A Square peg in a round Hole.

Making a den

As we sat round the dining table last night we began to discuss the narrowness of the national curriculum. My Autistic son who is home educated asked what I meant by 'narrow curriculum' and I explained that pupils throughout the country in mainstream schools were required to learn the same subjects regardless of interest or inclination on the basis that the Governments underlying belief that it increased standards in schools.
It was only when I began to home educate that I realised this. By buying various text books suitable for my son's age I quickly noted how they all covered the same topics.
I expressed the view to my son that it leads to dumbed down pupils who instead of being able to learn and investigate for themselves are spoon fed information which the government deems it appropriate to learn. My son who is home educated because he 'didn't fit the mould' when at school wondered how what he learned was different from children at school and I explained that we learned as things cropped up and became relevant and  that most of his peers probably wouldn't know the president of France for example, although there are ongoing elections in France. He looked surprised and I suggested he ask his twin sister. His sister ummed and aahed and said that she thought it was written in her French book somewhere. I then suggested he asked his older brother who is fifteen. His brother couldn't answer either. On a roll my youngest son then asked them for the president of Russia.That drew a blank too.Finally he asked about the president of the USA and his sister came up trumps. My son turned round to me and said 'I thought everybody watched the news mum?'
' I don't think it's been introduced into the National Curriculum yet '.I answered with a smile!