Hello, I’m Eva, the mum behind the Little House in the Rolling Hills. I’m so glad that you stopped here, please grab yourself a cup of tea, have a read and be inspired to slow down and take time to enjoy your family and life!
You can start here to read a little more about our family journey to home educate our children and to help them to grow in wisdom and knowledge.
2014 study by the American Psychological Association revealed that the average reported stress in children during the school year exceeds that of adults. Children cannot learn under stress.
The Call of the Wild and Free by Ainsley Arment
I dare say that there is not even a single parent who, when sending their children to school, dreams of them being as stressed as an adult! This was not my dream when my 4-year-old daughter marched to school for the first time. Rather, I was thinking about an idyllic extension of the family, where children learn about reality through play, shape their interests, nurture their curiosity about the world, which then will naturally develop into a desire to acquire knowledge, and the teacher takes care of every problem, small or large. Yes, I know that even in the family it is not always so idyllic, but this was my vision of what I wanted for my children.
So what went wrong?
There is no simple answer to this question, but there were things I have noticed.
One of the phenomenon that soon began to strike me in my children attending school was post-school fatigue, which manifested itself in bad temper and quarrels. English school lasts more or less from 9 to 3.30pm, mornings are ordered to going to school and by the time you return from school it is at least 4pm. So on average, during the day of 12 hours when children are awake, 8 is subordinated to school. And when they come back from school they are not in a best of moods. Now add homework, clubs, and meetings with schoolmates – how much time is left for the family?
And the holidays? In the UK, I can’t take my kids on holiday when I like! No… I have to ask the school headmaster for permission… what??? So whose child is this? Mine or the headmaster? I could write about it for a long time…
After a few years in the school system, another problem arose related to language. Our native one… The more time the children spent at school, the less they wanted to speak my language. They wanted to be like their friends. Eventually, it came to the point that they only spoke English among themselves. Perhaps I could send them to Saturday school where they would be taught in the native language, as many family friends do. But that would mean even more time away from home.
And next… the school curriculum, specifically its parts related to various types of sexual education. I believe that children should not be educated about sex in schools. Young children do not need such direct knowledge at all, and older children should talk in a safe atmosphere in the family, not at school, with their parents who know them best and understand their personality and sensitivity. I understand that there may be children who do not have such a safe family, but the question arises: where do broken families come from? Isn’t one of the factors the decline of moral customs in society and the too early exposure of young people to topics that are more complicated than the statement that sex is pleasant (this is a real quote from a lesson that our local primary school taught 9-year-olds). But, as long as I could exclude children from sex education, I thought the school was safe.
At the same time …
I met a family who home educated their children. My initial feelings were very neutral: just an interesting way, but not for me. With time, I met more families who taught children at home and I noticed that their children definitely could not be called a recluse, and they have quite a lot of opportunities for fun activities. These parents, were spending more time with their children then us.
Slowly, slowly, the topic of home education began to appear to me as a lifestyle conducive to family life. I got interested in the topic. I read about it: books, articles, blogs (mainly American at the time). I learned about different methods, styles and the legal side, which is different in each country and is constantly changing. For example, in Germany it is not allowed to educate at home, in France, home learning was a free choice of the parent until 2022, after which the French government introduced difficulties and restrictions. How bizarre…
Finally in December 2020, when my 2 youngest boys were in Year 1 and Year 3 the decision was made…
We took them off the school register.
3 years have passed and not only haven’t I regretted my decision for a moment but something else changed. Back at the beginning, fearing that we might not succeed, I thought that we would try until the end of the school year and see what happens, absolutely no longer than the end of primary school! Today we are considering various options for secondary school, one of which is continuing to study at home. This is called the evolution of views….
To sum up, home education is a lifestyle that allows you to spend more time with children, observe their development, get to know and help develop their interests and passions. Children learning at home have time to become familiar with various areas of knowledge and skills and at the same time delve deeper into the topic that interests them the most. They are not running in an endless race – quickly, quickly to the car, to the school gate, to the next reading level, to the next half-term break, to the holidays, to secondary school, to university… When it comes to their spiritual and personal development, homeschooling allows you to raise children in accordance with your own beliefs and faith. And did I mention that the Science Museum in London is not crowded at all during week school hours?
I know that there are parents who knew from the very beginning that homeschooling was the only option and they had no major doubts about it. However if you are one of those people who are hesitant and don’t feel sure about the entire idea, I hope my story is inspiring. And even if you still think that you cannot homeschool your children, I would like you to stop here anyway, there will be plenty of ideas that you can adapt for your timetable. After all whether we officially home educate or not most parents want the same things for their children: their personal happiness and academic growth.