Why my children are home educated. (Part 1.)

A friend once asked me if I was 'Unconventional'. My initial response was 'No'. After all, I have a mortgage and an overdraft,I live in a terraced house in a suburb of a reasonably large town, I shop for groceries at the supermarket, before I had children I worked 9-5 (well, ok, eventually I worked 10 -6 thanks to horrendous rush hour train fares and a sympathetic boss) in a job that I had attained with qualifications worked for at various educational establishments etc, etc. Not much different about me really.

But, then I thought a little more, and once I scratched the surface, I found myself agreeing with her assessment. There are aspects of my life that are very conventional, but there are many where I am not at all one to follow the herd.
I realised as I thought about this that 'conventional' and 'unconventional' are mindsets, different ways of thinking with different views on the world. I often do not realise that something is out of the ordinary until it is pointed out by someone else. Simple things, like my choice of a very, very bright yellow for my kitchen walls, can be 'unconventional' because they don't follow the current fashion or are not seen very often, never mind that my reasons (yellow goes well with the red floor tiles, the strong colour helps an otherwise very dark room appear more cheerful and I have a personal liking of bright colours) are perfectly rational and practical, suited to the unique situation.

Now, I quite like the idea of being unconventional. I like the idea that I am capable of original thought, that I feel can do things my own way without being restricted or restrained by the opinions of others, that I can stand my ground and carry on the way I think I should in the face of opposition, that I am a unique individual whose unique interests, thoughts and ideas are a part of the sheer variety that makes this life so well worth living. I don't mind following conventional routes when they make sense to me but I don't want to be forced to follow them when I think another way would be better.

By far and away the most 'unconventional' thing I have done is to home educate my children. Even within the home education community, a minority in itself, I am not in the majority because I had decided this was going to be the course I planned to take long before I ever had any actual children to educate.
I was a teenager when I first came across the concept. I don't recall exactly when or where I first learned of it, but I do know that by the time I was 15, and watching a TV documentary on the subject, I was well aware of it as an option and found the programme more interesting for it's highlighting of the different methods the families employed rather than for the information on the legal position, socialisation, future prospects etc. I do know that to my 15 year old self, home education seemed by far and away the sanest and most caring way of educating a child and I had resolved, long before my own (school) education ended, that it was the course I would take with my children, if I had any, should it be at all possible.

Fast forward 20 years. I have 2 young children, one of compulsory education age. I have a husband who was relatively easily convinced of the benefits of Home Education within months of our first child's birth. We have a house we can afford on a single salary (so far). And I have an unpaid, full-time day-and-night job that leaves me with little time to call my own but which gives me more satisfaction than my 10-6 job ever did. My 'unconventional' teenage desire has turned into a very practical adult decision.
I parent my children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and I will continue to do so for the forseeable future. I am a Home Educator.