Home Education or Home Schooling?

I've noticed recently that a lot of people who are new to home education use the term 'home schooling'. 
Part of this is due to the fact that home schooling tends to be the American term (where HE is more prevalent than in the UK), and part of this is due to ignorance. [Note: I mean ignorance in the genuine lack-of-knowing sense, as opposed to meaning rude and purposely using the wrong terms.]

But does it make a difference?

Personally, I think it does.  I think words matter and home schooling has a totally different connotation than home education.

I home educate. 
I educate my youngest (as DD1 is now in school). 
I facilitate her learning. 
I encourage her when need be, but generally her own innate curiosity is such that she is learning all the time.
I don't teach her (though I do when she specifically asks to learn something specific).
I don't school her.
I don't make or encourage her to learn as they do in school.
I don't train her or lecture her or coerce her.
I allow her to learn at her own pace, what she is interested in, for as long as she is interested in it.

But isn't it just semantics?

Yes and no.

Thesaurus.com has 'schooling' listed as a synonym of 'education' so in some ways it is no surprise that the words are used interchangeably.

The problem arises when people who don't understand HE use the term 'home schooling' and infer, wrongly, that HE should recreate school.  This is especially a problem if the person using the wrong term works for the LA as an EHEO.

We know that legally, Section 7 of the 1996 Education Act states:
Duty of parents to secure education of children of compulsory school age.
The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable—

(a)to his age, ability and aptitude, and

(b)to any special educational needs he may have,

either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.

There is absolutely no requirement for us to recreate school-at-home, and if you look at my posts from last April, you will see that even with the new guidance, that has not changed.
As more and more people start to home educate, the world is getting more political as some in the government try to rein us in.  We need to keep our freedoms and using terms such as 'home education' can really help.

As many EHEOs already don't understand valid home education approaches, such as unschooling, it is of upmost importance that we keep reiterating to them that we 'home educate' and not 'home school'.  Children do not have to be tied to a table in order to learn.  Children do not have to be kept inside in order to learn.  Children do not have to be kept away from the rest of society and arguably from real life, in order to learn.

Language evolves, and the more often people use certain words of phrases, the more prevalent they will become.  As home educators, I think it is our responsibility to use the correct terms that encourage an opening of the mind to wider possibilities, rather than using an allowed term, that encourages the mind to close and focus in only one direction; especially when discussing with the LA. 
In your own homes? With your own friends? Use whatever phrase you want, but if you say 'home schooling' around me, I will be privately miffed.

(There are other terms that home educators also use to convey their educational approach, such as Life Learning, Life Education, Education Otherwise, and many more which try to show the wider scope of education than simply 'school'.)

A couple of blog posts from other people (2012 and 2016) that also talk about this topic:
Home Schooling Vs Home Education
Forgive the Homeschooling

Emotions, Mirrors of the Heart by Catherine Haddow

This book was recommended to me by a friend from church.  She knows I suffer with depression, and that I have been reading various psychology books in order to help myself.
When the Body Says No links our psychological state to our physiological state. Emotions, Mirrors of the Heart links our psychological state to our spiritual state.

The blurb says:

Our emotions are powerful. We experience them so tangibly that they can often feel all-consuming. At one time or another, we will all have experienced what Catherine Haddow calls ‘tears, fears and sneers’ — those darker, harder emotions. We often don’t know what to do with them. Sometimes we feel helplessly controlled by them, unable to see anything other than the emotion. At other times, we try and hide them from others and from God.

In this book, you’ll see that our emotions are vitally important as they are ‘spiritual smoke alarms’ that can alert us to the state of our heart. Catherine presents her own ’tbH’ model which, when followed, helps us to understand our thoughts, emotions and behaviours in more detail, each providing vital information about  the compelling desires, flowing from our hearts. She then helps us to apply biblical wisdom to where we’re struggling, inviting God to change and transform us from the heart of the emotion — the core of our being.

This is a book that not only spoke to me now, but is one that I can see myself rereading the the future if needed.  Rather than dismiss secular methods, such as CBT, which some Christian writers are prone to do, Cather Haddow acknowledges that they are useful and have benefit, but for the Christian they do not go quite far enough - so she developed the tbH model (thoughts >> behaviours >> body >> Heart) and encourages us to allow God the freedom to transform our innermost being.

Even if you are a Christian who doesn't suffer with depression or anxiety, I would recommend this book to you, because it shines a light on ourselves whilst opening us up to God's transforming grace.

(This book isn't currently available on Amazon, but is available in paperback and ebook from 10 of Those.)

Contract Snatch: by Ty Hutchinson

I read this book as part of a double-book by Ty Hutchinson - one Abby Kane book and one Sei Assassin book.

Sei is an ex-assassin, having given up the trade when she found she was pregnant. After suffering the loss of her child, she lives in seclusion away from the rest of the world.  One day she is found by a friend who encourages her to start accepting contracts again, and the first one she sees shatters her world - her daughter is alive.  In exchange for the whereabouts of her daughter, Sei must successfully accomplish one last mission.

The blurb for Contract: Snatch says:

They used her daughter as bait. They messed with the wrong mother. 

Sei abandoned her life as an assassin to try to find peace—but when contacted by a source claiming to have information about the daughter she thought she’d lost, Sei finds herself taking on one last mission. Can she unravel the truth before time runs out?

Though this book took me longer than a day to read, it was mainly because I was no longer on holiday so didn't have as much time.  I tried to grab minutes to read when I could, as this was another can't-put-down novel by Ty Hutchinson.  A thriller with lots of gore and plenty of killings (as you would expect in a book where the main character is an assassin), this book keeps you on the edge of your seat as you hope that Sei can achieve her mission and finally get her child back.  There is even a twist at the end that I didn't see coming (until the story led up to that point) which, when invested in a story as much as I was with this one, is a good surprise.

I would recommend this book and rather than just adding the sequels to my wishlist, I have actually bought the next two books to read immediately (because at time of writing, they are currently free on the Kindle).

Weekly Update No37

If you saw my post last Friday, you will see that I hit my lowest weight for over a year!

My weight has gone up slightly since then, as I always put on weight over the weekend, but it is still lower than this time next week.  It is in my nature to celebrate using food, so I am fighting against myself, as half my head is saying that I deserve to eat a shed-load of cake because I have lost some weight, and the more sensible half knows that is a sure-fire way to go up in weight again.

I am managing to not eat too much for tea.  I need to buy more fruit so I can have that as snacks, instead of sugary cereal bars, but overall I don't think I'm eating too badly atm.

Russian Hill by Ty Hutchinson

I read this book as part of a double-book by Ty Hutchinson - one Abby Kane book and one Sei Assassin book.

Russian Hill is an absorbing book about a murderous game that FBI Agent Abby Kane needs to join in order to solve. It is part 1 of the CC Trilogy and Book 3 in the Abby Kane Thriller Series.

The blurb says:

A killer is loose in San Francisco, and he’s collecting body parts. FBI Agent Abby Kane believes a dead hiker found ten miles north of the city is the key to solving those crimes.

The more Abby digs, the more she begins to think the killer is playing an elaborate game and there’s an audience cheering him on. But to catch the monster, she’ll have to join in his twisted game.

This book is definitely a thriller.  It is gruesome in places and there are sex scenes, so not suitable for younger readers, but as an adult reading this I couldn't put it down.  The plot is believable that it could actually happen, and you always want to try and solve the clues to see if you can predict and prevent the next murder from happening.  As I was reading, I imagined the killers to be like an older version of Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette in True Romance.

Ty Hutchinson certainly knows how to write to keep you involved and invested in the book.  The sequel went straight on my wishlist, as did the first two books in the series, and I couldn't wait to read the Sei Assassin book.

I've hit a new low

No, not like that!

My weight is the lowest for over a year! Yey! 

As I've said recently, the things that I'm doing differently are 1. drinking [flavoured] coffee [with syrup] in the morning; 2. having a breakfast of porridge [with syrup] in the morning; and 3. not eating dinner in the evening if I'm not hungry.  Last night I came home from tutoring at 9:30pm and had a breakfast bar before taking the girls to bed.  I didn't need to eat anything more.

Yesterday I managed to tidy the living room, with DD2's help, because we had a prayer meeting here during the day, and everyone else's homes are always so tidy.  But, now that it is tidy, I actually have space to start doing Body Groove again.  I do enjoy dancing - even just around my living room, so hopefully next week I can start fitting that into my days again.  I don't want to do it today because we have an electrician coming round to fit a smart meter, though if he arrives early, maybe I'll be able to do some afterwards.

So yes, my weight is the lowest for a year.  When I announce my weightloss, it is less impressive - I am only down 3 kilos since October 1st last year, but that is just short of half a stone, and it's all progress.

Against the Odds by Mara Jacobs

Anna Dawson is a professional gambler.  She has bought her own home, a vehicle and gifts for friends from her winnings.  Unfortunately she also has a gambling problem and often gets into debt, causing her to bring back her alter-ego JoJo to pay off the debt quickly by less-than-legal means. Then one friend is murdered, and she has to team up with Detective Jack to try and find the killer, whilst keeping JoJo a secret.

The synopsis of Against the Odds says:

My name is Anna Dawson, and I'm a gambler.

And like any gambler will tell you, sometimes that's good, and sometimes...not so much. And sometimes it's an outright problem.

I love Vegas, and I love the life I've built, but when one of my friends is murdered, and another one shot at, I know I need to take a serious look at myself. And I need to call in the big guns. Even if that means teaming up with Detective Jack Schiller, a man who's dealing with his own demons.

Right now I'm just trying to juggle protecting my friends, helping Jack while not letting him get too close, and finding a murderer. And, oh yeah, no one can learn about my gambling.

Or this will be the last hand I'm dealt.

I quite liked this book.  Anna isn't some super sleuth, she is not a goody-two-shoes, and she is not a card counting geek.  Rather she is a normal girl who discovers she has a good poker face, and with the help of a bunch of friends, learns how to bet comprehensively on various sporting events.  As someone who is good at maths, I do wish I had learned to play poker when younger, though it is probably better for my bank balance that I didn't.  I often wonder how people become professional gamblers. 

The book is well written and moves at a good pace.  Another book I couldn't put down and read in a day.  I have again, added the sequel to my wishlist.