Comments on: Schooled but educated at home.

By: Libby

Libby — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:14:36 +0000

Hi. I am still reading your blog. Not sure if you remember me. I met you whilst you were training to be bfc. Anyway, I had my 3rd child, a little boy, 4 weeks ago and he is lovely. Slightly off the subject, you say there are too many nurses. Is that right? Oh dear - I was thinking of retraining as a nurse in about 5 years time. Not worth it do you reckon?

By: dottyspots

dottyspots — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:16:12 +0000

I missed large chunks of my final few years at school, but feel I learned more in those few years then I ever did whilst there (although I used to skive to read in the pub

By: Sarah

Sarah — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 06:18:44 +0000

This is exactly how I’d describe myself, too. Although actually to me my schooling was far more than that in terms of support I got from it during my teens, but academically schooling was incidental. Which is why I’m quite happy for my children to be at school if they want to be, even if I consider it a waste of their time. They used to waste a lot of time when they were wholly HEd as well

By: Liz in Australia

Liz in Australia — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 23:18:44 +0000

My DH is a successful computer programmer who is almost entirely self-taught. He has been learning computer languages since he was 14 (24 years). He still never stops learning new things about programming. He went to university to do a computer science course then dropped out after six months - it’s never harmed his career in the least. Whereas I have a degree in history that is of absolutely no use to me whatsoever these days (except to make my qualifications look slightly more impressive when writing home ed registration applications). I don’t see any future in which I will find it materially useful, either!

I don’t regret getting my degree, though, because it has been useful in the old model of a liberal arts degree - it taught me to think. But if you don’t go to school you don’t need to re-learn how to think, because you never get dumbed down in the first place. So whether my kids go on to further study or not is not an issue for me - I want them to follow their passions, whatever they are, and I don’t value uni and formal education over and above any other path.

I liked your example about Tudor history. My husband is a re-enactor, so our kids are growing up around people who don’t just follow their passions, they dress up in them on the weekends and hang out with a whole bunch of other people with funny names who do the same thing *g* I think that if one is that way inclined, involvement in something like the SCA or other historical reenactment groups is infinitely more useful than any history degree, because it’s real and immersive - just like life, really… *g*