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Introduction

Special Thanks and Acknowledgements

Rules & Regulations

Tips

Steps to Starting

What People Say

Shannon working while on holiday in Dikhololo

Shannon working while on holiday in Dikhololo

Dikhololo 2003

Inteview for the Home School Report for the SABC News - Shown 19h00 on 8th January 2007

SABC TV Inteview - 8 january 2007

S o you want to start your own Home School? This is the best decision you have made and we want to encourage you to continue with this noble task. To simplify your queries and to get your Home School started, you can contact -

THE SCHOOL OF TOMORROW CONTACT DETAILS
Address P.O. BOX 22072, GLEN ASHLEY, DURBAN, KWAZULU NATAL, 4022
Telephone (031) 573-6500 Fax (031) 569-1862
E-Mail info@aceministries.co.za
Web Address http://www.aceministries.co.za

INTRODUCTION

The South African government has legalized informal education or Home Schooling. It is now possible for any parent to home school their OWN Child / Children providing that certain rule and regulations are complied to and the parents get formal approval form the relevant education department. (In our case Gauteng Education)

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THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Both Martin and I would like to thank and acknowledge the following people.

ANNIE - For all your encouragement and assistance with our home school. If we did not have people like you to assist us and answer our questions, our lives and our initial home schooling experience would have been very, very difficult. THANK YOU.

HESTER VAN DER MERWE - TSHWANE HOME EDUCATORS ACADEMY. For all your encouragement and assistance with our home school. You have truly gone the extra mile since we met you. THANK YOU. E-mail Hester @ THEA
THE TEACHERS AT MARANATHA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL - To all the teachers that taught Shannon during Grade 0 and 1. All your work and effort is much appreciated and has enabled us to get off to a good start with our school. Especially Judy Oberholzer, and Tanya Holdsworth for the extra mathematics. THANK YOU.
ACE MINISTRIES AND STAFF - For all the queries, work and helpful people. THANK YOU. E-mail ACE Ministries
T.B. SEKGOBELA AND VAUGHAN HOLMES (GAUTENG EDUCATION) - Thank you for allowing me the privilege to home school my daughter. THANK YOU.

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SOME OF THE CURRENT RULES AND REGULATIONS ARE:

A parent may only home school his or her own children.
A parent must apply to the relevant educational department to have their own children exempted from formal education.
An accurate record must be kept of each child’s attendance.
A child must receive at least three hours of education a day.
All outstanding fees have been settled at there past schools.
The children must be tested a regular intervals.
The education level the child receives at home may not be lower that he/she would receive in normal school.
The area set aside for "class room" are conducive to studying.
A parent or tutor must be in the classroom during the school sessions.

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Some Tips are:

Ensure that you want to home school your children.
To save money should not be your primary reason to home schooling. Home schooling is a pleasure but takes a lot of preparation, planning and time, so if you do not have the time or patients then maybe to leave them in formal education will be a better idea.
Plan you child's studies and add extra things to do. - Remember home schooling is fun and the child does not have to be permanently slogging, they should also have activities to teach them other skills as part of their education. We found that giving our daughter a five-minute break between periods improved her concentration. We also make sure that Mathematics and English are her first two subjects of each day. We also let our daughter regularly exercises / rest her eyes, stretching activities, play educational games with her.
Involve Dad's in the education and administration.—We can not stress the importance of both parents being involved in their children's education. In our home school my husband is the principle and I am the teacher. We also both assist in the education and administration. Dad does all the forms on his computer and inspects our daughters work.
Remember parents you are a team and if you want your home school to be successful then you will both have to put some effort in to the education of you children.

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Steps to Starting

(Please allow at least three months for this process, although it may take less time)

Contact you local Education Department. You will need to supply them with a letter requesting your child to be exempted from Formal Education. (GAUTENG EDUCATION, P.O. Box 7710 Johannesburg 2000 or 111 Commissioner Street Johannesburg 2001)
Contact the School of Tomorrow Offices (031-230-9549 / 031-563-5551) to request application form to enroll your child in the School of Tomorrow
Complete the School of Tomorrow Application form.
Write a letter to your current school informing them of your plans to home school. Ensure that they give you a transfer certificate. You normally have to give one months written notice before a child may leave.
Also ensure that all outstanding SCHOOL fees and other fees have been settled with your child's previous school or else you will not be able to register with School of Tomorrow or any system of informal education.
Deposit the required ACE Home School Registration fee into the School of Tomorrows bank account.
Return the Application form and copy of the deposit slip to the School of Tomorrow offices.
They will approve or reject you application and give you a unique home schoolers number, with which you can place your order for Pace's and stationery.
Steup a room in your home as a class room. It should contain at least a desk, two chairs and basic school stationery.

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What people say?

This is the strangest thing. Every home schoolers I have spoken to has had some or other person tell them they are crazy to try and home school there children. I believe that it comes from our South African culture and a little bit of ignorance.

At the onset let us encourage you because home schooling is truly the best thing you can do for your child. With the excellent curriculums available on the market there is absolutely no reason why you child can not and will not have the best education available to them.

Remember that you child will not be in a classroom of 40 plus student or if they were a private school 10 plus students. Your child will get the best education because as a parent you have been their teacher since birth. There's no substitute for a one to one education system, where you child can have 24 hour access to their teacher. There is just no education anywhere that can compare with this.

We have found that there are a few NEGATIVE PEOPLE you will encounter but instead of defending you home school know that most of their criticism is based on their ignorance of home schooling.

FAMILY - The most obvious people who will have something to say is your family. Although they mean well they can not comprehend that you are qualified to teach your children. They often see the only way of educating ones child is through formal education, they do not understand that ALL parents are teachers and have already taught your children about 90% of what you know today!
SCHOOLS - Any school wants students to fill the classrooms. Although there is nothing wrong with formal education, it does have some negatives.
TEACHERS - Most teachers we were in contact with, were not too keen on our decision to home school. We believe this to be, because they have studies to be teachers and now a normal parent is teaching a child and they feel threatened. We must add that some teacher have been a great help and when you get stuck do not feel you have failed. Just get the correct teacher to assist you with extra classes. As Shannon moved into the High school stage we realized the mathematics had changed so much that we go a very good mathematics teacher to give her extra lessons, you cannot believe the improvement in her mathematics scores and her understanding. Remember "No Man (or woman) is an Island", if you are not sure what to do get someone who does, ask you husband, contact ACE or your local academy, a local school or ask your friends they all can help.

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