Working with in the Gambia

Posted on July 7, 2011 by TSW

Why should you send your children to school?

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Would I recommend Home Schooling?

Posted on April 28, 2011 by TSW

In 2001 almost 33% of students in the USA were educated at home. In fact government sources put this number at 1.5 million in 2007. Homeschooling it appears has been the fastest-growing form of education over the last two decades. According to Dr. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute (Worldwide Guide to Homeschooling) the growth rate is 7% to 15% per year. Within the UK that number is as high as 50,000 students at any one time. But is home schooling a good idea?
What are the disadvantages of home schooling?
There are many disadvantages to home schooling of which the most challenging is perhaps sustainability. It is easy to begin something but sustaining it over long periods can be very challenging.
The second problem is that of quality. Ensuring that the education being provided at home is equal to or better than that which is provided at school can also be a huge issue.
Finally the stresses and strains on a relationship in which parents and students are in each other’s company 24×7 can be very difficult for both parents and students.
Some people would site the cost or physically, emotionally, and financial demands it makes on a parent’s life.
Time is needed to prepare and teach lessons, and if one’s aim is to provide a high quality educational experience organising outside activities and field trips, and scheduling opportunities for the home schooled child to nurture his friendships and develop his interests.
Home schooling parents do not have the luxury of having time for themselves while their children are at school. This almost-constant time together can at times seem suffocating, and may not work for some families.
Another disadvantage of home schooling is the cost. Parents who choose to home school, as opposed to free public schooling, are primarily responsible for purchasing the curriculum needed, which can cost, on average, approximately $400 per child each year.
Capital costs for field trips, computer software, and materials for projects, as well as the many other resources available to parents are high because they are not generally shared resources as in a school. The cost can be even higher for those families where one parent has given up his or her full-time job to home school.
Another major disadvantage of home schooling involves the development of social skills as well as the challenge of developing multiple intelligences within a home environment where daily social interaction with peers is almost zero. In schools students share informally their views on teachers, social groups, lessons, solutions to problems, assignments and everyday problems. However when taken out of a negative social environment of which some people see schools as parents are now responsible for the social development of their children.
Parents now have to learn how to let their students develop relationships with their peers, and create opportunities for forming friendships of their choosing. At home too often parents invite friends around to interact with their students where in school students can form their own friendships which of course might be good or at times dubious.
This is not necessarily a problem for most families, but it takes more effort for home schooling parents to be diligent in making sure their children have ample opportunities to be with other children.
Students in schools however socialise with their peers in safe situations such as school clubs, events and activities appropriate for students of their age.
If one is considering home schooling for religious reasons rather than because a child is not doing well children might have the desire to start attending school. They may wonder what they are missing out on, especially if their parents don’t take the time to make sure they are involved in outside activities. This is difficult for parents who are committed to home schooling and are convinced that this is right for their family.
Of course home schooling has many benefits without specialist help the children one wants to keep safe and support can be hugely disadvantaged.
Our advice to parents thinking of home schooling would be to consider the problems then to seek advice from professionals before jumping for the frying man into the fire.

Want to make a success of home schooling?

Hunter Murray Education Consultants can support parents thinking of home schooling with in mediation with schools where problems exist, completing necessary forms and then with advice on how to get started. We can also assist you with program development, lesson planning, and assessment and the provision of resources.
If you are going to begin homeschooling make sure it is a success contact us today.

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School Uniform or not?

Posted on February 14, 2011 by TSW

I recently visited a London primary school where parents were gathering in groups and taking sides on the issue of school uniform. The Head Teacher wanted to introduce it into school for fairly standard reasons;

  • Save money on clothing
  • Uniforms will cut down on teasing and cliques
  • schools will be safe from outsiders
  • Parents will no longer have to buy designer labels
  • Uniforms will separate the public schools from the private schools.

The vast majority of parents however stood against the idea suggesting that;

  • Uniforms ultimately cost more
  • Uniforms do not teach children how to deal with people who are different from them.
  • Cliques will still form.
  • It is impossible to prevent all outside intrusion
  • Children will still ask for designer labels for outside of school clothing. (Uniforms will not make this issue go away.)
  • If you need uniforms to distinguish between public and private schools it’s time to re-evaluate where your child is going.
  • Uniforms teach children that in order to get along everyone must conform to the same standards.

As the argument raged, and rage it did, parents added that as the children have to wear uniforms in their secondary schools it was good to have a period without uniforms. What nobody seemed to consider is the way students develop as individuals. Generally young children want to conform. They want to look like their best friends. They like to wear the same clothes and have a sense of belonging. In secondary schools students begin to find themselves, they begin to stand as individuals only wanting to look the same as others if that person fits into their group. Students at this age prefer choice in the way they dress even if that means they choose to dress for example as a goth as a way of showing their affiliation to their friends.

Once again however parental preferences fly in the face of child development. It is time that people chose sensible options which suit the maturation level and developmental stages of children. My advice for those parents was support the Head Teacher, accept uniforms for young children and then discuss uniforms in their next schools.

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Time to make a decision

Posted on February 13, 2011 by TSW

I have been fascinated recently by the changes in views of child development and have begun to question when parents whould begin to allow children to make their own decisions. This question is inspired by a scene I observed in a restaurant recently when a mother stood with her son discussing what he wanted to eat. Her starting point was, “What do you want?” The boy who was, maybe, two or three years old did not know and did not seem interested. When eventually his choices were not on the menu she began to read his options to him. During a lengthy conversation when he was clearly more interested in the nearby playroom she was persuaded to order two meals for him which as an interested party sitting at an adjacent table I was certain he could not eat. He did not. Both meals were left untouched and the child pecked at his mothers meal before they ultimately left the restaurant,

Is it reasonable to allow children to make their own choices in life when they are too young to understand exactly what they making decisions about? It might be argued that this was an example of bad parenting however I prefer to say it is an example of a disease that is spreading across our society. Children are being asked to make decisions they are not ready for. Of course they need to understand that they can make decisions about their lives but when for example a child will not eat anything but crisps, chips for my American friends, as I witnessed at a London school recently, then surely there is a need for somebody to take control of that child’s life. Saying no can become a habit and children who learn to do so before understanding that there are a lot of things to take into consideration when making decisions are in danger of making very unwise decisions and ultimately controlling their parents’ lives.

Decision making is an important skill which can only be learned over time. It is important that parents understand that they are responsible for their children and that means taking decisions for them. Children should be introduced to taking responsibility for their own lives slowly and at appropriate times. This if done properly might save parents a lot of heartache, upset and worry.

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Back to basics

Posted on February 8, 2011 by TSW

After working in the Gambia for a year we have returned to Spain and our core business. Education hasn’t changed much, old ideas are being revamped under bright new names often repackaged in glossy covers but essentially children are children, teachers are teachers and schools are schools. Most could do better and many are very poor. The coming year will be significant in the life of Hunter Murray. We have found a number of new associates whose credentials and experience make them superb additions to the HME team. We are looking forward again to supporting education anywhere and everywhere we can.

Finally with this last post I should add for those people who think I am being pessimistic there are, thankfully, many wonderful teachers and of course schools which are real examples of excellence which give one hope for the future of our world.

Posted in Broader Education, Schools | 1 Comment