas stop the free milk for school children thus the nickname Maggie Thatcher the milk snatcher.i spent most of my secondary school years truanting put my mam and dad through hell thank god my three children didn't follow in my footsteps.😅
I was relieved. I hated the milk!
Withdrawal of free school milk actually started under Edward Short in 1968.
@@newforestroadwarrior this can't be right because I was born in 1984 and I remember having it as a 4 year-old at school.
Avoiding extremist teachers and seedy external providers, we see
Professor Ray is on about keeping up with the latest methods... Reminds me of something GK Chesterton pointed out a century ago: that the methods are actually younger (newer) than the kids being experimented on with those new methods. As someone who had to watch endless demonstrations of methods of teaching, the ONE thing I came away with was 'do what works,' because in EVERY method-driven lesson I observed, the method broke down when confronted by real people with real questions or learning problems, and the teacher had to abandon the 'method' and do some actual teaching in response to the student they were working with.
I have taught for more than 30 years, and I KNOW that the best teaching is teaching that 'puts the hay down where the goats can get it.' Educational methods and models and 'new trends' are ALWAYS trying to force the individual to accommodate and adjust to the METHOD. It's a bit like Marxism in action: people don't matter; they only exist to support the goals of the regime. It's the same with teaching methods: children only exist as lab rats to prove that the method 'works.' If it doesn't turn out to work... oh well, the person who invented the method has already got his PhD or his professorship or tenure and those children harmed by being forced to conform to an abstract method can just suck it up.
I went into mainstream school, I loved it. But I know it’s not for everyone.
I do wonder how these parents might have reacted if the had a child who might have thrived in a physical school environment
A friend took their children out of mainstream education for several years. They did extremely well, most chose to join school for GCSEs and passed with flying colours. University level 1st class degree achievement by the lad who went that route. All lovely people who integrate as well as their peers.
I at same school as Vincent. Rumors there he Mick Jagger's love child !
The brother and sister in this documentary seem too clever and articulate for the average child they're age and at least two years ahead of other children their age.
The local school cannot accommodate them because they are so far ahead for the ages they are,so maybe secondary school could accommodate them better then a transfer to a college .
They definitely have very high IQ .
You'll see that's common trait in homeschooling. They're not high IQ, they only seem so as they can follow their passion, which leads to greater understanding
Dude at 02:41 looks like Mick Jagger!
Probably born circa 1969?
More like Bill Bruford
I think he looks like Theo Von and first thought he was a young Theo😂
It raises some interesting points. I do wonder what would have happened if the Watsons were more middle class, would they have got less hassle?
There are pros and cons to both though especially as I think schools are better - not great but better than they were- at picking up on learning disabilities and mental health problems. I was slightly concerned that the little brother and sister seemed judgemental of other kids, just because they wanted to play and be frivolous. The other wee girl seemed to be flourishing but she was probably going to face similar issues when she tried to socialise or went into the workplace. I think the Watsons could support and help her but not all parents could. Schools are facing a problem of children not being toilet trained- those parents are not going to home schooling. So to me it ' s not that it should be home education or school, it' s that learning is not confined to academic subjects. We need parents, grandparents etc to want to teach their kids and spend time with them, whether it' s history or gardening, we need schools doing after school clubs, we need youth clubs, forest schools, museums, local libraries, scouts and guides, and at a later stage apprenticeships, evening classes and training schemes.It' s not just a binary of school or home education. Kids need a lot of adults helping them. Less focus on curriculums and exams and more on bringing up future adults and preparing them for the challenges of adult life.
The kid at 2.32 looks like mick jagger.
COVID quashed any delusion that I could home school my children. Interesting documentary though - it's nice to see parents showing a concern for their childrens' education.
That wasn't home schooling.
Every father wore that type of jacket then
Back in the 50s i remember my mother took time to make sure i could read, count to a hundred before going to school. I was bored shi*tless at school,
22:53 I like this man, he's honest and intelligent.
I wouldn't have my child in any uk school these days with all the gimmigrants 😮😮😮
❤home-schooling all the waaay❤
Didn't mind it. A lot better being at home.
schools need three things. education. religion and discipline.
Young Mick Jagger.
They were brave. You still have to be brave these days and know your rights etc but its clear the family from the North East were really up against it. I wonder how their story turned out.
There’s one issue that hasn’t been addressed either on the program or the comments. If parents are going to abuse their kids, it’s far easier if there aren’t prying teachers’ eyes keeping an eye. It happened during COVID with a couple of very high profile deaths of tiny children due to abuse and no one else noticing. I am a retired teacher. There’s the joke that teachers have to put on a number of different hats including being a social worker - but schools have a legal responsibility to document any cause of concern for a kid’s welfare, make referrals and follow up. Take the school away, you take away that safety net.
Children are abused in schools and it's overlooked. My SEN son was traumatised by the education system and I can never forgive them for that even though he's a young adult now. He was a school refuser and one time left the school and they didn't even realise until the end of the day and called me hours later. This is a boy who regularly threatened to 'off' himself, was impulsive and was vulnerable to coercion so not really a safe situation.
I reported it to Ofsted, they did not care as it "Wasn't a whole school matter" I'll never understand how safety of pupils is not a whole school matter but there we are, the systems aren't fit for purpose and vulnerable kids are vulnerable regardless!
Funny 😀.
In the seventies nobody wanted to disclose abuse , it was always turned a blind eye to and disbelieved , made excuses for etc .
Nobody actually did anything to help children. My friends /peers were all.aware of how adults despised children except those few who were well behaved and top of the class .
Covid forced children to stay at home, even if their parents weren't happy with that, whereas normal homeschooling is a choice. Some parents would obviously cope far better with it than others.
Schools must be designed so that both parents go to work to pay taxes ..
That's not what schools are for.
@ I mean there designed so that both parents can work, making it more beneficial for the gov because both parents can pay taxes and work, because that’s all we are numbers and tax payers
@@mavicone5845 Mary is a brainwashed leftie 💯 %
@@marywhite4857that’s exactly what schools are for!
But if they don't go to school how else are they going to learn how to handle guns😮
the parents are doing the best for them
The Dad looks like Rolf Harris.
It's just as well I never chose to be a parent - I would've been rubbish...homeschooled them, and let them watch cartoons all day!
Can't be good for the kids though. No socialising etc...
That must be the most annoying comment people have constantly come up with over the years.
@josephinestecak4945 Truth isn't annoying.
@WillScarlet1991 but it is not the truth, just the same old first thing that comes to people's minds about home schooling. We didn't shut them in a cupboard hidden from the world for goodness sake.
@josephinestecak4945 So who do they socialise with when they're on their break?
@@WillScarlet1991 it does not have to operate like school with set lesson times and break times over each day. You can "socialise" any time not set to a time table. Many children are not enjoying the school break times but wander the playground on their own with no friends. Seen it over the years and personally know of, so done with this thread now.
A lot of the problem can be laid at the feet of the teaching profession. The Labour Party pander to the teachers, government ministers have been teachers in a previous life. Tony Blair once stated 'Teachers only teach to the level of their own Independence.
Oh so it's just the labour party's fault. Don't forget on whose watch school buildings started to collapse
'Pander to the teachers' What do you mean by that?
The curriculum at school is very fixed and the government controls that.
Losing out on making friends...all the collective memories and fun.
Taking alot of a kids life taking them out of school.
That is utter rubbish, in schools children are scolded for chatting to other children and now they are segregated according to their class in the playgrounds. Home educated children attend multiple meetups with lots of children on a regular basis where they are free to chat and play in all age groups no bells, no scolding and no segregation.
Good socialisation comes from confidence and having a strong bond with their parents!!
How do I know all this?
I'm a mother of two very confident extremely social home educated girls who will walk into a room with 100's of children they don't know and come out an hour later with smiles on there faces and names of children they can't wait to see again🙂
Home Education is the best choice we have ever made!!
Your school did not teach you that a lot is two separate words.
Missing out on social interaction
shut up...
That is utter rubbish, in schools children are scolded for chatting to other children and now they are segregated according to their class in the playgrounds. Home educated children attend multiple meetups with lots of children on a regular basis where they are free to chat and play in all age groups no bells, no scolding and no segregation.
Good socialisation comes from confidence and having a strong bond with their parents!!
How do I know all this?
I'm a mother of two very confident extremely social home educated girls who will walk into a room with 100's of children they don't know and come out an hour later with smiles on there faces and names of children they can't wait to see again🙂
Poor teacher Sarah 😂
Haa - that would've suited me fine!
Great!
Parents poisoning their children about school
Depends on the school and the ethos etc.. Its hard work homeschooling but nowadays I totally understand why they do. I have to watch like a hawk what my kids learn in school especially when schools are seeping into curriculum infinite genders, and how you can choos e your gender and insist on being called they , and the world is going to burst into flames due to climate channge agendas etc..I have seen this first hand. Even our libraries are full of this crap have a good look in a childrens section around dewey no 551.6 and see whats there etc...yes it is in our curriculum
What rubbish, most children were poisoned by the school, that's why they are out! Don't worry not that many people like their children enough to have them with them constantly, so the schools won't close in the near future!
Parents should be at work and their children should be at school
shut up, we dont all want to be bigotid morons... the law allows for home education.
😂😂 children shouldn't be with strangers all day.
I'm a stay at home, home educating mother that is my JOB!!
@@bexhill8777well said 👏