A teacher once told me that you had to make it clear to children that there is no alternative to going to school because that’s just the way life is – after all, she had no alternative, she had to go to school everyday as her job to earn money to pay the bills.
If that teacher’s primary aim was to earn a living, she could start by looking for another job.
Plans, strategies and tactics are a means of attaining an end. I’ve always been a believer in having a plan B, and even plan C, and D. It doesn’t mean I lack determination or persistence, perhaps it means I have more.
If your aim is to get a good education, formal schooling is the common and most accessible Plan A… if it works. We hear all sorts of statistics about not completing school bringing life-long social and economic disadvantage, and it most probably will do if you don’t look for alternatives. Schools act as gatekeepers – certificates of school completion are the entry key to employment and further education.
So, when it became clear that formal schooling was not going to work for our children, I had to do some hard thinking and research and formulate desired outcomes and possible plans to get there.
Desired Outcomes
What exactly is it that you want for your children, that school is supposed to provide? The three primary purposes that schools are said to fulfill are – academic education, social skills and child-minding. This translates into…
- An education that means they are literate and can read critically and communicate in both written and oral forms, numerate with a grasp of common mathematical concepts, have basic scientific knowledge… and the interest and ability to explore further themselves. Different families will add their own preferences – music, sports, history, geography, art, manual arts, gardening, etc but these are extensions of the basic skills and if the school doesn’t do them, extra-curricular activities can be used to make up the shortfall.
- A place to meet people outside their family circle, make friends and explore new social situations.
- The credentials to gain access to further education or employment.
For most families, schools also provide a safe place for children to be while parents are at work.
There is another which some parents have – the old school tie network. Whether this is still a real benefit or merely a marketing device used by private schools to make people think they can pay for their children to “join the club” is a debate worth having.
Alternatives
For children for whom the the schooling system can’t provide these things, whatever the reason, alternatives need to be found. If you ask most school staff, including the guidance officers, you’ll probably get the same answer – there is no alternative. But there are…
Educational options include distance education, homeschooling and flexi-schooling. MOOCS are beginning to provide a vast array of material online. Some of these have been created for specific problems, eg distance for geographically isolated or children in hospital. Flexi-schools have been created for disadvantaged teens with problems and often use the distance education system. Some families home-school for various reasons.
There are also options aimed at adults returning to study – these include colleges, night school and so on. Some have restrictions by age but these can sometimes be overcome. Loopholes can sometimes be found.
Social options include clubs and interest groups, extended family. Some distance education schools and homeschool groups organise meet-up.
Credentials are the most difficult. Distance education run within the state system is one option. Some homeschool groups have managed to get their courses accredited but they tend to be very religious groups. Most states still run external examinations intended for adults returning to study.
These options change as institutions change their policies and offering so you need to ask, and ask again, until you find something. If the worst happens, you may need to wait until the child is 18 or 21, and then the options open up considerably. The reason for this is to maintain the schooling system’s monopoly as a gatekeeper.
I would urge officials in education departments and governments to ensure that there are sufficient options for all children.
