The right for parents to homeschool their children is something I am always willing to defend, even if it means jumping out of bed before dawn on holiday to do so.
Therefore when GB News asked me to join their breakfast show with Anne and Stephen at 6.20am, I had no hesitation at all in setting my alarm.
School is exactly the right place for the vast majority of children to be, to learn and to thrive. However, for some children, for a multitude of different reasons, school is simply the wrong environment. Occasionally, their wellbeing and their future depend upon being removed from an environment which is toxic for them, in order to be able to reset and progress in calmness, their learning led by a person who has only their best interests at heart.
Who would want to stand in the way of that?
I found it necessary to home-school my older son for year seven of his school career (age 11-12) in order to bridge the gap between two schools. It wasn’t easy by any means but it was absolutely the right thing to do at the time. It wasn’t something I had ever intended to do, but it was necessary at that moment.
I had the confidence to take on the challenge, as a former teacher of French and German and with a secure support and social network around me.
To anyone with less confidence I would say: back yourself. If you really want to do this, and if you know it is the best choice for your child, you will work it out.
View the clip here…
Joanna Reeves 