bigjimbishop

ask them

I just remembered your original question "Simply where is the normal social intercourse?" That is the problem indeed. Is normal social intercourse at school where your 15 yr old was unhappy? Whats normal? For me 2 or 3 families hanging out doing stuff with the kids is normal )almost) daily interaction. Meeting new folk and having fun on a weekly basis is normal and finding new and exciting adventures for my boy is normal. But then I'm not normal, thank god and I guess this is apparent. Viva Weirdos

Ah yes Teamedup I can understand your experience with a 15 yr old especially if you are not in the type of community supportive of home ed. I think you were brave to try and my sympathies to you for being stuck for choices. It's easier if they have a very limited experience of school to start with. I'm very fortunate here as there are lots of kids in easy reach who my son plays with and although the major problem for me is the travelling I can work with a Laptop so we go visiting other educators and network on an almost daily basis, taking it in turns to do projects directed by the kids. Home school is the wrong word for it as we are rarely at home It's really not a soft option and definitely not ideal for every child.

Well SaligoBay if school works for you and yours then that's grand. Also if you are living in france then I assume you are middle class if you still truly follow a class belief system I'm not a vegetarian and I hate carob. I work so I must be working class, I'm educated so I must be middle class and I drink good champagne so I must be Aristocratic. The fact is we live a very modest life more on wits than Euros and we are happy (the champagne is actually cremment and is dirt cheap). I'm not interested in scoring points over schooled children but education has taken a wrong turn in my humble opinion. Home educators face so much criticism but turn out well adjusted kids. Find me an example to the contrary. If you want to meet some French home ed folk then see the links in my previous mail.

The socialization/ social interaction arguement is always the first thrown at home educators. The whole point is that parents don't want the type of socialization/education that school offers. Home Educators very rarely work in isolation but go to great lengths to offer the best that people "thinking outside the box" can via networking kids and adults of all ages to facilitate the children persuing their passions freely and therefore motivating core-skill learning on avaerage 8 time faster than any state school system. There are 90,000!!!! home ed kids in the UK. I know 20 or so of all ages and they all have several things in common, Self-confidence, motivation, excellent social skills and maturity on avaerage far beyond their school peers. School ain't what it used to be. I don't believe in National Curriculums and when I did school most teachers loved their jobs. I'm not sure they have the time to enjoy teaching anymore. As for educating in France, well it's up to us to make sure we network with French and Dutch Home educators. People who leave their native country usually do so to find a better life out of the old system, why bother getting into a similar system? I love France and the French, so my boy is surrounded with french friends all the time but I understand from many french friends that the system here is old and fails a high percentage of kids. Community living is exactly what home ed is all about. School is not community living, it's a place kids go when they are not in the community, family, friends. The French authorities are concerned the cults and sects do not spring up willy-nilly which is fair enough but they still believe a certain flexibility in education is acceptable Oh well I've had this conversation with so many people but until you meet home ed kids it's pointless trying to persuade anyone. I don't feel I'm being selfish in wanting to bring my child up. I'm just not scared of the "System" which tells us how to live Some links for you English Home Ed person in 63 Auvernes [email protected] . georgia, issoire 63 .....and another http://www.freedom-in-education.co.uk/home%20ed/home_ed_france.htm ......and the UK gang http://www.education-otherwise.org/ ....and the french system http://www.cned.fr/ ...and another alternative http://www.epceducation.com/ http://membres.lycos.fr/possible/art21ab.html ....and some resources http://www.playbac.fr/e.php?lsd=6&cc=2&tc=11 This is the website of the french/dutch hippies near Auxerre http://www.eco-bio.info/accueil.html

Here is all the stuf I have gathered on Home education in France I hope it is of some use English Home Ed person in 63 Auvernes [email protected] . georgia, issoire 63 .....and another http://www.freedom-in-education.co.uk/home%20ed/home_ed_france.htm ......and the UK gang http://www.education-otherwise.org/ ....and the french system http://www.cned.fr/ ...and another alternative http://www.epceducation.com/ http://membres.lycos.fr/possible/art21ab.html ....and some resources http://www.playbac.fr/e.php?lsd=6&cc=2&tc=11 This is the website of the french/dutch hippies near Auxerre http://www.eco-bio.info/accueil.html

If you are not resident then you pay tax where ever you are.

You only have to use CNED if you are french. Dutch home ed folk use Wereldschool and UK home ed can use WES or something similar. This might mean stretching the truth about your childs status in the system but them home ed is about alternatives to "the system" wherever you live. They don't frog-march kids to school with policemen unlike Germany!

You only have to use CNED if you are french. Dutch home ed folk use Wereldschool and UK home ed can use WES or something similar. This might mean stretching the truth about your childs status in the system but them home ed is about alternatives to "the system" wherever you live. They don't frog-march kids to school with policemen unlike Germany!

The netgear DG834 ADSL router and firewall works in france. I've set it up in a few friends houses where the ISP provided a modem and lots of bad software which kills pc performance. My advice is use a generic ADSL modem and Zonealarm NOT Norton. Norton is bad, very bad for PC and it doesnot work oh and did I say it was bad? Use Mozilla Firefox instead of internet explorer. Use Mozilla Thunderbird instead of Outlook. Get Adaware and Spybot for keeping the sy programs out ....for the more experienced Get Codestuf Starter to free up the rubbish that gets into the start menu and sucks power Get Hijackthis to clean your registry but be careful as you need to keep the important stuff intact All the above are free with no advertising, developed opensource by nice web people round the world. Jim

http://www.eco-bio.info/forum/upload/index.php?showforum=59 I've been in touch with them and they are very friendly and keen to share. Distance is always a problem but here in the Morvan more families are getting interested every week. Lets get networking Jim

If you don't like the system then educate at home. that's the experience of 95,000 children in UK My boy is 3 and at maternelle. Already he has been reduced to a load of coloured dots in a school report. His school is by and large very good but I'm taking him out of the system when he is 6 (unless he complains bitterly) to avoid rote and homework. The school day is long and to fill home time with more school work seems obscene to me. I'd love to meet some french home educators if you know any, pass them on Jim

I moved permanently to the Morvan in Bourgogne before xmas with my 3 yr old son. He's in Ecole Maternelle and picking up the language very well. However I'm looking around for alternatives to ecole primare when he is 6. In the Uk I lived in Leicester which has one of the largest Education Otherwise networks and my son and I went to the playgroups every week. Some of my home-ed friends are coming to visit this summer and I'm going to try to persuade them to stay. Out here I have a Dutch friend home educating her daughters with the Wereld School system as officially the girls don't really live in France. But she is interested in setting up an independant school for kids of any nationality to be taught in French Dutch and English. We've got a few families interested now with kids under 6. We want to find teachers and do some ourselves. Nothing is set in stone yet, but we have plenty of space and time. We all live around Chateau Chinon, halfway from Nevers to Dijon. If anyone is interested in 58 (Nievre) let me know. Jim Bishop

I just looked at the cheque and it's not from a UK bank but an Inland Revenue payment order. Does this change things?

The Inland Revenue UK has just sent a juicy cheque (I should frame it) to me here in the Morvan 58. My bank is quite a journey from here so does anyone know if I can pay it in here, or must I send it to Mum in UK?

I did 3 trips with a transit van packed to the gills and the only hassle was the antiterrorist police but they opened the back doors and 2 bags of lego fell on the officers head so he told me never to darken his door again and sent me on my way. Generally you never have any hassle with euro tunnel after midnight. and no queue. If you are living near enough to calais you can get a day return for £45.

I earn money in anyway I can. Sometimes I get big lumps from composing music, then other days I mow grass or renovate barns or record bands. What do I tell the tax people? It seems that they only want to know about one profession so which do I choose? i am a single parent living in the Morvan 58 recieving some small benefits adjusted depending on my earnings quarterly. Jim

If you use Xylophane where can you buy the right mask? I believe it's nasty stuff

http://www.avenir-energie.com/english/acceuil/frame.htm These guys may have an answer at a price. I found the link here... http://freeenergynews.com/index.html My favourate site Jim

If you are on a low income you can get 38% towards the cost of vital house renovations from the CAF up to 1240 Euro, one of the advantages I've found so far being a lone parent. Round here we can get a fosse septic dug and fitted for between 2000 and 4000Euro.

I just read this article extolling the virtues of Organic Milk. http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3857923 In a nutshell the boffins say that organic milk has 3 times more omega 3 and essential fatty acids than other milk products. This is said to benefit children immensely But are the benefits lost in the UHT process? Jim and Charlie boy-wonder-brain

I believe the wool goes against the tiles/slates but not packed in too hard. You need to put small batons every fleese length to staple to. Then staple the brown paper to the chevrons. After that either plaster board or whatever. Jim B

I'm trying to be hippy eco friendly and not get too bogged down in chemicals. Also I'm after an almost free solution to insulation. It seems that a trip to any Bricolage shop is going to cost me 10Euro per sq m when you take into consideration the whole job, not just the rockwool and creatures love rockwool. I believe that wool is rated as Class M2 fire resistant which is ok. Jim

I understand that the old way of insulating a roof was to use lamb/sheep wool straight off the animal. Around my area they burn the wool because they can't sell it (cheap imports). So in May I'm going round the farms collecting fleeses to insulate both my houses. I'll be using holly behind the gutters to stop the animals getting in and brown paper to absorb moisture. If the fleese is left unwashed it does smell for a year or two but repells most animals and insects. Anybody got any other tips?

I bought 2 "Ardenne Turbo" poeles/stoves in Mr Bricolage for 250 Euro each. they are not very pretty and are designed for heating workshops.(125mm pipe) But are compact, hot and very efficient. I bought 10 cubic m of 33cm wood and still not 1/2 way through yet with both running 24/7. I think they are 16kw. All my Dutch pals in big barn conversions use them too. They are very easy to control and top loading as well which is a bonus for tall folk who don't bend well. I cook on mine as well. I can email a picture if you like. Highly recommended and good price too.