Yesterday I trawled my way through the Badman review on home education. I am still digesting some of it, but on the whole I am shocked, really shocked at how much misunderstanding there is about the life choice of home edding (which is perfectly legal in this country).
I never question peoples rights to make choices, they may choose to be vegetarian, they may choose to follow a certain religion, they may choose to dress entirely in pink for the rest of their lives, they may choose to send their kids to school....that's their right to 'choose'.
It is our right to choose to home-ed our child.
Why do other people feel they have a right to question, probe and generally brow beat us and other home-edders about this choice? If I had a quid for every time some 'well meaning' peep interrogated (that's how it feels) us about this choice I'd be rivaling Richard Branson.
Those of you who completed the consultation earlier this year, know already just how intrusive the information they want is. It was also clear from the questions, that they were heading in this direction.
Social services have made some errors, missed some stuff - no-one can deny that - so why are we being used as scapegoats? Why am I as a home-edding parent under more suspicion of possible opportunities of child abuse than any other parent? My child is more in the 'public' gaze than a kid closeted in a class room for 6 hours a day.
Why does the fact that I educate my child, at my own expense, making sure that he has the tools he needs to become a self-sufficient, reasonable human being mean that they want the right to question him (without his parents being present) as if we are already guilty of doing something wrong? They want to have a register of us each year, and if we move we have to tell them, we have to justify ourselves to 'them' every year? Isn't that what they do to known sex offenders?
All I want is what is best for my child.
School is not right for every child.
I thought we lived in a free country, a democracy? Why does it feel like a chapter from '1984'?
Why are the govt undermining the right of parents (any parent, home-ed or no) to raise and parent our kids? They can't run a country - what makes them think that as parents we are as incompetent as them?
As someone with a degree in Childhood and Youth Studies, I find it amazing that other professionals are taking a wonderful piece of legislation like the UNCRC and trying to use to their own means - has it crossed their minds that although the UNCRC allows children the rights they should have automatically as human beings, it will also give them the right to refuse to be questioned by officials, the right to request a child advocate to sit with them at any interview. If it comes down to this being passed as law - my child will have an advocate, my child will know he has the right to say 'no comment' to anything he does not 'choose' to answer. My child will not be brow beaten and intimidated by strangers - official ones or not.
Please take the time to visit this blog http://reflectionsinthegreenhouse.blogspot.com/
read Dani's post (I want to be Dani when I grow up). She puts it so well.
Read Badmans report. It is kind of shocking.
If you feel it is wrong.....please speak out, have a voice, be heard.
How long before they start questioning other choices we make?
I didn't realise the fascists had got parliamentary seats in the UK govt already.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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