‘I would describe us as an unschooling family’: Meet the parents embracing homeschooling

But there is a whole other cohort, for whom the school calendar has little relevance as they are educated at home — or “un-schooled”— and only have their own household timetables to abide by.

There are over 1,800 homeschooled children on the official register, but it is estimated that this figure is much higher. And while many got a taste of homeschooling during the pandemic, since its onset, the number of officially registered homeschooled children rose by almost 25%.

Anna Uí Dhálaigh, who lives in Wicklow with her husband Peadar and children Ariana, Oisín, and Aonghus, is one parent who found the whole experience so positive that she decided to continue.

“I would describe us as an unschooling family,” she says. “We initially bought the workbooks but then took a leap of faith and let the children take the lead. So, we now structure around their interests, meeting up with friends, sports and field trips — and learning the basics such as reading, writing, time, and money.

“We are now coming into our fourth year and it feels very natural and normal.”

The mother of three, who runs mobile art classes for children (@basecampartstudio), says everyone is benefitting from the experience.

“We have connected better as a family and learning has become a lot more natural,” she says. “Our children really blossomed and we can’t imagine anything changing for the foreseeable future.

“Ariana became interested in sewing and is quite the seamstress — and she has a big passion for creative writing so spends a lot of time creating stories. Oisin loves gymnastics and is part of a competitive team. He loves reading stories and writing.

“We didn’t do any phonics or instructional reading but he just learned from listening to us read to him. Aonghus loves sports, so it’s great to give him the freedom to move as much as he needs. We facilitate our children’s passions as much as possible and when we need support we call on friends, family and the internet.

“The Irish Education System is set up so well for dipping back in — so the option is always there for the kids to try school, but so far they seem very happy.”

Fellow home educator, Ann Teehan agrees as she and her partner Will began “un-schooling” their eldest child when she was 16 after she began to feel anxious at school.

“We started in 2015 when our eldest was suffering from anxiety and the school were absolutely no help,” she says. “We were totally lost and not sure what to do but after attending an Unschooling Conference and hearing Pat Farenga speak, we saw that school is not the only place to learn and grow. So we let Beth ‘de-school’ and then she found her own interests and followed them.

“After Beth, came Isaac, who has always chosen to go to school and is going into TY. Fia also started school but became very anxious after a very bad experience with a teacher and she came out in first class. She was unschooled for five years and then choose to go back last year. We found a fabulous local school and she loves it. She was well able to do all the maths work and English, was not in any way ‘behind’, and the teacher always comments on how creative and independent she is. She still struggles with anxiety but the school are amazing and help us so much.”

“Our youngest, Tessa has never been to school and is happy to continue that for now.” The mother-of-four, who runs an online shop called www.anniepooh.ie says a typical day in her household could involve art, baking, playing on the trampoline, Minecraft, UNO or Cluedo — and the experience has been totally positive for the family so far.

“There are so many pros, but the main one for us, is that it eliminates school anxiety and they have the freedom to slow down and develop as a whole person,” she says.

“Our kids are learning all the time without realising it so they don’t have a negative association with learning. Critical thinking and problem-solving is encouraged because we allow them the time to figure things out, and to delve deep into things they find interesting. They learn so much this way and we really haven’t come across any cons so far.”

"FULL CONSIDERATION"

Colm Byrne, principal of Holy Family National School in Rathcoole, Co Dublin, says parents should “give full consideration” to what they are undertaking.

“A parent has a constitutional right to educate their child outside of school,” he says. “However, my understanding is that this is not superseded by the child’s right to receive an appropriate and minimum education.

“So parents should give full consideration to the idea before arriving at any final decision. They should also engage with the Tusla Education Support Service, specifically the ‘Alternative Education Assessment and Registration Service’.”

Byrne says that while all home-schooling arrangements must be approved by and registered with Tusla, parents are not under any obligation to follow the curriculum.

But they should feel confident that they will be supported and advised on any queries they may have regarding their child’s education.

“There is no requirement to deliver the National Primary Curriculum once you can deliver a minimum education or engage in processes which allow your child to ascertain minimum levels of learning.

“Parents should feel confident that the State is there to ensure that the minimum standard of education which includes their moral, physical, social and emotional development is being delivered by that parent to their child,” he says.

Many people cite a lack of social interaction as one of the downsides of home-schooling but clinical psychologist, Dr Malie Coyne says this is not a common problem. “Outsiders may get the impression that parents who home school their children choose to remain at home all the time — but this is not the case,” she says.

“Many engage in peer activities — and many home-educating communities organise meet-ups and educational trips to broaden children’s minds and offer them social opportunities with like-minded families.

“Also, research shows that children who are home-schooled seem to do as well as school-educated children in terms of intellectual achievements. I see alternative schooling as a personal choice for families depending on their value systems. And I don’t believe that it negatively impacts on the long-term growth of children compared with traditional schooling.

“I think it’s all about personal choice but personally feel that it’s a more viable option with primary school children as older children have a need to be with their peers, which isn’t as easily organised [with that age group].”

FACTS FROM THE HOME EDUCATION NETWORK

• Home Education is legal in Ireland and is ‘enshrined in the Irish constitution’.
• In 2000, the Irish Government brought in a registration system for home-educated children aged between 6 and 16, with teenagers usually staying on the register until 18 years of age.
• No formal teaching qualification is necessary to home educate and there is no need for a curriculum, formal lessons, or a designated classroom.
• If the student wishes to sit formal examinations, arrangements can be made through the V.E.C, Adult Education classes or state examinations can be taken by registering with a school the January before the summer exams.

For more information, see:

• www.henireland.org
• www.tusla.ie 
• www.education.ie
• www.examinations.ie