When I began this blog in the summer of 2009, I hoped from the start to make it a team blog, with anybody who wished to do so contributing posts. I invited people like Mike Fortune-Wood and Fiona Nicholson of Education otherwise to join in this enterprise, but there seemed no enthusiasm for such a scheme. Because it was public and accessible through google, I thought that this might be a good place for those who believed in autonomous education to speak directly to the public and explain their beliefs; as a counterbalance to my own views. It was not to be. I issued a general invitation on September 21st 2009, but only one person took me up on the offer and contributed a post a few days later. And thereby hangs a tale.....
The woman who put a post here was an autonomous educator who was active on the HE-UK list under the name of Diceandgiz; signing her posts 'Gizzie'. As soon as it was seen that she had joined me in posting here, she became the target of abuse on the HE-UK list. Members of that list might wish to look at the archived messages for September 2009 and see what I mean. This was not limited to the list. People began emailing her privately and abusing her for being associated with me. In the end, she became so upset that she left both here and the HE-UK list. This is what happens to those who step out of line, even they are dedicated and autonomous home educators.
I tell this story as a cautionary tale of what is liable to happen to anybody who does decide to post on here openly. However, I renew my offer to anybody who wishes to have their views on home education published here. It seems a little much that I am the only person whose opinions are on display and if anybody else wants to write a post here, they are very welcome to do so. There is a catch! In order to become listed by blogspot as authors here, I have to put in an email address. This need not be your usual one; you can post anonymously by starting a hotmail account or something. Anyway, if anybody does want to join me in broadening the appeal of this blog and turning it into a team blog, then they can send me an email address and we will see how it goes. My email address is simon.webb14@btinternet.com. Just send an email address with your name or a pseudonym if you are really shy and I will generate an invitation to you to join the blog as an author.
The only proviso I make is that any posts are not incoherent or abusive. This means nothing beginning 'Old Webb and teacher Julie say...' I think Mr Williams of Alton knows who I am talking about here. I think that it would be good to have a little fresh blood on here. More than once, people have complained that my posts are boring and repetitive; now is the chance to do something about it.
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I love this idea. I can't see why others - who always seem to have so much to say - wouldn't take you up on your offer?
ReplyDeleteAnd it's a testament to yourself, on how willing you are to entertain others' opinions too. Perhaps that's why they wanted no part of it. (??)
I think Mr Williams of Alton knows who I am talking about here. I think that it would be good to have a little fresh blood on here. More than once, people have complained that my posts are boring and repetitive;
ReplyDeletemost of your posts are boring Webb. You still upset over the children bill going down the drain? Home educators 1 Labour/Balls/Ms Penny Jones/Crazy old Badman?Webb?daughter 0 what i call a home win!
Loz how do I find your blog?
ReplyDeleteAnd Simon you could be accused of being repetitive but I wouldn't say your blog is boring. I've developed the terrible habit of checking it daily.
'I've developed the terrible habit of checking it daily.'
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed alarming news, Anonymous. Habit is a cable; each day we spin a thread of it and in the end it becomes so strong that we are unable to break it. You must resist this temptation and not allow an unhealthy habit of this kind to get a grip!
If you click on Loz's image on the list of followers of this blog, found in the top right hand corner of this page, you will find her blog there.
"You must resist this temptation and not allow an unhealthy habit of this kind to get a grip!"
ReplyDeleteI fear it is already too late for me! You could help by refusing to blog...if you had a conscience...
'to entertain others' opinions too. Perhaps that's why they wanted no part of it. (??)'
ReplyDeleteIt is very strange how some of the more militant autonomous home educators become uneasy when people ask questions or disagree with their dogmata. I posted a comment on the Canadian blog called Kelly Green and Gold last year. It was a mild enough comment, but Kelly Green's response was swift and angry. She told me that any future comments of mine would be deleted at once. Now it strikes me that when one runs a blog of this sort, one should be prepared to debate with those who have a different point of view. When people become furiously angry at hearing somebody with a different opinion, it makes me a little uneasy. We seem then to be moving into the territory of cults and religions; an idea which I shall be exploring tomorrow.
*boom!!!* And finally, there are the two words I have been waiting for someone else to pick up on. Cult and religion.
ReplyDeleteI too have also felt the influence of fringe srangeness when talking to some people, but thought it a bit over the top to mention it, prefering to label it as 'elitism' instead.
I feel very uneasy when it becomes apparent that certain voices are being gagged.
I wonder if they have a secret handshake too....
old Webb says-We seem then to be moving into the territory of cults and religions; an idea which I shall be exploring tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteclutching at straws again are you Webb trying to link home education with cults? was that one of old crazy old Badman ideas? if you could link cults to home education you could get your news law on home education! you giving up with child abuse by hoem educators and are looking for a new angle?
Oh some of us have been pointing out the cult-like quality of the AE strand within the wider HE movement for years. Only, we are too scared to speak its name in public.
ReplyDeleteanon says-Only, we are too scared to speak its name in public.
ReplyDeletescared of what? what their going to do to you? LOL hunt you down? do grow up this is just a blog same as a AE blog? if your scared of a few words you really do need to get out a bit more!
Loz said '*boom!!!*'
ReplyDeleteCults and religions...hey that was me:))
Can I be an expert witness/home ed consultant now?
Peter, I really think you should join HE-UK. You could have some great conversations with Mike there. Or Old Mike, as I'm sure you'd call him.
ReplyDeleteAnyone remember TCS?
ReplyDeleteGawd what a pain that was.
The funny thing was it had sod all to do with Taking Children Seriously or Autonomous Education...
ReplyDeleteMore a case of pretentious pseudo- intellectualism, bad manners and poor personal hygene.
I missed TCS sounds like it was fun. Err what was/is it exactly?
ReplyDeleteThose interested in TCS can find more about it here;
ReplyDeletehttp://www.takingchildrenseriously.com/
Anybody with a sensitive disposition should look away. Don't under any circumstances try this at home, as your children are liable to die before puberty!
Haven't managed to find this abuse of Diceandgiz you mention on the HE-UK list yet. Can you be more specific? The response here seemed fine too.
ReplyDelete"I feel very uneasy when it becomes apparent that certain voices are being gagged."
ReplyDeleteWho has been gagged? I'm always seeing posts about the more structured style of HE on lists without negative responses. Can people please be a bit more specific with their accusations?
Loz wrote,
ReplyDelete"I feel very uneasy when it becomes apparent that certain voices are being gagged."
That's rich coming as it does from someone who moderates their blog comments!
"It is very strange how some of the more militant autonomous home educators become uneasy when people ask questions or disagree with their dogmata."
ReplyDeleteMight have more to do with who made the comment rather that what the comment was. Why are you surprised when someone refuses to converse with someone who claims that their education style is abusive to children and should be stopped? If you have that belief after nearly two years of discussions with people who follow the approach it seems unlikely that much more could be gained by either side from even more discussions of the same issues.
anon says-Peter, I really think you should join HE-UK. You could have some great conversations with Mike there. Or Old Mike, as I'm sure you'd call him.
ReplyDeleteno Mike to weak and has nothing to offer us! its not talk we want it is action! and Webb is old and out of date with the new world!
hey Webb you book on home education reached the best seller list? more than likly its been removed from the shelf who but a fool would buy it? LOL
ReplyDeleteMilitant autonomous home edders...they're an interesting bunch. They're the ones who will happily write out your Education Philosophy for you even when you're completely incapable of undertanding the words education and philosophy.
ReplyDeleteQuite often they'll offer to do it after meeting someone for the first time...
And then they wonder why the LAs are getting all stroppy.
anon says-And then they wonder why the LAs are getting all stroppy.
ReplyDeletewhat LA's are geting stroopy? do tell!
"They're the ones who will happily write out your Education Philosophy for you even when you're completely incapable of undertanding the words education and philosophy."
ReplyDeleteCome off it anonymous. Everyone knows that it's precisely when you DON'T understand the meaning of the words education or philosophy that you most need someone to write one for you. That's just commonsense jeez!
Yet more accusations without evidence. You must feel at home on this blog.
ReplyDeleteP&C said..'what LA's are geting stroopy?'
ReplyDeleteAnon says....
Are you Dutch or illiterate?
Evidence....you want evidence?
ReplyDeleteHesfes....there's your evidence, the worst festival I've ever been to.
How is the name of a HE holiday camp that you apparently didn't enjoy 'evidence' of anything? I've been going to HESFes for 10+ years and haven't witnessed what you claim.
ReplyDeleteAnon says-P&C said..'what LA's are geting stroopy?'
ReplyDeleteAnon says....
Are you Dutch or illiterate?
yes what LA's are geting stroppy? which ones? name them? and LA's only behave in stroppy way if their think your weak once you stand up to them their go away! im not dutch so must be illiterate LOL you could report me to HCC tell them a illiterate person is home educating you want the number? it be fun to hear from those fools again!
Oh come on, 'stroopy' DOES sound Dutch.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it nice we're all getting on so nicely.
...how off topic does this conversation want to get? =P
ReplyDeleteanon says-Isn't it nice we're all getting on so nicely.
ReplyDeleteso you wont be reporting us to HCC then? such a shame as it would have been fun to hear from those fools againd! what about you Webb you got the balls to report us as being to illternate to home educate?
'as being to illternate to home educate?'
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm not at all sure that you are too illternate to home educate, Mr Williams. Now if you were illiterate on the other hand, that would be another matter entirely....
Peter, you are getting all the anons mixed up and thinking we are the same person. Easy mistake, I know.
ReplyDeleteI miss Crafty Mrs Anon...
ReplyDeleteI take that as no i Webb do not have the balls to report you to HCC
ReplyDeleteAnon says-I miss Crafty Mrs Anon... She gone im afraid!
"Now it strikes me that when one runs a blog of this sort, one should be prepared to debate with those who have a different point of view."
ReplyDeleteAre you listening, Loz? LOL
Please Anons can you give yourselves numbers or something it's hard to follow this argument.
ReplyDeleteoh and TCS is not gone, indeed there are many similar approaches to parenting, for a small selection look here:
http://www.consensual-living.com/suggestedreading.htm
To get more of an idea how about how much is being written about non coercive parenting look up any of those books on Amazon and see how many related books there are.
These children are not "dead by puberty" but they don't tend to seek publicity and their parents don't tend to show them off as evidence of their parenting success.
Elizabeth
"Please Anons can you give yourselves numbers or something it's hard to follow this argument."
ReplyDeleteI think it's less an argument and more a random string of comments, but quoting the part of a message you are replying to helps too.
PS thanks for the consensual living link!
ReplyDeleteWhere has Mrs Anon gone?
ReplyDeleteHmmm...923 list members at Consensual living.
ReplyDelete"Hmmm...923 list members at Consensual living."
ReplyDeleteSize obviously matters to you then.
'Anon.2 said...
ReplyDeleteWhere has Mrs Anon gone?'
She hasn't gone anywhere. She posted a couple of days ago. If you look at the first comment on the post 'Teaching children; Part 2', you can read one of her latest comments.
"Haven't managed to find this abuse of Diceandgiz you mention on the HE-UK list yet. Can you be more specific? The response here seemed fine too."
ReplyDeleteStill no sign of these mysterious abusive posts, Simon?
Presumably Simon can't search the HEUK list for thse posts, because he is banned, but others can....but then they will get banned for cross posting them here - but they are there for those minded to do so.
ReplyDelete'Presumably Simon can't search the HEUK list for thse posts, because he is banned, but others can....but then they will get banned for cross posting them here - but they are there for those minded to do so.'
ReplyDeleteThanks for this, Anonymous. I am indeed banned from this group or 'baned', as Mike Fortune-Wood put in in the email. I have wondered whether being 'baned' is some obscure way of hinting that I am under a curse of some sort, but in the end I attributed it to dyslexia or illiteracy. Anybody on the HE-UK list can just scroll through from September 21st onwards.
"Anybody on the HE-UK list can just scroll through from September 21st onwards."
ReplyDeleteYep, done that, there is nothing there, that's why I asked for your evidence.
"Presumably Simon can't search the HEUK list for thse posts, because he is banned, but others can."
ReplyDeleteWell he is either subscribed under a false name or someone passes him all the posts so it shouldn't be that difficult. You only have to look at the number of times he has quoted past and present list emails in his blog to know he could do this.