Back to School?

Dear parents,  

 

Are you concerned about sending your child back to school?  

Covid 19 has thrown many of us into a somewhat negative slump. We have begun to question the safety and certainty of our lives, as well as the lives of our children. We don’t know if our spouses will have work in the near future. We don’t even know when schools will reopen (if schools will reopen at all). However, instead of panicking, why not turn this uncertainty into a positive? Why not take your child’s learning into your own hands? Why not start home-schooling?

I suppose you are wondering what home-schooling is. According to the Policy on Home Education 2018; “The character of Home Education represents and honours the parents’ wish to personally facilitate the education of her or his child in the family home.” Therefore, as a homeschooling parent you take full responsibility for your child’s education. You will therefore be permitted to teach your child anything, in any way as long as it is not inferior to the standard of education in public schools. You can either teach your child personally, or you could hire a tutor to do so.  

          

Sounds appealing right? The next question would then be, “Where do you start?”. You as the parent or guardian, must apply to the Head of your Provincial Department of Education to register. This can be done by filling in a form online at- www.education.gov.za. As a homeschooler you may want to make use of a curriculum provider such as Edu-Croft. https://www.educroft.com/  

What advantages does homeschooling give me? 

As a homeschooler my whole life, I have many stories I could share with you. Many experiences and techniques which one could say, have given me an advantage in my adult life. For instance, Homeschooling allowed me to learn about the world through literature. Reading, writing and arithmetic were the three most important things we focused on while I was growing up. We would read novels such as ‘Hans Brinker and the Sliver Skates’, after which we would study the history and geography of Holland. Following this, we would then write summaries of what we had read or diary entries about what we had learned throughout the day.  

 

My mother taught us routine and organisational skills by helping create and stick to daily schedules. These would include household chores, general hygiene and neatness, before beginning school at 08h00 each morning. Having a designated study area outside of our bedrooms, programmed our minds to focus while sitting at our desks. In contrast relaxing would take place in our rooms; therefore, concentration was not a problem.  

 

All this time together helped contribute to the close relationship my brothers, mother and I now share. We were and still are, a close family. Having good communication with my family allowed my mother to keep an eye on my health. Hospital visits became field trips (of which there were many). Doctors’ appointments became Doctors’ interviews: we would ask them questions about their procedures, motivations, and inspirations. Trips like these prevented anxiety because the focus was on understanding the science. 

 

 Homeschooling has made me who I am today. I value learning and education and I have worked in Early Childhood Development as a Directress and as a Highschool tutor. These are some of the best decisions I ever made. Studying will always be a lifelong pursuit for me. My brothers and I have powerful levels of self-discipline which influences our own work ethics – motivating us to perform to the best of our ability; intellectually, emotionally and physically.  

 

Are these not life skills and qualities you would hope to instil in your children? Homeschooling is an effective vehicle to accomplish this.