I saw this post on the lovely Caley from EllieLoveBlog and loved the post so much I decided to put my own spin on it.
If we met up for cappuccino's... I would tell you that I started a new job in January and I have been struggling to find my feet. The work is great but its trying to forge a friendship with the + 50 people who work there that is giving me anxiety.
If we met up for cappuccino's... I would tell you that life has been kicking my ass lately but with my son and dad by my side I know I can make it through anything. Afternoons filled with love and laughs is the best medicine.
If we met up for cappuccino's... I would tell you I'm not as strong as what I come across, although many of my friends say I am. Most nights I have cried myself to sleep. But I know that I will be okay in the end.
If we met up for cappuccino's... I would tell you I have started bullet journaling and find it so therapeutic to plan my layouts and fill in each day.
If we met up for cappuccino's... I would tell you I am planning on writing a fantasy novel. The idea for my book came to me in a dream and I have never been more excited about any project before. It is a little daunting but I can't wait get it all out there.
What would you tell me if we met up for a cappuccino? I would love to hear.
If we met for cappuccino
Friday, February 9, 2018
I saw this post on the lovely Caley from EllieLoveBlog and loved the post so much I decided to put my own spin on it.
If we met up for cappuccino's... I would tell you that I started a new job in January and I have been struggling to find my feet. The work is great but its trying to forge a friendship with the + 50 people who work there that is giving me anxiety.
If we met up for cappuccino's... I would tell you that life has been kicking my ass lately but with my son and dad by my side I know I can make it through anything. Afternoons filled with love and laughs is the best medicine.
If we met up for cappuccino's... I would tell you I'm not as strong as what I come across, although many of my friends say I am. Most nights I have cried myself to sleep. But I know that I will be okay in the end.
If we met up for cappuccino's... I would tell you I have started bullet journaling and find it so therapeutic to plan my layouts and fill in each day.
If we met up for cappuccino's... I would tell you I am planning on writing a fantasy novel. The idea for my book came to me in a dream and I have never been more excited about any project before. It is a little daunting but I can't wait get it all out there.
What would you tell me if we met up for a cappuccino? I would love to hear.
The definition of homeschooling, is being taught at home by a parent. Homeschooling is something I have always thought about. It appealed to me in many ways because I felt the need to give my son the best education possible. But there were many factors I had to consider before I could make a decision.
But first let me give you a little insight into how I made the decision to take my son out of mainstream schooling and teach him at home.
My son is one of those kids who is extremely shy until he knows he can trust you. He is quiet and loves to spend time alone. He loves to read and play with his Lego. I have never pushed him to be an outgoing kid with lots of friends. And I totally understand where he is coming from. I was that child that had one friend and loved reading. I suppose it is in our genes.
He has always had a hard time adjusting to new environments. He has been in one pre-school from the age of 2 till 6 when it was time to go to primary school. He had one friend that whole time and being parted from him when they went to primary school broke my sons heart. He suffered major anxiety about making new friends and often cried that he didn't want to go to school.
I had got him in an excellent private school in the area. On the first day we saw that some of the kids from his pre-school were there as well. He felt a little better but he still wouldn't let me leave. He cried and this didn't stop at all. Every day was a heartbreaking ordeal for him and myself. I would leave in tears because my angel was so scared and heartbroken.
He would come home and cry because he had no friends. He was always complaining that his teacher was always shouting at him. He wasn't eating his lunch and was always sick. At the first teacher parent meeting, I brought all of this up with his teacher and she played it down to being a kid and that eventually he would be ok. Second term comes a long and he still isn't better. He started biting his nails so severly that they would sometimes bleed.
I never thought it could be that he was being bullied. This was a school that was so strict on anti-bullying. But one night after bathing, I asked him if he was being picked on? His immediate response was no but then he began to cry. He broke down and told me that he was.
This mommies heart broke so much that night. The next morning I was at the school. I spoke to the teacher and the headmaster. Both assured me that they would look into the matter. I was also told that the reason he was getting into trouble was because he would disrupt the class when he was done with his work.*More about this below.
A week later and nothing was resolved. At this point I was looking into homeschooling. If this was how my child would be treated, then it would be better for him to be removed from the school.
Two weeks later, I again went to the school and wanted to know what was happening. No one could give me an answer, and my son was still being bullied. I asked to speak to the headmaster, and right there and then I gave notice to the school. My son's well being was more important than anything.
Fast forward to the end of the second term. I read a lot about deschooling and why it is beneficial for your kids. Deschooling helps them leave behind the strict regimen of school and helps them also leave the anxiety behind. Deschooling can last as long as you need it to. We deschooled for a month. In that month my son stopped getting sick, he stopped biting his nails and he had no more anxiety. My bubbly little boy came back.
For the last few months of last year, we used the books that we bought for the school. He completed each book and had more enthusiasm than before. I must mention that when we received the books back from the school, some of the books weren't even used. More than half way through the year and books were untouched?
This year we have started with Cambridge International Primary syllabus and he has progressed leaps and bounds. We also registered with the Pestalozzi Trust. They fight for the rights of home schooling parents, should the DoE come looking for trouble. It is always good to register with them.
*From what I have noticed since homeschooling is that once he has grasped the work he has before him and completed his task, my son gets irritated with having to wait. When we started out, I allocated times for each subject but he grasps the work so fast that waiting for that period to be finished made him fidget and get irritated. Hence I did away with allocated time and rather give him the work he has to do for each subject and then move on to the next. This way works for both of us and some days he is done by 10 and other days by 12. It all depends on how quick he grasps the particular days work.
Regarding the DoE and the BELA bill. Currently the DoE wants to stop us from homeschooling our children or making us follow the national curriculum. Now many of us homeschooling parents hate the CAPS curriculum as it doesn't give children in depth on each subject, rather they are forced to have a million subjects and no depth of the subjects. With other curriculum's you have fewer subjects but you learn more. With other curriculum's our children are learning and not being breed to be workers for this government.
I know many are asking what about social interaction? My son does extra mural activities that help with making friends. He plays golf and focuses on that is what he wants to do when he gets older. With homeschooling, I can help him reach his dreams instead of sitting in school for 8 hours a day learning nothing while the teacher plays on her phone.
I would love to hear your thoughts on homeschooling. Please also note that while positive comments are always welcomed, negative ones will be deleted. We all have our views on certain topics but I will not tolerate negative comments on the way I choose to educate my child.
Homeschooling Journey
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
The definition of homeschooling, is being taught at home by a parent. Homeschooling is something I have always thought about. It appealed to me in many ways because I felt the need to give my son the best education possible. But there were many factors I had to consider before I could make a decision.
But first let me give you a little insight into how I made the decision to take my son out of mainstream schooling and teach him at home.
My son is one of those kids who is extremely shy until he knows he can trust you. He is quiet and loves to spend time alone. He loves to read and play with his Lego. I have never pushed him to be an outgoing kid with lots of friends. And I totally understand where he is coming from. I was that child that had one friend and loved reading. I suppose it is in our genes.
He has always had a hard time adjusting to new environments. He has been in one pre-school from the age of 2 till 6 when it was time to go to primary school. He had one friend that whole time and being parted from him when they went to primary school broke my sons heart. He suffered major anxiety about making new friends and often cried that he didn't want to go to school.
I had got him in an excellent private school in the area. On the first day we saw that some of the kids from his pre-school were there as well. He felt a little better but he still wouldn't let me leave. He cried and this didn't stop at all. Every day was a heartbreaking ordeal for him and myself. I would leave in tears because my angel was so scared and heartbroken.
He would come home and cry because he had no friends. He was always complaining that his teacher was always shouting at him. He wasn't eating his lunch and was always sick. At the first teacher parent meeting, I brought all of this up with his teacher and she played it down to being a kid and that eventually he would be ok. Second term comes a long and he still isn't better. He started biting his nails so severly that they would sometimes bleed.
I never thought it could be that he was being bullied. This was a school that was so strict on anti-bullying. But one night after bathing, I asked him if he was being picked on? His immediate response was no but then he began to cry. He broke down and told me that he was.
This mommies heart broke so much that night. The next morning I was at the school. I spoke to the teacher and the headmaster. Both assured me that they would look into the matter. I was also told that the reason he was getting into trouble was because he would disrupt the class when he was done with his work.*More about this below.
A week later and nothing was resolved. At this point I was looking into homeschooling. If this was how my child would be treated, then it would be better for him to be removed from the school.
Two weeks later, I again went to the school and wanted to know what was happening. No one could give me an answer, and my son was still being bullied. I asked to speak to the headmaster, and right there and then I gave notice to the school. My son's well being was more important than anything.
Fast forward to the end of the second term. I read a lot about deschooling and why it is beneficial for your kids. Deschooling helps them leave behind the strict regimen of school and helps them also leave the anxiety behind. Deschooling can last as long as you need it to. We deschooled for a month. In that month my son stopped getting sick, he stopped biting his nails and he had no more anxiety. My bubbly little boy came back.
For the last few months of last year, we used the books that we bought for the school. He completed each book and had more enthusiasm than before. I must mention that when we received the books back from the school, some of the books weren't even used. More than half way through the year and books were untouched?
This year we have started with Cambridge International Primary syllabus and he has progressed leaps and bounds. We also registered with the Pestalozzi Trust. They fight for the rights of home schooling parents, should the DoE come looking for trouble. It is always good to register with them.
*From what I have noticed since homeschooling is that once he has grasped the work he has before him and completed his task, my son gets irritated with having to wait. When we started out, I allocated times for each subject but he grasps the work so fast that waiting for that period to be finished made him fidget and get irritated. Hence I did away with allocated time and rather give him the work he has to do for each subject and then move on to the next. This way works for both of us and some days he is done by 10 and other days by 12. It all depends on how quick he grasps the particular days work.
Regarding the DoE and the BELA bill. Currently the DoE wants to stop us from homeschooling our children or making us follow the national curriculum. Now many of us homeschooling parents hate the CAPS curriculum as it doesn't give children in depth on each subject, rather they are forced to have a million subjects and no depth of the subjects. With other curriculum's you have fewer subjects but you learn more. With other curriculum's our children are learning and not being breed to be workers for this government.
I know many are asking what about social interaction? My son does extra mural activities that help with making friends. He plays golf and focuses on that is what he wants to do when he gets older. With homeschooling, I can help him reach his dreams instead of sitting in school for 8 hours a day learning nothing while the teacher plays on her phone.
I would love to hear your thoughts on homeschooling. Please also note that while positive comments are always welcomed, negative ones will be deleted. We all have our views on certain topics but I will not tolerate negative comments on the way I choose to educate my child.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
