One of the things which I might not have made sufficiently clear over the last few days is that the recent posts about Cheryl Moy and Alison Sauer have been made in response to appeals from home educating parents themselves! I have been contacted by a quite a few people who are worried about the situation; particularly that Cheryl's home educating facebook group is the first hit that comes up on searches and that as a result, many new parents end up finding it as the first port of call. I might also mention that today's post was the direct result of parents with children on the autistic spectrum asking me to look at some of the things that have been said.
Some of the mothers who have felt dissatisfied with the way that Cheryl is behaving have now set up a new group and they ask me to publicise it; which I am happy to do. It is a facebook group called UK Hed Home Education and may be found at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/611771515518371/
It is hoped that this will provide a rather more welcoming environment for people.
Wasn’t your last rant “the final few words about Cheryl Moy”?. I smell an obsession.
ReplyDelete'I smell an obsession.'
DeleteThat could certainly be one explanation. Another might be that one of the admins on this group emailed me and asked if I would draw attention to their new group.
'Their new group' what new group would that be?
DeleteOh a group of people who have intimidated a hell of a lot more people have set up another group. Seriously you all need to grow up
DeleteWho have they intimidated and how?
DeleteSo no direct denial about an obsession? Silence speaks volumes.
Deleteknob
ReplyDelete'knob'
DeleteI do not of course operate any moderation on this blog and so I shall, at least for the time being, allow this individual to keep putting this word, which I can only suppose is stretching his or her vocabulary to the limit, on the comments here. I cannot help but think though, that this sort of thing does not perhaps show the author to best advantage.
Looks good, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Simon. The group have been very welcoming :)
ReplyDeleteI've joined. Thanks Simon.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that :)
ReplyDeleteA Cheryl-free zone? Count me in!
ReplyDeleteI don't like the way that this issue has descended into personal attacks. Some of us join new groups because we want the broadest and most effective networks possible. Please don't assume that all those who become involved in the new group are interested in your little crusades.
ReplyDeleteWe have no interests in a crusade. It is simply a new group with a fresh face to make sure everyone feels they can be a part of it if they want to. There is no obligation to join, simply join us if you feel the group offers anything to you personally.
DeleteJenny kay
I'm sure there's no crusade on the part of most involved in the group and indeed I have joined. Mr Webb, on the other hand, seems to have endless windmills at which to tilt.
DeleteIt's hardly his fault, though. HEers do provide plenty of them.
DeleteA Minion
"There is no obligation to join"
ReplyDeleteIf this is true, wouldn't it be more honest not to sign people up without their permission? People shouldn't have to leave a group in order to take advantage of this lack of obligation. If people want to join, I'm sure they are capable of clicking the relevant buttons themselves.
Members were added by their own friends. Should that be a concern people are more then capable of discussing their concerns with the friend that added them to the group. It would be disrespectful to presume other people did so against their own friends wishes.
Delete"It would be disrespectful to presume other people did so against their own friends wishes."
ReplyDeletePresumption is unnecessary, people have already complained about being added without their knowledge and then having to leave.
Delete"Presumption is unnecessary, people have already complained about being added without their knowledge and then having to leave."
Surely no need for complaint, just simply leave the group and move on. Teach your children by example that not everything is reason for complaint.
Yeah but those people are telling lies as are the people who said they hadn't been accepted. We fully accept that people have emotional issues causing them behave in such a way.
DeleteI'm sure that it is not entirely due to my giving it publicity, but I cannot help but observe that this group has now doubled in size since I mentioned it here a mere twenty four hours ago!
ReplyDeleteI have been looking at the membership and it is like a rogues' gallery of home educators who dislike me. One of the admins is my old friend Maire Stafford. It is not of course my practice to make catty remarks about other people, but I notice that Nikki Harper is also a member. The photograph that she is using for facebook must surely be at least twenty years out of date!
'I have been looking at the membership and it is like a rogues' gallery of home educators who dislike me.'
DeleteYes, but let's be honest, Simon. Any random group of only 10 home educators would include those who dislike you.
A Minion
Simon, you were doing so well and now you have fallen off the horse again.
ReplyDelete'Simon, you were doing so well and now you have fallen off the horse again.'
ReplyDeleteIt was the horrible shock of seeing a lineup of people who have been so vociferous about me over the years! It is of course no affair of mine, for I will not be joining the group myself.
"Surely no need for complaint, just simply leave the group and move on. Teach your children by example that not everything is reason for complaint."
ReplyDeleteThis began after I suggested that it would be more honest not to sign people up without their permission after someone said that there is no obligation to join the new group. People shouldn't have to leave a group in order to take advantage of this lack of obligation. Someone then suggested that I was being disrespectful by assuming that people would sign friends up against their wishes. I merely pointed out that there were complaints that this was happening. If people want to join, I'm sure they are capable of clicking the relevant buttons themselves.
I'm not sure how this teaches children anything, unless they are sitting next to you watching your every move they are unlikely to know it's even happened.
ReplyDelete"I'm not sure how this teaches children anything, unless they are sitting next to you watching your every move they are unlikely to know it's even happened."
Children are intuitive and can pick up on the world view of a generally grumpy parent whether that is voiced or not. I'm suggesting keeping it to a minimum and letting children grow up in a more optimistic atmosphere.
Or maybe they will grow up to be doormats who complain about nothing and let others walk all over them? But I wasn't complaining. I disagreed when someone said that nobody was obliged to join since clearly some people were obliged to join, as evidenced by the complaints. Sure they can leave the group, but originally they were obliged to join because someone signed them up without permission.
DeleteI'm surprised it's possible to do this and am glad I don't use Facebook if people can sign anyone else up for group memberships. Who knows what groups you could end up being associated with!
It seems to me that Facebook implements a model of social interaction - gangs, bullies, doormats, prima donnas etc., - that many of us are trying to avoid. I, too, don't use Facebook and I never cease to be amazed when I hear of the antics of those that do: A unfriended B; C recruited D into some group without asking them; E wrote something nasty about F on G's wall. Maybe they should have called it Schoolyard or even Schoolgate.
DeleteYou appear to be struggling with my point. The moderators are not responsible for members adding their friends. That is the responsibility of the friends in question. As for facebook allowing people to add friends to groups, again that is out of our control. I feel you are clutching at straws in an attempt to take ownership of offencr. As for the members in the group it has been decided that no one is not allowed in the group. The whole point of this group is that it is a national support group. Because of this, it is not anyones place to decide who joins and who doesnt. Our problem with the other national group was it being a first point for new home educators and had a very extreme way of running and alienating people for their choices. A national group should represent all types and people considering home education as well as those home educating for a long time. The only things moderated in the group will be direct abuse. And the current situation of bullying we are aware of. Other then that everyone is welcome. I am sorry people have felt they had to pretend they were not allowed in the group. But we fully expected to be faced with intimidation and aggresion at opening the new group. We are simply trying to ensure there is a national group for all.
ReplyDeleteJenny Kay
"You appear to be struggling with my point. The moderators are not responsible for members adding their friends."
DeleteIf I had ever suggested that the moderators were responsible for adding people without their permission you may have had a point.
"I feel you are clutching at straws in an attempt to take ownership of offencr."
I took no offence, I merely pointed out that some people were effectively obliged to join the new group after someone claimed that there was no such obligation.
I've no idea what you are talking about in the rest of your message, presumably this is addressed towards other comments either here or elsewhere.
A new group, but some one has already been bullied off it. Well done, ladies.
ReplyDeleteI've never witnessed such a shark attack in my life. Who needs a 'support group' like that?
DeleteThat's nothing. I've just seen elsewhere on FB that a woman who bullied me mercilessly for over a year has set up a FB support group for bullied children. Madness.
DeleteThat is not quite the truth. The lady who left has been invited back to answer the concerns of many other members, as she has taken it upon herself to meddle with the LA's policy.
ReplyDeleteOh, sure. After being ripped apart and then seeing what they did to her daughter, I'm sure she's champing at the bit to do that.
DeleteShe was bullied out. I'm not sure how different that is from being deleted by Ms Moy.
This is not how home-ed support used to be. What is wrong with so many new home-edders these days?
Some (maybe many) avoid these groups altogether. Things like Facebook seem to waste an awful lot of people's time and cause unnecessary grief.
DeletePeople used to say that about yahoo groups many years ago. That may be true, but it's how a lot of people prefer to (mis)communicate.
ReplyDelete