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Alternative schooling

B

This thread was inspired by   and this quote:

'School can ruin or taint so many aspects of life'  in this thread:

 HI EVERYONE I am new here 

This set me thinking about what type of education would actually suit autistic people best.

One thing I'd like to avoid is forced education - making people study subjects they dislike or are not good at and especially the exams - from what I see, there is much more pressure on achievement for children nowadays than when I was at school which must be very stressful.

Also, I wonder what would help to alleviate the bullying that certainly was endemic when I was at school - smaller classes maybe.

From my own experience the bullying and trauma of school can have a lifelong detrimental effect. 

Montessori schooling impresses me:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_education

What do you think?

Any radical changes you would like to see in education - whether private or state?

I am talking about the UK because that's all I have experience of but please talk about your own country too.

Parents

  • Small schools seem much better -my kids go to a small rural school (less then 40 for the whole school). There are two classes and the kids learn and play together so it's more a family vibe and they tend to look out for each other more. My daughter still struggles with the playground being small and noisy, but overall it's a better system. Kids who have had trouble in other schools sometimes transfer here, which helps boost numbers too. 

    The one thing, the teachers could do with more assistance for the very different learning levels in their classes, so I do think we should invest more in schools, listen to teachers and provide what they need as it's a crucial time and worth a lot of futures to get right! 

Reply

  • Small schools seem much better -my kids go to a small rural school (less then 40 for the whole school). There are two classes and the kids learn and play together so it's more a family vibe and they tend to look out for each other more. My daughter still struggles with the playground being small and noisy, but overall it's a better system. Kids who have had trouble in other schools sometimes transfer here, which helps boost numbers too. 

    The one thing, the teachers could do with more assistance for the very different learning levels in their classes, so I do think we should invest more in schools, listen to teachers and provide what they need as it's a crucial time and worth a lot of futures to get right! 

Children
  • in reply to Cinnabar_wing

    this is such a good point about school size and the variation between playgrounds and things. I went to a larger school than the one you are describing here but didn't have the problems with playground since we had large fields and things to spread out and give each other space! it's surprising the differences between different schools and areas and what this means. I don't know if this level of detail is represented in things like school ratings or not but they are definitely important considerations for autistic kids. but also, most people it's just which school is the closest will be the only option. 

  • in reply to Cinnabar_wing
    Cinnabar_wing said:
    The one thing, the teachers could do with more assistance for the very different learning levels in their classes, so I do think we should invest more in schools, listen to teachers and provide what they need as it's a crucial time and worth a lot of futures to get right! 

    My sister taught in primary school for many years, and would heartily agree with you on the need for more support and resources! Unfortunately, that's one of the reasons why she left full-time teaching, though she still does private tuition.

  • in reply to Cinnabar_wing
    Cinnabar_wing said:
    Small schools seem much better -my kids go to a small rural school (less then 40 for the whole school). There are two classes and the kids learn and play together so it's more a family vibe and they tend to look out for each other more.

    That does sound good and I'm glad to hear it.

    I went to school in the 60s-1980 and this was in a city and the poorest/roughest areas.

    I think I had a combination of factors that led to extreme bullying and an education that didn't bring out the best in me.

    I wonder how much has changed over the decades and whether state schools in particular are better nowadays, especially where bullying is concerned.