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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

  • I'm a late diagnosed autistic woman in my thirties. I didn't know I was autistic when I was in school, I don't think I had even heard of the term autism. Primary school was fine for the most part. High school was a living nightmare most of the time. The noise, the crowdedness, the constant feeling of other girls observing and commenting on every little thing I ever did, it was like being under a microscope. Also, having to sit through lessons of subjects that I just didn't care about or didn't understand.

    I loved English, absolutely adored it and had a good teacher every year of high school. I probably would have enjoyed history and geography but I went to a rough underperforming school and they seemed to have great difficulty holding onto teachers so it was rare to actually have a permanent teacher never mind a good one. 

    I think classrooms are far too big and we're cooping children up inside a classroom for six hours a day which just isn't a good strategy for anything. It's funny but about 7 years ago I got a job working in a call centre and the first four weeks was classroom based training and honestly, this group of people in our 20s, 30s and 40s just descended into naughty children and were getting told off by the poor trainer for talking, messing around, not working. I think, because sitting still in a classroom is not good for anyone, never mind just children. 

    We need to know how to read and write, we need to know how to basic maths (although I actually think we should be teaching children about money) and we need life skills. I think history is important but hands on history with trips and museums, my primary school was fantstic for that (the romans in Chester, museum for Egyptology). I think children in school should be getting outdoors more, not just P.E. but learning about plants, wildlife and trees. I did see an article recently about a school in the UK which have a therapy puppy which I think is an amazing idea. 

    The most impactful days I remember in high school was when they had outside agencies come in to teach us things, a police officer came to teach us about road safety, someone came to teach us about gang culture and how to stay safe, I still remember the lady who came in to teach us about periods and puberty. Things away from the curriculum that are important and actual life skills. 

    I like to hope things are a bit different now to when I was in school.  

  • in reply to illustrated.lady
    illustrated.lady said:
    I think children in school should be getting outdoors more, not just P.E. but learning about plants, wildlife and trees.

    No PE for me thanks!

    But yes, I'd have absolutely loved to have got out and learnt about our natural world - a great interest of mine since childhood.

    illustrated.lady said:
    The most impactful days I remember in high school was when they had outside agencies come in to teach us things, a police officer came to teach us about road safety, someone came to teach us about gang culture and how to stay safe, I still remember the lady who came in to teach us about periods and puberty. Things away from the curriculum that are important and actual life skills. 

    Yes, life skills are mentioned a few times in this thread.

Reply
  • in reply to illustrated.lady
    illustrated.lady said:
    I think children in school should be getting outdoors more, not just P.E. but learning about plants, wildlife and trees.

    No PE for me thanks!

    But yes, I'd have absolutely loved to have got out and learnt about our natural world - a great interest of mine since childhood.

    illustrated.lady said:
    The most impactful days I remember in high school was when they had outside agencies come in to teach us things, a police officer came to teach us about road safety, someone came to teach us about gang culture and how to stay safe, I still remember the lady who came in to teach us about periods and puberty. Things away from the curriculum that are important and actual life skills. 

    Yes, life skills are mentioned a few times in this thread.

Children
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