How was your first day at school? I mean you not you children. It seems that there are more emotional parents on the first day of school than there are children. It also seems that parent are more upset than their kids about going to school.
After the nice long break its back to the mad house. In our case that is more literal than one would think. As we home school. Our first day started on Monday. By that evening I had a real headache. We had a new curriculum to install onto the PC. We had to figure out how it works. It was rough.
But it has slowly turned to dome form of craziness. Yes, that is somewhat better than madness. A touch, not much though.
Home schooling is tough, despite what some might think. There is a lot of preparation, and work that goes in to it. Many choices to make. Huge responsibility.
We chose the “Switched-on Schoolhouse” Computer based curriculum this year. In the six years that we have done home schooling we have gone through three curricula. Wow I got that right See what home schooling can do for you.
Back to the curriculum. We have changed, not because the curriculum was bad, but because it did not suite us and our children. The toughest choice in a home school is what curriculum to use. Most of all I believe that it has to be one that suites your child’s needs, suites their character, and aids the parent in teaching. I will write more about curriculum choices later.
But what about you? What do you think of school in our country? With the debacle of the matric results. I mean, I know of a school where only 3 pupils passed in the entire matric class. Three, that's a disgrace.
And what about those pass results can we take them to heart. I believe a pass mark is 35% in most subjects. Wow. Would you like a doctor to work on you who knows only 35% of what he supposed to know. It does not give you any confidence in the future of our country.
We truly will become a third world country, with third world knowledge.
Our home school curriculum has set the pass rate at 70%. That means if our child gets 69% he fails. There is something about setting high standards and helping you children reach them.
Do you home school? If not would you ever consider it, and why? I would lover to know. Please drop us a comment I am sure the other readers would like to hear your side of the story.
If you have particular sad or funny or memorable story of your first day at school, share that as well.
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5 comments:
Verskoon maar die Afrikaans maar dit is nog te vroeg vir my om die Engels aan te pas.
Ons het 1 dogter en ons Homeschool haar. Ons het al 'n paar inskrywings op ons blog gedoen oor homeschool.
Hier volg 'n gedeelte van een van inskrywings wat ek al gedoen het:
"Sue-Mari was vanaf 4 maande tot met Graad Nul in 'n kleuterskool. As ouers het ons sekere waardes in haar gedeponeer maar het ons gou uitgevind dat sy van vroeg af gebots het met die wêreld se manier van dinge doen.
Ek skiet nie hiermee skole af nie en ek verstaan dat daar omstandighede is waarom elke huishouding nie tuisonderig kan doen nie.
Nadat ons baie daaroor gebid het, het ons gevoel dat ons wel tuisonderrig wou doen."
Ek dink werklik dat as dit moontlik is, ouers homeschool moet oorweeg.
Ek het iets vergeet. Die eerste vraag van hoe was die eerste dag op skool. Ons beleef dit nie werklik meer nie, omdat ons nou skool binne ons gesin en Sue-Mari se behoeftes kan aanpas
The thought of my children going to a conventional school sends shivers down my spine. For a number of reasons :
1. Any theology goes, based on what the person who is teaching them believes. E.g Science, biology, etc
2. Overcrowding, how are my children supposed to get an effective education if the teacher is unable to provide adequately for each and every pupils individual needs.
3. Peer Pressure, average age for CHILDREN to have sex is now TEN.
4. Sub-standards, lack of equipment, shocking achievement levels. As you say 35% to pass? Are you mad?
Private schools aren't much better and come with their own set of problems to an over abundance of money and parents who really couldn't bothered with their children, except how their performance reflects on them. My brother-in-law's children went to Crawford for a few years. By most peoples standards he was wealthy, as evidenced by him having the ability to pay the hectic tuition fees of a place like Crawford. His son however felt they were poor! Why? Because his one friends father owns a diamond mine, the other is the son of Paul Simon. His dad only drove a R300,000.00 car, while his friends dad's drove cars in the region of a million rand.
As a born again believer, I take my duty to raise a Godly seed for the Lord very seriously. I have but a short time to show my children, the one TRUE God who abhors sin, but loved us so much that he was willing to sacrifice His only Son for us!
Based on that, I feel the best way for me to honour that commandment is to homeschool my children. NOT seclude them from the world, but give them the tools to effectively deal with the world and it's curve balls. :)
My biggest dilemma this year is choosing which curriculum to follow. Praying much about that. :)
Mick,
What an encouragement. Thanks
Riaan,
Glad to hear you think the same way as me
Hi and to whom it may concern,
We have a "First day at school" video, 4 minutes long
(http://www.zoopy.com/video/krw/first-day-at-school?browse=gzh)
The video interviews grade 1 pupils on their first morning at school before the bell rings.
Some of these toddlers talk of their future careers and their parents talk about their school lunchbox lunch for their first day.
Please feel free to embed this video into any media related articles. The video is free and the embed code sits next to the video.
Any Problems please phone me:
021 552 6383
Kind regards,
John
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