What do you think?
Rate this book
Reality vs Expectation: The Home Ed Guide You Didn't Know You Needed
In this book, we will go on a journey together exploring the expectations vs reality of home education. There will be pit stops to catch your breath, snack stops and most importantly, opportunities to reflect and soak it all in. This journey is going to be like a gentle rolling summer hill, with meadow flowers and sunshine in some areas and in others, like an unforgiving snowy ice shelf, threatening to drop you into the abyss and I'm not going to apologise, as that's just how it is with unlearning and relearning as an adult!
You see, this book is an educational journey, only it's not for your children, it's for you. I'm pretty sure I can already hear you groaning from here! After all, you already went to school for 12+ years. Why on earth do you need to do more now? Well, it's exactly because you went to school that we need to traverse the pages of this book together! Ultimately, this is the book I wish I had when I started home education. It's not a ready-made curriculum for children, but a ready-made guide to everything I feel you need to know, or explore, from what I've learnt and explored so far.
You see, this book is an educational journey, only it's not for your children, it's for you. I'm pretty sure I can already hear you groaning from here! After all, you already went to school for 12+ years. Why on earth do you need to do more now? Well, it's exactly because you went to school that we need to traverse the pages of this book together! Ultimately, this is the book I wish I had when I started home education. It's not a ready-made curriculum for children, but a ready-made guide to everything I feel you need to know, or explore, from what I've learnt and explored so far.
- GenresNonfictionParenting
241 pages, Paperback
Published September 4, 2023
24 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 27, 2025
"My goal is to support these humans in my care, to discover and explore life every day in their own ways, knowing and trusting that in doing so, they are learning more than I could ever hope to teach."
I love this. Elen Morrigan is an admin at HEFA (Home Education for All), the amazing Facebook group that supports, advises, and guides home educators like myself. She is disabled, and her children have a range of disabilities and conditions, and her voice is loud and brilliant! Her book is honest, experience-based, and well-researched, with loads of evidence (studies, litigations, and case laws) referenced. Of course, the current Labour government are bringing about all kinds of changes, not least the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, so another book may soon be needed!
Morrigan is supportive. She is clear on her stance as a champion of unschooling but gives balance, tolerance, and kindness to school-going families, other home ed styles, and any combination of the above. She acknowledges and validates doubts, "wobbles," and challenges and reminds us to grab cups of tea and "breathers." She's also sarcy AF and hilarious: "PS grab a snack as the next chapter is a beast." I am certain we'd be friends IRL. The chapters are punctuated with reflective activities, which I found highly therapeutic and thought-provoking.
My favourite thing about Reality vs. Expectation? Its unflinching politicism and radicality. "Our society views education as a commodity. Children receive this raw material of education so that they may become the finished product and become a commodity of society, valued and accepted for what they bring into the economy." Uncomfortable truths.
This isn't the most beautifully bound book, and it is riddled with typos and grammatical errors, none of which bothered me in the slightest. The ethos is about laying yourself bare, being open to mistakes, and embracing the messiness and unpredictability of it all. This is a self-published work printed by Amazon (Morrigan even designed the cool pop art cover). I am so glad Morrigan put herself out there to provide this refreshing companion to the home ed journey.
"... Learning is not linear. It's messy and abstract and tangible and repeating and beautiful! So much more beautiful than any of us have been schooled to believe."
I love this. Elen Morrigan is an admin at HEFA (Home Education for All), the amazing Facebook group that supports, advises, and guides home educators like myself. She is disabled, and her children have a range of disabilities and conditions, and her voice is loud and brilliant! Her book is honest, experience-based, and well-researched, with loads of evidence (studies, litigations, and case laws) referenced. Of course, the current Labour government are bringing about all kinds of changes, not least the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, so another book may soon be needed!
Morrigan is supportive. She is clear on her stance as a champion of unschooling but gives balance, tolerance, and kindness to school-going families, other home ed styles, and any combination of the above. She acknowledges and validates doubts, "wobbles," and challenges and reminds us to grab cups of tea and "breathers." She's also sarcy AF and hilarious: "PS grab a snack as the next chapter is a beast." I am certain we'd be friends IRL. The chapters are punctuated with reflective activities, which I found highly therapeutic and thought-provoking.
My favourite thing about Reality vs. Expectation? Its unflinching politicism and radicality. "Our society views education as a commodity. Children receive this raw material of education so that they may become the finished product and become a commodity of society, valued and accepted for what they bring into the economy." Uncomfortable truths.
This isn't the most beautifully bound book, and it is riddled with typos and grammatical errors, none of which bothered me in the slightest. The ethos is about laying yourself bare, being open to mistakes, and embracing the messiness and unpredictability of it all. This is a self-published work printed by Amazon (Morrigan even designed the cool pop art cover). I am so glad Morrigan put herself out there to provide this refreshing companion to the home ed journey.
"... Learning is not linear. It's messy and abstract and tangible and repeating and beautiful! So much more beautiful than any of us have been schooled to believe."
February 9, 2024
Fantastic book, will recommend to anyone and everyone who wants to learn more about home ed. Best book I've read in a while!
March 30, 2025
Really helpful for people considering home education.
October 24, 2023
A fabulous read for those new to home ed. So many books about on the subject feel a bit dated. It's the friendly advice you get from support groups packaged in an easy to read, digest and come back to if needed chunk.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews