There's a teacher in the house

Dissatisfied with the pressures of the education system, parents are deciding to educate their children at home. Bullying, class size and coping with what some see as a restrictive school curriculum are among the reasons parents choose to dispense with school. According to the Home Education Network (HEN), increasing numbers of parents are making this choice, also citing the chance it gives for reaching individual potential, proceeding at a pace which suits the child and learning for life rather than a points system. HEN was established in November in order to provide information and support to the growing number of home educators around Ireland. Margaret Quaid, the network's treasurer, has five children aged seven years down to 16 months - all of whom she teaches at home. "It's very empowering," she says. "I had been there with my eldest child, Christopher, when he cut his first tooth, took his first step, said his first word, and I wanted to be the first to see him read.

"But I spent a long time trying to get information about home-schooling. In the end I made contact with a group called Sa Bhaile, which published a newsletter for home-schoolers. After being on the go for about 10 years, the group of parents who had been actively involved for so long decided to take a break; but because the demand is there, a group of us decided to set up HEN." Quaid incorporates her children's education into their daily lives. "I don't set aside time which is specifically for formal education. I let them dictate what they want to do. "Some days I get up and they're doing drawing, or maybe reading. But what they learn is all part of what's going on. For instance, we would learn about weighing as we're baking, or talk about geography if something came up about a country on the news. "Every parent educates their children informally all the time, and it is every parent's duty to do so. Parents who read with their babies are teaching them pre-reading skills, such as how to handle books and recognising the printed word has a meaning. "I find that the younger children are keen to learn the skills they see their older siblings picking up. "I wouldn't necessarily decide what they should learn, or when. My three-year-old announced last week she wants to learn to read, so we'll do that now."

Educating children at home may seem like quite a daunting task to many parents, if not a chaotic nightmare of kids all over the place for the entire day. "I was very nervous starting out," says Monica O'Connor, who has three boys aged three to 12. "I met someone who was a home educator when my eldest child Dara was about a year old, and the whole thing just made so much sense to me. But I was worried I wouldn't be able to do it. "It was through watching him grow that I realised just how readily children could learn. They are so absorbent, they pick up an astonishing amount all the time. "The standardised curriculum doesn't respect children as learners. I've done quite a few courses and we're much more respectful of the individuality of adult learners. "I don't believe in coaxing children to learn using a reward system; if they like it, they'll learn it. They actually love to learn, and it's magical watching a child completely absorbed in something, caught up in the love of finding out something new." Maeliosa O'Leary's eldest daughter Caoimhe, now nine, found it impossible to settle into school. The Department of Education suggested she try home-schooling. "They sent me out contact addresses for home-schoolers, and I started when Caoimhe was five," O'Leary says. "It worked incredibly well, so I've decided to stick with it with the other children."

Maeliosa has two other daughters, aged three and six, and a baby boy due next September. "Whether or not they go to school is their decision. Caoimhe decided to try school for a term when she was seven, but she wasn't happy. If any of the others would rather go to school, that's their choice."

Like the other home educators, O'Leary's children are very sociable, attending local clubs and mixing with children who come to play each day. "We reared them to be very independent and to take responsibility for what's going on in their lives. They have to deal with one another all the time, but they have plenty of opportunities to mix with other children as well."

All three mothers are considering sending their children to school at second level. "We wouldn't be able to afford the correspondence course for all our children, nor could we afford grinds for them all, and I'm not familiar myself with all the subjects at second level," O'Leary says. "And I would like them to go to secondary school. I'd feel it would be very important for them to mix with their peers at that stage."

Time out alone for the mothers can be quite a challenge at this stage, though. "I might get an hour on my own each week," Quaid says. "It is important to have time for yourself - you come back that bit refreshed. "It isn't always possible to find that time, but I have to say I don't really mind. I have great fun, and I find it's great for the children."

Margaret Quaid will give a seminar on home education at the Baby & Kids Show at the RDS, Dublin, May 1st to 3rd, each day at 1.30 p.m.