Why Parents Choose Homeschooling:
Exam Pressure

If you're starting homeschool, one reason may be that you're worried about the amount of testing and exam pressure put on your child by school from such a young age.

The number of homeschooling children increased by 74% from 1999 to 2007.

During exactly that same period, the amount of testing in schools rose enormously.

Escaping that pressure may be partly why parents chose homeschooling.

It's extraordinary to think that my father, one of the homeschooling pioneers, worried about that too! 

And his warnings about how too many exams can put you off learning for life carry even more weight given that he suffered from it himself on the long race to that pinnacle of academic success, Oxford University.

The educational wisdom of today is even more test-bound than in my father’s time. So that's another reason to feel certain your decision to start homeschooling is the right one.

A Pioneer Homeschool Dad

Being a homeschooling Dad is pretty rare nowadays - so it's nice to hear what it was like to be one of the first!

I am the youngest of six children, so when my parents started homeschooling it won't be a surprise to hear that Mom had her hands full.

At one stage she had three children still in nappies!

So my Dad volunteered to teach my eldest brothers, Will and Harry.

They were taught at home until Will was 8 and Harry was 6.

If you're starting homeschool, I've no doubt you'll be debating why parents choose homeschooling and what methods to use with your children.

Except, of course, he did the one thing that's the secret to success:

He encouraged his childrens' interests.  Whatever they were interested in, he was interested in.

My Dad's Education

This is even more fascinating when you think that my Dad came from an achiever-oriented family. (That's a polite way of saying: 'pushy parents!')

He went to school age three, wearing a little red coat and wetting himself on the way.

He began working for his first scholarship at age nine (!) and had already taken twenty or more serious exams by the time he went to Oxford University.

How appalled he would be to see how many tests and exams the educational system nowadays has pushed on our children.

He had also suffered greatly from something which many school children face. Here is what he had to say about it:

I think homeschooling parents can also feel a similar pressure for their children to 'do well', especially as society sees it as a reflection of the success of their homeschooling.

It's a pressure I feel myself!  Luckily I have my husband Rob to put things back in balance.

Working out what your homeschooling goals are isn't easy.  But it's one of the most vital steps you can take in building a happy homeschool.

Exam Pressure

When Dad came to write about his time at Oxford, he put his finger on the great educational delusion:

In fact, by the time he got to Oxford, Dad: "sank in the grass like a runner at the end of a long-distance race," and learned basically nothing at all. 

This is even more worrying, because there is even more testing and exams nowadays than there was in his.

I feel so pleased my children have escaped all this!  And if you're thinking of homeschool, one of the benefits may well be that you can shelter your children from all this pressure.

Having suffered himself so badly,  Dad was always urging us not to do homework during the times we were at school.

After my eldest brothers Will and Harry went to school age 6 and 8 to give time for Dad to be a poet, he stepped back into the frame to teach George at home when George ran into problems at high school.

The way he taught my brother George was quite different to the methods he used with Will and Harry. And it wasn't the way I was homeschooled.  My Mom did that.

Find out how their methods might help you in Part Four of my free Start Homeschooling Guide.

More Help For You

My Dad's experience of Oxford shows that we need to think carefully about what we are hoping to achieve by homeschooling.

My series of Courageous Homeschooling Handbooks have reassurance from 2,000 homeschoolers that all works out fine in the end and answers questions like how much schedule you need, which curriculum is best and how to cope with bad days.

It's for you whether you are new to homeschooling or in need of some fresh ideas.

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