chopera

The English private schools in Madrid have mainly Spanish pupils whose parents want them to be completely bilingual. Not sure about the ones elsewhere, but I suspect most of the foreign pupils who do attend British schools do so because they've moved to Spain at an older age, and haven't time to become fluent enough to attend a Spanish school. Denying them the option to attend a school that teaches in a language they speak seems a bit short sighted.

That said, the problem the OP will have is finding contact with other kids for the simple reason that they will be at school. Home schooling simply isn't common enough in Spain for there to be that many other home/schooled kids to meet. To me the social contact with other kids is the most important part of primary years - it's when kids learn to defend themselves, build relationships, learn to handle and overcome difficult social situations, etc. It's difficult to achieve that in Spain without sending your kids to a school.

EMR

Bear Gryls etc have a large production crew with the latest technology, helicopters and medical support if needed.
If you are so convinced give up all your western possesions and take your family and live in the amazon jungle.
I wonder how long you will live before returning to.the comforts that the education of others provides.
If you want to live like a rabbit on grass in a hole in the ground then do it, but you will not survive for long.

resa

It is fascinating how a group of adults have such strong opinions on a subject on which you have absolutely no knowledge, but simply a bunch of preconceived notions. Of course every one is entitled to an opinion, but that does not make said opinion relevant, and it most certainly does not make anything you have written correct. Rather than voice your (unsolicited) opinions, how about thinking a bit before you write your nonsense? You all seem very hung up on education, yet none of you seem capable of even researching the subject you speak so impassionately about.

Rather than putting others down and dismissing entire concepts over something you clearly have no knowledge, wouldn't it be smarter (not to mention nicer, more polite, just, oh you know, more 'socialized') to assume that parents who are interested in homeschooling have actually done their research and know what they are talking about? Try searching the big old web, and you will find many, many modern studies that show just what is wrong with the classical classroom setting, why children are not getting a good enough education in schools as most of them are set up today. You will find many examples of very well educated, successful families opting out of the traditional educational system in order to provide their children with a better alternative.

As in regards to socialization? Hm, you mean putting a group of kids, all the same age, in a room for 6 hours a day to study, and do as directed and as everyone else does, is socialization? You actually mean that to completely adapt to a group, to its codes and norms, to learn to dress as everyone else, think as everyone else and act as everyone else is good socialization? "Learning to deal with people, structure", 'learn to defend themselves (sic)" will certainly breed the empathetic, innovative, entrepreneurial, non conformist, courageous people the world needs. Yeah, good luck with that.

If you had any interest in learning about education, about what current research says on the merits of homeschooling, unschooling, progressive/alternative schools, democratic schooling, Montessori vis a vis traditional schooling, and not just in your specific ideas (clearly based on tradition, not progress) on what you believe constitutes a good education, it would have taken you all of five minutes to find some recent information. Clearly your schooling neither helped retain you thirst for knowledge and curiosity nor taught you how to do research.

Homeschooling is the new path to Harvard - Tech Insider
Inside the School Silicon Valley Thinks Will Save Education | WIRED
Inside the School Silicon Valley Thinks Will Save Education | WIRED
Elon Musk didn't like his kids' school, so he made his own small, secretive school without grade levels - Business Insider
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140...-homeschooling

Peter Pumpkin

They are not 'comforts provided by the education of others' they are comforts provided by a trafficked human being in a food processing factory or a sweat shop. Google human trafficking Spain. How do you think all those rare earths are mined for your gadgets which you put on the end of a stick so that you can take a picture of yourself? What do you think all the plastic, metal and chemicals that are required for your comforts do to your environment during the manufacturing process? How 'comfortable' will you be when you are chokiing on the smog of industrialisation when China is no longer poor? Don't worry, some clever geek would have invented a gadget to deal with that too right? How do you think our ancestors survived without bill gates, supermarkets, history lessons, exams, bunsen burners and goggles? What's wrong with each person growing their own food? Why do we have to ask others to do it for us? is that because we have more important things to do with our time? clearly not, as we are communicating on a forum designed for people who like to call themselves expats. Perhaps that explains why there is so much fury directed at someone who questions forced learning. Perhaps that explains all the 'we are so proud to be integrated yet we are talking on an expat forum business' perhaps that explains all the irish bars and the burger kings. Clearly I posted my question on the wrong forum. Don't you think it is possible that the reason why you are all so stupid is because you went to school? Have a Mchappy day to you all. I'm outta here.

cricketman

I doubt that he OP wants to learn anything at all really

He said that he was searching for a cooperative of parents that are involved in child-led education. This is exactly the kind of school my 4 year old goes to in Spain. Run and funded my parents, no teachers, only "child-enablers"

I asked him to PM me if he wanted details and he did not. So I think he is just using this thread as a rant, he it not interested in joining any Spanish cooperative of parents at all

Shard

Feeling a bit sanctimonious are we?

EMR

I would respect those who hold your views if you were not like the parisites that cling to trees feeding off the hard work and efforts of others.
I am sure that your laptop is built from only organic materials of your own design and manufacture.
That your clothes are homespun from grasses,leaves and bark.
You only eat what you can forage from hedgerows.
If not everything you do is a result of the efforts and the education of those around you or who came before you.
How are you getting to Spain, walking or swimming ?

scot47

The response "You are horrid and I am going to mplay with someone else now" says it all. I am reminded of Violet Elizabeth Bott in "Just William".

dmu

Gosh, a blast from the past!
Let's hope that the respective children of the Pumpkin and Resa families get on....

Shard

+1

snikpoh

... and the fact that it's not legal in Spain just gets ignored?

cricketman

To be fair, it is not illegal either

chopera

This might be hard for you, but if you bother to look closely at what I wrote, you might notice that I didn't offer an opinion for or against home schooling. I just said it's important for children to have social contact with other children, which might be difficult in Spain if you don't send your kids to a Spanish school. If you don't think it's important for children to have that social contact with other children then I'm interested in your explanation.

davidinspain

You come to the forum looking for some information and

scot47

................and then reject any posts that do not agree with your preconceived and erroneous ideas !