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.
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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.
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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/
 

The thought of home-schooling caused many sleepless nights for me. I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to teach my kids, because I am not a qualified teacher. My parents co-founded a Christian School when I was 10 years old so I understood the demand on a teacher.

I believe just like a teacher or a nurse it’s a calling, so it kept tugging at my heart. I believe God began to speak to me, so I began endless research to demystify what terrified me.

My search started by talking to other home-schooling moms, and friends. I had so many questions and began to slowly understand the different styles of home-schooling (and boy is there are a lot).
I always told my kids there is no silly questions, and this definitely applied to me during my research. Another branch of my search was through social media platforms, there I found many home-schooling groups both in South Africa and abroad.

There were some specific criteria that I wanted for my kids for example, I knew I wanted to pursue a higher standard of education. I also knew I wanted a Christian perspective in my search for a curriculum. Growing up I did Accelerated Christian Education(ACE), which allowed me to have a strong biblical base, so I was searching for something similar.

In my initial search I came across de-schooling. De-schooling in my understanding involves something similar to detoxing your child from the “schooling system” This is especially recommended if your child has been bullied or has had other traumatic experiences while at school. It involves a period of time where the child self learns. Some of the more detailed explanations is that de-schooling is an adjustment period after leaving the school system when a child (and parent) disengage from the school mindset and mentality and learn a completely new way of life that is not based on culture, structure or expectations of school. To be honest I didn’t go through the process de-schooling, but there are many parents who do.

I came across many parents who were unschooling which simply put means not doing regular school workbooks or keeping strict school times. Unschoolers mostly believe kids learn best by what they show interest in. For example photography courses, agricultural learning etc. This is an unstructured approach to learning. Test and exams are also not done by Unschoolers.
I knew straight away with my personality and make-up that wouldn’t work for me. I am by nature a very structured and methodical person. I like to have a plan and stick to it as much as I can.
This led me to a more streamlined point in my research, which was to seek out a more structured way of learning. I came across two ways of a structured approach.

The first one the unboxed curriculum where you create your own curriculum using subjects from various curriculums, for example, some parents take a science program from one curriculum but a maths program from a completely different curriculum. This is offered or allowed by the creators of these curriculums for example, Singapore Maths can be done with Abeka English and Science from the Good and the Beautiful. Again, here testing or exams is not a requirement. In my opinion this is a flexible yet structured way of learning. I found this a bit complicated since this was my first time home-schooling 3 kids. I didn’t want to have to work out how to create my own curriculum.
 
The second approach which I chose to go with is what is referred to by home schoolers is a boxed curriculum. Once I decided this is what I wanted I was able to further reduce my search to a structured, boxed curriculum which allows you to follow an already set daily, weekly or monthly program. The boxed Curriculums which I came across were Impaq, Clonard, Horizon, Alpha and Omega, British International College (www.bidc.co.za), Accelerated Christian Education (I mentioned earlier that I had done this curriculum) and Theocentric Christian Education.
Some of these curriculums offered online learning and using CDs, and others offered Textbooks.
Going into home-schooling I knew I didn’t want my kids working online as I preferred books. Again my personal preference is for my kids to work with pen and paper and not on a computer using CD’s or DVD’s but rather open and read a book.

I also have a preference to the Cambridge curriculum which led me to look at The British Institute, which offered home schoolers an option of distant learning using the Cambridge curriculum. Due to subject choices for my grade 10 son, I chose not to go that route. Clonard was also a great option for Cambridge but again subject choices for my Grade 10 son did not appeal to me or him.
My grade 1 daughters teacher at the time suggested Impaq, and while many home schoolers love it, my personal preference was not to go the South African CAPS way of learning.

My final decision led me to choose Theocentric Christian Education for so many reasons. It ticked all my boxes, it was a Christian based program which was my main goal. It offered test and exams with reports twice a year. It was also an American syllabus for my Grade 2 daughter and Grade 5 son. The subject choices they offered my Grade 10 son appealed to me, as well as the fact that he could go on to do his IGCSE levels(Cambridge) for Grades 11 and 12. Every question and concern I had was answered by the founders directly, Allison and Graham Shortridge. I found communication with regards to my concerns about the program were dealt with promptly, sometimes within the hour.  It is also a curriculum that can be done anywhere not just in South Africa which also met my needs as my husband travels often. The fact that I could use one curriculum for all 3 kids appealed to me.

We started our curriculum in January and it’s been a challenge to say the least. I am still learning daily, but we are now definitely more familiar with it. Although my research was a daunting and long process, I am more relaxed knowing that I made the right choice and my kids will have a good quality education and lack nothing.

This is my journey, my preferences and choices. Each family has their own needs. There are many factors to think about when deciding on a curriculum but nothing is permanent. Many home schoolers change programs that are not suitable for their needs. For me I think my search is done for now. I am content.

​I’ve had a strong desire to home-school my eldest son since he started Grade 1. His first year at school wasn’t an easy one, and eventually I was told he needs an assessment and needs to be on Ritalin.
I took him to a Pediatrician who completed an evaluation and disagreed with the school’s opinion. I was also told by his teacher that my son would not complete his work in class and I had to help him at home. We spent hours after school doing classroom work besides homework. It left my son feeling despondent and I felt hopeless.
This led me to believe there must be another way and so began my desire to home-school. I was working full day at the time and couldn’t afford to leave. So, I continued working with my son after school much to our frustration.
My second son’s school experience was a little different, he taught himself to read at the age of 5 so I thought I would have no major issues with him, but I was wrong. When he started grade 1 already reading his teachers were amazed, but he started to develop anxiety with regards to mathematics.
Every Monday (Maths Monday) he would not want to go to school, he would complain of severe tummy cramps until eventually He opened up and told me. So again, I knew the drill, I started tutoring him every day besides his homework. This left little time for play. It made my heart sad, because kids need play to learn and grow.
By this time, I had my eldest in Grade 5, My 2nd son in grade 1 and my daughter starting preschool.
My eldest had also started in a new school and I was told yet again that he needs Ritalin and wasn’t coping with the day to day work. Again, the school suggested an educational psychologist who performed a full evaluation and could not conclusively say that my son needed Ritalin, in fact he said in certain subjects, especially English, he was above average. The educational Psychologist advised he start on a month’s course of Ritalin to see if he will perform better at school. My son’s marks improved, and his teachers stopped complaining, but Ritalin completely changed his personality and when it wore off at a certain time every day, I actually looked forward to seeing him happy and smiling again. I missed my bubbly happy boy but I felt I had no choice.
My second eldest son was also put on Ritalin eventually in grade 3. And again, I saw his personality change completely. I knew I had to do something. And continued to research my interest in home-schooling.
My daughter eventually started Grade 1 and had to go for Occupational Therapy. I held my breathe thinking not another one of my babies to go on Ritalin. Fortunately, this wasn’t the case. A few months of occupational therapy and she was good.
My second reason for home-schooling was my that my middle son and my daughter were also bullied at school on more than one occasion, and I had very little support from the teachers with regards to the manner in which the situation was handled.
My third reason for home-schooling was the fact that my husband often travelled for work purposes and I was exhausted trying to do it all alone, so when he was offered another out of town position, I knew this was my chance to take the dive and start home-schooling. We had long discussions on whether it was the right decision for us as a family and concluded that it was. With hours of research and with my husband’s help we narrowed our search to which curriculum would suit our family. My eldest now in Grade 10 needed structure for his senior phase (Yes, that’s how long I took).
I specifically wanted a higher standard of education preferably Cambridge and a Christian based curriculum. Eventually we decided on Theocentric Christian Education.  

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