2026-07-11
43 分钟The Economist.
When I hear the word homeschool, I can feel the tension in my shoulders rise.
It brings back those long months of 2020, and again in 2021,
when my children were at the table, failing to learn anything,
and I was desperately trying to get my own work done too.
The day school reopened, I nearly danced through the streets.
That time made me appreciate school, not just in pure academic terms,
but for what it did for my kids as people, sitting with other children,
chatting, arguing, learning to be human beings.
But it turns out that not everyone shares my view.
You might think that choosing to educate your children at home is the preserve of the rich,
the rare privilege of a family who doesn't need a second income.
But actually, homeschool householders are typically poorer than the average.
Many are opting out of established institutions because of strongly held beliefs.
Their values, their academic priorities or their children's needs don't align.
They question the very point of education and find the mainstream solutions wanting.
They think they can do better, and their number is growing.
I'm Rosie Blore, and today on the weekend intelligence, my colleague Emma Irving
meets the brave souls who are choosing to homeschool their kids.
She wants to find out how they do it.