Suburbanmummyuk's Blog

Education is something that makes me feel a little stressed, it also ignites a passionate side of me. I don’t want to be a teacher though. I just would of liked the opportunity to actually have an education within the system. I would of liked to of been able to be in social situations and learned how to have a conversation. I would of liked perhaps to of learned at home properly. I would of just liked a education.

Recently on my twitter stream I see the term unschooled come up. It’s not a new term to me it’s something I’ve been aware of for a long time. And I don’t like it, but I don’t hate it.

If you look at my childhood, it would be plain obvious I was unschooled perhaps as people have said in the past “neglect” From a very young age I could read, I suspect this had something to do with growing up in a bookshop and my family passionate readers. By the age of 4-5 I had no idea about school no idea I didn’t even know it existed.

I started Ballet at 6 and it was held in the local school, I will never forget walking in through the door with my sister and seeing paintings on the walls by children and lots of toys and it looked like so much fun, I touched a few things and looked all around and suddenly ballet seemed boring what was this building?

Next day I asked to go back to the school, And was told no. No? But why?

The day after that I took myself for a walk down to the school and stood outside the school it was playtime. I couldn’t believe my ears and eyes so many children all having so much fun in their maroon uniforms. I raced up the steps and ran into the playground and stood there children racing around me. I was so happy. I felt a hand on my shoulder and a woman crouched down next to me and said “do you go to this school? Where is your uniform?” School uni-what “No” I said and she said “well you can’t stay here” and she walked me back down the steps and shut the gate. I walked along and stood looking back up into the playground watching the children and then the bell rang and they all went and it was silent. Where had they gone?

I went home and said “I went to school, and I wasn’t allowed to stay I needed a uniform and a bag” I was told that I wouldn’t be going to school there was no point, and to go and play. I didn’t want to play I wanted to go to school.

I went to my room and found a little canvas bag and I put some clothes in it, and I went back out again to the school and stood outside, no children but now there were parents lots of them, slowly, slowly children started coming and going. I watched them coming out with their paintings and their friends and I wanted to do that so, so badly. But I knew I wouldn’t

I asked again when I got home if I could go to School and was told again “there is no point, you don’t need to go”

I was taught the very basics reading, writing and simple simple maths, and about the romans which I found really boring and didn’t listen, so that soon ended.

I wasn’t sent to school until I was 13 and I was ONLY sent because my parents were in the middle of a bitter divorce and my mother wanted me out of the way and decided school was the best place.

I was desperately excited despite being 13 mentally I would of placed me at 10 I was beyond naive and immature still am actually I was placed in a class where everyone had already established friendships. No one wanted to be my friend and to make matters worse my mother had bought boys shoes for me and a long ankle length pleated skirt where the actual uniform was knee high and plain. I really stuck out.

My first ever lesson the bell rang I got up and left and went to my next class, I didn’t realise I had to be told when I could leave, I didn’t realise I couldn’t just leave and get a drink, get something to eat if I wanted. I’d never really had any structure in my life in education

The next day I didn’t want to go back everyone had laughed at me and called me stupid I cried my eyes out my family was falling apart and now my dreams of going to school where not at all what I expected. The girls in my class had bought me some perfume and some hair scrunchies and they brushed my hair and styled it they showed me how to wear my hair differently I had no idea. I took home my goodies and had them confiscated by my mother who said they were trying to change me and there was nothing wrong with how I was.

To say school was hard for me for 3 years would be a understatement. I left with 5 GCSES and only 1 with a good grade.

As an young adult I found it incredibly hard to talk to people I never started a conversation unless spoken to and to this day I rarely speak to people I don’t know until they initiate it. Once the barrier is down I am very open and happy to chat. I am still terrified of learning new things and especially maths. In Australia I hired a private maths tutor I was about 25 she placed my level of maths at the age of 6 by todays standards and said she was amazed that I had got this far in my life without knowing more. I cried nearly every lesson and by the time I got to my fractions lessons I could barely cope and ended it. I stopped studying at home because I was to embarrassed to ask Unal for help, and I felt like I was wasting my teachers time.

To this day I avoid maths I leave everything to Unal, I still get incredibly muddled and almost have a panic attack if I am alone and have to work something out.

I totally disagree with unschooling for a child’s entire education how can they be expected to go out into the “REAL” world and get a decent job with no formal education? It’s all fine while they are little say until the age of 7 where learning through play and what they do in their daily activities but then what? Why do people want to set up their kids to be challenged as adults?

I could talk about this for a long time. But really I think I have got my message across I’d love to hear lots of opinions about this across the board.