I’m often asked how I manage to teach three different grades during our school day. It came quite natural to me because my kids are different ages and wake up at different times.
We officially start our school day at 8am. My eldest son who is in grade 11 is always up first so we start earlier than 8am. I run through his schedule of work for the day, which sometimes involves him going to the maths tutor or a tutor coming to our home. He mostly works independently and will ask for my help when needed. I mark and check each task as he completes it throughout the day. He also watches online lessons when necessary and History videos, which he finds very interesting. My kids all love visual learning, so wherever we can, we watch a video on the topic for the day.
My eldest also has a study time-table which allows him a break after school and at least two hours of study time at night. This is done daily as he studies for his weekly test. During exam time he studies weekends as well.
I am more involved with my second son who is in grade 6, and my daughter who is in grade 3. They do not sit in the same area because they distract one another. I also tutor every lesson aloud which distracts the other child, so for this reason I separate them for written task.
I will teach my eldest son a particular subject and he will independently complete the task until his next subject starts. While his gets on with that subject, I can then start with my daughter. This will go on for all the lessons for the day. We have a break at 11am where they will go outside and have their lunch and a time of free play. After lunch it’s back to the same routine until the end of the school day. I’ve recently changed our daily time-table as starting with maths wasn’t ideal for us. We now begin our mornings with English and Spelling.
In-between these lessons, I’m continually marking their task as they complete it. They do corrections on the work as I mark. This allows me to judge whether that section was clearly understood. If it was not understood, we revise before moving forward. We also do experiments during or after their lessons when necessary. We do experiments almost weekly, as I find practical experiments reinforces what we have learned for the lesson.
They each have a reader for the term. Reading is done at the end of the school day. They are required to do a book report at the end of the term which counts toward their English mark.
After our school work is completed we use maths flash cards to play games, and match Afrikaans words to English words to expand our vocabulary.
We have extra murals most afternoons, so our school day ends by 2.30 the latest. If we do not complete the school work during the school day it is done as homework, this is not often. If there are any test scheduled for the week, they will also spend some time studying in the evening.
I try to keep learning interesting and fun by allowing them to lead the discussion. There is often a few why questions which we can explore during our lesson. The one on one time spent learning and researching different topics is invaluable. It’s always an enrichment experience for me as well.

Quality verses Quantity
 
I am often asked about the social element of home-schooling. When do my kids socialise with other kids? The only time they not in the company of other kids is during our school day.
I’ve mentioned in previous blogs the many extra- murals my kids are involved in on a weekly basis.
From Soccer, Karate to Ballet and others, most of our afternoons are spent at extra-murals. This is one avenue where they are able to connect and socialise with kids similar ages to them.
Another is church, as we are very involved in church, our kids go to youth group, junior youth group and Children’s Church. Here as well they are in social circles with kids their own age.
Most importantly for me though, is not the quantity of the friends made but rather the quality of the friendships formed. I find most of our intentional friendships are formed among fellow home-schooling families who have the same values as we do.
I believe God has ordained friendships with fellow families who have similar beliefs and moral standing that we have. We have become much more intentional with friendships and our kids also have become much more aware of friendship choices. Friendships are no longer based on whether you will play with me during break, or whether you will invite me to your next party. My son sometimes used to take a toy to school to win over a child who he wanted to play with during break time. Which for me has always been so shallow.
They are no longer forming friendships out of peer pressure or wanting to fit in to certain popular groups. It’s become more about making meaningful friendships with kids that are kind and caring, or kids they share common interest with and I’m finding that age is not much of a factor for them anymore. My 11-year-old son is emotionally immature as most boys his age, so he has formed friendships with 9- or 10-year olds and plays little boy games like cars or guns, without the pressures of been forced to act more mature than what he is.
My daughter is 8 years old is very particular about what she loves, so she’s connected with girls who have similar interest to her. Some of her friends are the same age or older than her.
I love the freedom of forming meaningful friendships rather than friendships formed just because we are in the same class at school. Or because we travel in the same lift club. Or do the same sport after school. One great friend is better than having a handful of unintentional, fake friendships that never last the year.
I think finding your tribe takes time, but when you do find them, it’s nothing short of awesome!
 
 
 
 
 

I’m often asked how I manage to teach three different grades during our school day. It came quite natural to me because my kids are different ages and wake up at different times.
We officially start our school day at 8am. My eldest son who is in grade 11 is always up first so we start earlier than 8am. I run through his schedule of work for the day, which sometimes involves him going to the maths tutor or a tutor coming to our home. He mostly works independently and will ask for my help when needed. I mark and check each task as he completes it throughout the day. He also watches online lessons when necessary and History videos, which he finds very interesting. My kids all love visual learning, so wherever we can, we watch a video on the topic for the day.

My eldest also has a study time-table which allows him a break after school and at least two hours of study time at night. This is done daily as he studies for his weekly test. During exam time he studies weekends as well.
​
I am more involved with my second son who is in grade 6, and my daughter who is in grade 3. They do not sit in the same area because they distract one another. I also tutor every lesson aloud which distracts the other child, so for this reason I separate them for written task.
I will teach my eldest son a particular subject and he will independently complete the task until his next subject starts. While his gets on with that subject, I can then start with my daughter. This will go on for all the lessons for the day. We have a break at 11am where they will go outside and have their lunch and a time of free play. After lunch it’s back to the same routine until the end of the school day. I’ve recently changed our daily time-table as starting with maths wasn’t ideal for us. We now begin our mornings with English and Spelling.

In-between these lessons, I’m continually marking their task as they complete it. They do corrections on the work as I mark. This allows me to judge whether that section was clearly understood. If it was not understood, we revise before moving forward. We also do experiments during or after their lessons when necessary. We do experiments almost weekly, as I find practical experiments reinforces what we have learned for the lesson.
They each have a reader for the term. Reading is done at the end of the school day. They are required to do a book report at the end of the term which counts toward their English mark.
After our school work is completed we use maths flash cards to play games, and match Afrikaans words to English words to expand our vocabulary.
​
We have extra murals most afternoons, so our school day ends by 2.30 the latest. If we do not complete the school work during the school day it is done as homework, this is not often. If there are any test scheduled for the week, they will also spend some time studying in the evening.
I try to keep learning interesting and fun by allowing them to lead the discussion. There is often a few why questions which we can explore during our lesson. The one on one time spent learning and researching different topics is invaluable. It’s always an enrichment experience for me as well.

When my middle son was in state school doing grade 4, his teacher called me in to show me his workbooks. I was stunned to see that none of his activities were completed. The teacher therefore could not mark his incomplete work and had to formulate a term mark for his report based on what he did complete.  He would start and never finish the given task. His teacher had over 30 students in the class and could not check each child’s task for every subject, so my son often got away with not completing his work. I suggested my son be kept inside during break to complete his work, but this wasn’t always possible due to various other commitments his teacher had to tend to. When I questioned my son his reasons for not completing his task, he had two reasons. One he didn’t understand the work well enough to continue alone, and two he didn’t have enough time to complete the task.
This was one of the reasons I decided to home-school him. I can now not only make sure he completes his work but also understands it. Whatever he doesn’t complete during the allocated time, is now done as homework. He hates having homework so his learning that there are consequences to incomplete task.
His always struggled with concentration and when he was in school he was on Ritalin, because this was suggested by his teachers. As a parent you never choose to medicate. One of the main benefits of home-schooling is the one on one attention, which means he can be closely monitored and reminded to focus and complete his task. I made a difficult decision when I chose to home-school that I will no longer continue with Ritalin. I decided to face whatever challenges going without medication would bring. It is difficult but not impossible to manage a child with concentration issues. Some days are more challenging than others and there are often tears. It hasn’t been easy, but we’ve managed so far. Each child and each situation is different, what has worked for us may not work for others.
One method that I find works for us is a stopwatch. He sets his watch to an hour and this allows him independence to monitor his own time. Every 15 min I check how far he is and encourage him to focus. Often, I find him playing with a toy, drawing or reading a book. Each time I gently remind to focus on completing his work.  
I notice his slowest work day is a Monday due to the relaxed weekend. With all the long weekends in April it’s been challenging to say the least. I constantly remind myself that this is very normal and allow him space. He eventually completes all his required work by the end of the week. He achieved three A’s for his weekly test. When we have a successful week, it allows me to relax, knowing that he does understand the work and he is learning something new every week, and to celebrate the small victories.

I know its cliché, but I cannot believe how quickly time flies…the term has come and gone. There are always challenges when starting a new year and the first term of the year was not short of its challenges.
Some of the challenges I have faced lie mainly with the volume of work grade 11 brings with it. The daily challenges of completing the task as well as explaining the work. English Poetry is very challenging, as we are required to read through the poem together and understand the rhythm, rhyme scheme, etc. I don’t ever remember having to do poetry in such depth in school, it was difficult trying to explain how to do it to my son. It’s just as much of a learning experience for me.
He started reading an amazing book “Eternity in their hearts” for his Character of God subject. This is his Biblical Studies section of his work. I have also had to read it as I am required to formulate answers for the questions. I have found this book so interesting as it focuses on the past missionaries who have faced many challenges as they infiltrate the rural parts of the world with the Gospel.
Physical Science and Mathematics has been mostly revision of grade 10 work so far and we have a student who is assisting with the more challenging work.
Afrikaans has never been my strong point and this year is a challenge as it is mostly focused on writing essays. The tutor we have has been a great help in assisting my son with grammatical errors.
History is one of his favourite subjects, he enjoys it. He is learning to formulate and study essays.
We had a delay in receiving the Business Studies books, so we are still playing catch up with that.
As far as sports goes, my son has always dreamed of being a soccer player.  We have enrolled him in a soccer team and he started training with them twice a week. He looks forward to playing his first game with the new team soon.
He decided to take a year off from piano lessons. I must admit it broke my heart because he was playing so well and started sounding like a classical pianist. I am learning to trust that God has a hand in this decision and need to allow my son freedom of choice now that his older.
Its been amazing to witness my younger son progress especially in Mathematics. It’s become his favourite subject simply because we spend more time on it and its not rushed and misunderstood. He now sees the new concepts as exciting and is open and eager to understand it. In the past this has been met with anxiety and a fear of failure. I constantly affirm positivity by telling him that he can do it, and as we learn together we discover new things daily. He has also started a new music instrument. I have always wanted them to learn piano, which he did for the last 5 years, but this year he decided his choice of instrument is guitar.
My daughter, I’m discovering daily, learns more practically. For maths we work with money from her money box, so she can physically touch and count it in her hand instead of just seeing it in print. Science has been practical and fun this term, which she thoroughly enjoyed. We have dissected a flower, created mould and studied the imprint of a mushroom.  I also invested in a plastic model of an eye, so that she can touch and see the different parts of the eye as we studied that section.
I must admit there are different dynamics with girls. They are super sensitive beings…she responds best when I allow her to lead the way. Coupled with definite lines of discipline, I have allowed my guard to be let down a bit more this term with her. She is teaching me her way of learning and I am responding only when she calls for help.
I have also enrolled the two younger ones in an Eco club which has been amazing. We meet once a month at a nature reserve and outdoor learning has taken on a new life. We have learnt so much. There is something magical about being out in nature. They are so much more aware of nature, and alert to all around them.
The home-schooling Book Club has also been a new venture for us, where the kids meet once a month to discuss a book they are reading and explain a bit about the story. This has been amazing because it doubles as building their self confidence as they learn to speak in a group of kids of different age groups.
Our days are full of extra murals, which means a lot of driving for me. I must admit I am grateful for a short holiday to relax and re-fire for the next term.
 

Writing down your Vision
 
I’ve always been a firm believer in writing down your vision for the New year. I was brought up in a Christian home with my dad been a Pastor, so for as long as I can remember he always taught us how important it was to have a vision for your life. I often believe in focusing on short term goals which help me get to my 3 or 5-year plan. Longer term goals can seem like a far stretch so I prefer to write down my one-year goals because it makes it more attainable.
Last year December I came across Terri Savelle and wow was I blown away with her simple explanation on how to set out a vision board. I decided then and there to implement this with my kids. (Sounds simple hey…3 kids 3 different personalities… what fun!)
Well after a lot of explanation on what to do and getting each one to think about what they want to improve on or start for the year, we eventually got pen to paper. We started out by writing down just 5 very specific things they and I would like to achieve this year. How much money they would like to save, how many books they would like to read, personal school and sports goals etc.
My Eldest is 16, some of his goals are so different or mature when compared to my 8-year-old. His 11 year old brother had to be reminded to be himself and not do what the older brother wants to do…(a sibling thing). My eldest goals are to get fit and try out for soccer trials, as his always wanted to be a professional soccer player. His daily goal is to run and gym. He also plays the piano and has decided to leave classical style piano and follow a Jazz style rather.( His choice not mine). His future is to study at Wits or UCT University either Engineering or Law.
Common goals for all my kids is to Pray and read their bibles daily, and another is to try save their allowances instead of buying trivial stuff. We plan to open bank accounts for them.
Specific goals for my 11-year-old son is to move from piano to guitar, (his dad is his hero, and recently plays more guitar than piano). He also loves karate and wants to grade to blue belt this year.
My daughter loves ballet and she would love to dance in Paris when she’s older. Short term goals, we started her at a new ballet school and she will be doing her grade 3 ballet exam this year. She also wants to learn an instrument soon (she just can’t decide yet so we are looking at guitar this year).
I did some of my personal goals with them as well. We spent a morning planning and writing, arguing and laughing, but we eventually got it done.
I went online and printed some images relate to their goals, bought some colour chart paper and we began each individual’s vision board. They drew a title and a short sentence for each goal. We attached a visual picture to each goal, and they were so proud to complete their vision boards.
They stuck their boards next to their bed so each morning and evening they commit their year to God in prayer.
Having a vision board and working daily and weekly to accomplish them, will give them the drive to live life on purpose. To wake up each day with a passion to fulfil their vision. This is a lifelong habit that I hope to instil in them each year. I encourage you to do the same with your kids, they not too young for it. This cannot be taught at school, we as parents must take responsibility for their future. They will thank you when they older. I know I’m  grateful to my parents.
 
 
 

My two boys in grades 10 and 5, write exams in June and again in November. I chose a curriculum that has exams because an exam is a review of everything they have learnt for the year. It helps me understand which subjects need more attention in the new term or new year.
We zone into those problem areas with extra lessons through a tutor or with mom focusing more time on certain areas in the evenings. We can focus on doing more examples if its Maths or English and if it’s a study subject like History or Science, it helps me to monitor studying more carefully, by making sure they study a little harder. Sometimes I do random testing on study subjects, much to their dislike! After writing the June exam we received a report back from TCE principal, I then realised we needed to work harder in certain subjects especially Afrikaans.  I sent a message on the home-school WhatsApp group (again an amazing support system) and managed find and enlist the help of an Afrikaans teacher who did tutoring in the afternoons from her home. I noticed an improvement every week. It’s harder to judge this on a day to day basis where they are understanding the concept been taught then and there. Whereas in an exam there are more concepts added and they must learn A plus B together, it can be confusing if the concepts are not fully understood.
They write the exams in the comfort of their own home, so it does lessen the pressure experienced when compared to school exams. They both have their own study space with a desk and chair and we try our best to keep the home quiet and free from anything distracting while they focus. (not that easy when you have the little sister in grade 2, who doesn’t do exams yet!)
I am requested by Theocentric Christian Education to sign a parental declaration form which states that I will not or have not assisted them in any way during the exam. This is very difficult as a parent, because especially as a mom, we have a natural instinct to want to help our kids. I must remind myself that it will only hurt them in the long run. The exam period is their time to figure it out, to work independently and to do their best without mom helping.
I do not have the answers to the exams. The exam question papers are downloaded from the Theocentric Christian Educations website and printed out. They write one to two papers per day depending on the subject, for example maths is written alone, but English paper one and two are written together.
Once the entire exam is completed I scan and email all the papers to T.C.E head office where the exams are marked. I also email my completed marksheet form which contains the marks for test done throughout the year. This continuous assessment marks together with the final exam marks are calculated together and an average mark for the term is then given on their final report.
They set goals to achieve higher than they did last term. They get excited to see what their reports will hold. We also give them different incentives to encourage them to do their best. I believe in rewarding good results, I’ve seen the benefits of a reward system as an incentive for hard work.
 
 
 
 

Some home schooling parents prefer a structured approach to home schooling even though they have decided to remove their kids from traditional school. Along with this structured approach is also the preference to register with some kind of authority or body. In this article we discuss the various options available to parents in South Africa.
For me this was extremely important, so once we were in the first month of our curriculum I began the process of registration.
There are many families who choose not to register their children, as this is not a legal requirement. My main reason was so that they can be on the Department of Education’s registrar of students and if I need to go back to work at some stage they will be on record as been home-schooled. The other important reason is if anyone enquires as to why my kids aren’t at school (sometimes this happens when you have nosy neighbours) I can prove that they have a certificate of registration approved by the department.
There are two important bodies to register with.
Pestalozzi Trust
The Pestalozzi Trust was established to protect the rights and freedom of education for all families wishing to educate their children at home or through cottage schools. It’s important to be registered with them because should you find yourself in a conflict situation with regards to educational authorities the Pestalozzi Trust is able to assist you to resolve the matter before the matter goes to court. If it does go to court the Pestalozzi Trust is able to carry the cost and provide a competent legal team for your protection. You can read details regarding this Trust on their website.
Department of Education
Registration with the Department of Education involves a home visit from the Head of the home-schooling department. I contacted the person in charge of the province in which we live and he emailed me forms to fill for each child. If the child is in grade 10 and above they are regarded as adult education and need not be registered with the department.
The forms are very simple to fill and requires a birth certificate and parents Identification forms.
Once filled you email them back and expect a home visit within four to six weeks. Our home visit was very pleasant. The head of department came with an assistant who looked through our curriculum and admitted that it was actually a very high standard. He was also very surprised with the volume of work we do per week. To hear that honestly made me sigh with relief, as this was what I wanted. Knowing my kids were doing work not only of a higher standard but more than required was what I wanted from this home-schooling experience. I didn’t want them to lack in anyway.
My certificates, once finalised, were emailed to me and I was excited to continue my journey.
Again, not all families register their kids and that is a personal decision. The law may change soon where registration is a legal requirement but until then it is your choice.
 
Facebook Groups
There are many different groups on Facebook which are specifically for any questions you may have regarding your home school journey. The main group is called “Home-schooling in South Africa”, and they have over 11,000 members and counting. The other group which I belong to is called “Home-schooling Christians in South Africa”. I have seen questions asked from what curriculums are available, which Youtube channels to use to assist in learning, tutors who can assist your kids where you cannot, basically anything you need regarding home-schooling can be found using this social media outlet. There are also Facebook groups in your local area, depending on where you are based you can easily connect with other home-schooling families. These Facebook sites are great to get connected to especially if you want your kids to get involved in the different activities.
The Facebook groups also keep you informed as to the legal requirements and laws that change constantly.
I have found these Facebook groups to be extremely helpful.
WhatsApp Groups
When I started my home-school journey I had no idea that WhatsApp would be my lifeline to other families in my area. I have met so many families through WhatsApp all within 10-20 min to where I live. It was an eye opener for me to see so many people support and able to answer any question I needed assistance with. Some of these families are home-schooling for many years and have a wealth of knowledge. I have seen the most insignificant questions asked and answered by people so willing to help.
From curriculum queries to extra mural activities anything you need is answered on these groups.
The sub groups created from the main WhatsApp groups are also amazingly helpful. There are playgroups, reading groups, gaming groups, chat groups, Christian moms support groups. As I say it’s a very supportive community of amazing people all striving to do what’s best for their kids.
These groups have been my lifeline during my 1st year of home-schooling. It’s made it less daunting!

One of the many questions I’m often asked is “Do my kids socialize with other kids?”
The answer is a resounding yes.
Socializing the Home-schooling Way
My kids socialize with other kids of all different ages at various social platforms through the home-schooling events constantly organized throughout the year. They also still participate in the same extra murals they did in school.
My 7-year-old daughter recently was awarded Silver in her RAD ballet exam. Her ballet class consist of girls her age and is done at the Curro school. She is also learning to play the violin and recently started art lessons. All these activities are done with groups of kids her age.
My 10-year-old started karate at the age of 6 and has continued with it, recently achieving his advanced orange belt. His karate group has over 20 kids. He plays indoor cricket once a week. He's learning the piano and recently performed a solo at the Regional Eisteddfod and received Gold.
My eldest son is 16 and has always played soccer. He continues to play for Sporting club which is a Portugal based soccer team. He is currently preparing for his grade 4 piano exam and recently performed with a band at the Regional Eisteddfod. The band achieved a Gold certificate. He also plays piano in the youth band and attends youth every Friday evening.
My kids have never enjoyed afternoon playtime as much as this year of home-schooling. They are not bogged down with tons of homework or incomplete schoolwork brought home. There are no deadlines for projects due. This has freed up their afternoons and allowed them to do what kids were meant to do…play freely. Sometimes, as parents, we equate learning with busy-ness. We deceive ourselves into believing that if our kids are working until midnight with schoolwork then the schools are doing something right. But what we fail to realize is that, most times, teachers cannot cope with the demands of teaching large groups of kids in oversized classrooms and hence the reason for sending work home.
Home-schooling Events
In the small area we currently live, we have over 30 home-schooling families. Some have up to 5 kids per family unit.
Home-schooling events are organized constantly, and this allows my children to interact with other kids of all ages not just their specific grades as in government schools.
The sports day for home-schoolers was held in January, it was amazing to see so many kids competing on a competitive and fun level. Many went on to compete in the government school’s sports day and were awarded Gold, Silver and bronze medals.
We have Ice-rink Fridays once a month, home-school groups can ice skate from 10am to 5pm, this is where my kids learnt to ice-skate something they were never really had an opportunity to try before.
Once a term we have show-and-tell days where our kids are encouraged speak on any topic, say a poem or scripture verse, sing or play an instrument, my kids confidence levels have soared. My 10-year-old recently spoke on the planets and addressed kids who ranged in age from 10 years old up 16 years of age.
Earlier this year there was a chess tournament from grades 1-12 and included moms who wanted to enjoy a game. This worked on an elimination bases and not on age or grades, so it allowed for interaction on all levels. The overall winner was in grade 7.
Our most recent excursion was with a group of 6 families on an outing to a silk worm farm and a tour of the amazing Graskop Gorge. Again, this included all ages, so the tour and the talk given was interactive on all intelligence levels as well.
The reality of Socializing at Public/Private Schools
Much has changed over the course of the last decade. Schools usually cannot cope with managing large groups of kids and usually employ disciplinary procedures to do so. We’ve found that going to school does not necessarily meet the socializing needs of kids. In fact, most kids (especially teenagers) would agree that the social aspect of schooling is the most stressful. The need for kids to conform and fit in is now more stressful than ever. Bullying is now also one of the major factors of suicide in school going children (not to forget cyber bullying which a topic on its own). My second eldest was bullied at school both in grade 1 and grade 3, and both times went a few weeks without saying anything except showing signs of been bullied. He would cry every morning not wanting to go to school and when he came home with a knee injury I realized he’d been bullied.
What we don’t realize is that the schooling system is not designed for socializing. Kids are not allowed to speak unless spoken to by the teacher and kids are often put outside the classroom or given detention for talking in class. My eldest son was often labelled as disturbing the class when he was communicating with the person seated next to him. He would also get demerits for talking and if you had 10 demerits your reward was detention.
During break time there were many rules, they would sit at first break with friends and eat their lunch within the fifteen-minute time slot. Often lunch came back uneaten because of lack of time. Some of the schools my kids attended had very strict rules for break time so even at second break, there was no running allowed, no balls of any kind were allowed during break, and no games involving jumping or skipping. My son came home constantly complaining about these rules. In grade 7 boys and girls were not allowed to sit together, they had separate eating areas.
Practically speaking, in a typical school day with moving between classes and two 15 or 20-minute breaks, students do not interact as much as we think they do. And neither do they get enough teacher-student time either.
Mostly, the only time my children were excited about socializing was if there were extra murals after school or music lessons as part the school day.
There was so much homework, school activities, projects or revision that they couldn’t socialize after school or weekends.
So, in my opinion my kids were not at school to socialize. In our interaction with children who are home-schooled, one does not get the impression that there is a lack of social cohesion on any level.
Here is a link to an article about the positives and negatives of socializing in public schools:
https://nancyebailey.com/2015/09/02/student-socialization-in-public-schools/