Home Educating Foster Carers?

[Sienna-forever]

Hi,

We have a 3 year old son, and are currently applying to become foster carers (in the UK).

I had been 'keeping an open mind' about home educating VS School, but after an 'introduction day' at school today, I really am thinking that home education is going to be better for my son, and for us as a family.

I know as foster carers, we would have a duty to take the foster children to school if they are attending.

But, would it be possible to home educate our son, at the same time as being foster carers?

Does anybody here do that? How do you manage your time? Do you feel that your child gets enough time, and opportunity to learn? What about if you are fostering babies, toddlers who take up a lot of your time? Can you still home educate if you have children of different ages/abilities at home?

I *think* I would still be able to set time aside for him, and know that at the moment, he is learning through play, days out etc.
But I think I'd be more concerned as he gets older, about providing more one on one time, to sit down and maybe follow a curriculum.

Any advice/ tips from home educating foster carers would be really appreciated.

[heatherdeg]

I kept my bio home while fostering. But he was really preschool age at the time and I didn't push too much in the way of academics. He also had a dx in the autism spectrum and keeping him out of a classroom was a highly controversial thing (ya know--for the "socialization" kids in the spectrum so desperately need and apparently can only get in the classroom ) so I was worried about how CPS was going to view it.

Thankfully I had a good relationship with CPS at that point, so it wasn't an issue as long as I told them that I had no problem with getting the fks to school.

And if you have fks that are school aged and in school, I think you should be covered for time to teach your own kids whether you school-at-home (which you could do while the fks are at school) or unschool (in which case, fostering shouldn't really impact the kids learning).

[Sienna-forever]

Thats great thanks. I am feeling so much more confident about the idea of home schooling now.
I have found a forum for home educators in our city and they have been so welcoming, they arrange days out, activities for the children, lessons in spanish, computing etc. so I don't feel quite so isolated. Its good to know that my son can meet other children in our area who are learning at home, and that I have other parents to contact for advice.


We do so much together at home, baking, gardening, painting, music its amazing and I love the fact that he can be educated at home in a nurturing way. He is so sociable, but in his own time, I just don't think for him that socialising in a classroom with 30+ children would benefit him. He prefers being with smaller groups of children, he often has his friends/cousins round to play.

I still can't believe I thought school was the way to go for so long! Its all a bit of a revelation to me at the moment! I previously honestly thought i'd end up following the lead and put my son through the school system, but I'm so glad that I've changed my whole way of life and my attitude to so many things. Not only for my son, but for myself and us as a family.

[heatherdeg]

Well, heck! Join us over at Learning at Home and Beyond right here on MDC!

[Sienna-forever]

I've found Learning at home and beyond - its brill! And Diggin in the Earth too! And probably quite a few others too

[SundayCrepes]

Hey Sienna-forever, I just found you here. I'm an adoptive mom AND I do diggin' in the earth as well as the homeschooling thing. I've been all over Scotland, but nowhere else on your little island.

For the benefit of the homeschooling adoptive and foster moms, I want to put this link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIOogqa-5GA