Homeschooling ?

[MonGooS]

Hey guys, here is my situation.

My parents want to move again end of this year maybe, about a 80% chance we do and 20% chance we don't. That will mean I will have to move schools again. It will be my 10th school I have been to and also it will be Gr12. I have grown tired of getting re known in schools, making new friends, getting to know teachers, learning the way the new school works etc. So after some thought I have come up with the idea of finishing my last year in homeschooling.

So my question is. Have any of you done homeschooling or know people who have done it ? Is it good or bad, it it worth it or not ?

I spoke to a friend who did it and he said it wasn't enjoyable for him because of 2 reasons. No friends during the "school time" and no teacher. I wont suffer from either of those since my sister is on her 2nd/3rd year of studying and she is studying child psychology and has had to study the school system etc. She has worked as a part time teacher and an Au pair multiple times. So she will act as my tutor. The friend part I don't worry about because I have many friends from previous places who I still play online with every day and talk to on TS, also since I have started Parkour I train with my brother for a fair part of almost every day anyway.

Does anyone have any advice or an opinion weather I should go to a proper school for my last year or do homeschooling.

[Miktar]

Generally from everyone I've known to have homeschooled they all agreed it was, by far, better than goverment-standardized schooling. Intimate 1 on 1 schooling is more efficient and more educational than wholesale 'speak at the class' type of parroting.

It does depend on a whole bunch of factors though - how receptive you are to it, the person teaching you, etc, etc.

[HolyMackerel]

AND whether you are independent enough to work on your own and not play on your PC / Console. Plus you don't have a teacher / lecturer so you pretty much have to learn most things the harder way.

But all in all, very good choice. Teaches you to have discipline. My Brother-in-law did home schooling since he was thirteen and he now owns a few restaurants, very successful because he had that self-discipline and he still does.

[Ch@pS]

Are your parents on the run from the CIA or Interpol or something? O_O

Well I had a friend who was homeschooled and it didnt turn out because he had no self-discipline. So What HolyMackerel said.

[dislekcia]

Get your tutor (sister?) to read up on the Socratic Method. Best way to "teach" anything, ever.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy not being brainwashed into thinking you're not what you should be :)

[MonGooS]

My dad does mining/contracting so we move as he goes to different mines.

My sister will be able to keep me doing my work (instead of playing PC), so thats not a problem. Just needed to know if it was a good idea or not.

Thanks for all the input :D

[Stalker 103]

Im afraid I am homeschooled. It is frustrating. Dont use Clonard or Future Entrepeneurs. They suck Ass.

[Graal]

I know one guy who was homeschooled. He has the social skills of a dead goldfish. It really didn't help him much when he went to government schooling in grade 8, he was removed because he could not be 'accepted' by the children. Though he did have homeschooling since grade 1, and seeing as you were at government schools until grade 12 you should be fine.

Anyway, another thing, if you do homeschooling over the internet or any such course it might prove a bit difficult as you have almost no-one to turn to if you don't understand something.

[J3n0va]

I'm currently home-schooling :-) It's great but the only downside is the lack off teachers but as long as you have a tutor I don't see ant problems

[Stalker 103]

I wish I could go to a normal School, but seeing as I live in the Middle of The Free State (Tm), there are no Schools where I live. Except for one Township School and one Extremely Christian School (They put the bible in Maths and Science).

[Cleric]

Matric was my best year at school, had tons of fun. I really wouldn't trade that year for the world.
I say go to the new school and make the best of it. Re-invent yourself. You can go there and be whoever the hell you wanna be. No one will have those embarrasing std 6 stories of you.

Heck, play the mysterious guy (chicks dig that)

But seriously, don't throw in the towel just yet. Home schoolin has MANY benefits, but being with a bunch of people going through the same part of life, esp one so interesting, can't be valued highly enough.

[wrathex]

I taught my son homeschooling for a while with Breinlyn, for primary school, it was very challenging for me, not him.

I would recommend that since it's your final year and the year will be shorter than a usual year, just go the nearest school, you don't have to focus on new friends and adjusting in such a short year, instead just concentrate on getting those grades and then it's goodbey school.

stick with the system you know - this is an important year

[wrathex]

oops double posted

[Darkmag]

There is a girl that studies with me that was home schooled, good student too, she is currently a final year student and shes is 2 years younger than me, however she is more socially inept than most other students.

[Domanskip]

Get your tutor (sister?) to read up on the Socratic Method. Best way to "teach" anything, ever.

Best advice in the whole thread.

[MonGooS]

Dunno how many schools you guys have been to but after you get to your 10th school you have enough memory's to last you a lifetime. I don't need good memory's, I have enough. I am by no means socially disabled so no worries there :P

I just want a good education for my last year, and I want it done fast. You know how most kids say they hate school and wish they where out. Just cause they don't enjoy working/teachers etc. Its not like that for me. I am just tired of school, its taken more of a toll on me than these kids who have been with the same friends since Gr1.

My sister is strict and will get me working more than I need t every day. If I can finish my year early I will be even more happy. School has just lost its excitement in my eyes.

[onona]

memory's

Your sister needs to teach you how to spell memories correctly.

:P

[MonGooS]

Spelling has always been my weak point, The NAG forums has experienced it more than once. Hehe...

My guess is its thanks to having a new English teacher every grade for most of my school life.

[onona]

Actually frankly I don't think teachers have any bearing on one's spelling. Reading improves your spelling, simple as that. And I don't mean reading forums, because frankly that's likely to make things worse :/

If you want to improve your spelling and grammar, read more books. I probably learned more from books than I ever did from any teacher in high school. And that goes for more than just English.

[Darkmag]

Actually frankly I don't think teachers have any bearing on one's spelling. Reading improves your spelling, simple as that. And I don't mean reading forums, because frankly that's likely to make things worse :/

If you want to improve your spelling and grammar, read more books. I probably learned more from books than I ever did from any teacher in high school. And that goes for more than just English.

I have to disagree with that, compared to the some of the people I know, I've read 10 times more books than them, and my spelling is terrible compared to them.

[Domanskip]

If you want to improve your spelling and grammar, read more books. I probably learned more from books than I ever did from any teacher in high school. And that goes for more than just English.

Second best piece of advice in this thread.

Also, don't read stuff like Harry Potter and expect your spelling to improve. You need to challenge yourself.

[GeometriX]

One could argue that Harry Potter could at least teach you how to spell "memories". The ability to spell everyday words is fine for like 90% of people in this world - let's not push people too far out of their comfort zone.

[Cleric]

MAybe you shoul pay more attentin to you reading. Harry Pottr and Twilight don't count. Read some Robert Jordan and Raymond Feist. Read some DiscWorld (great for vocab).

:p

While I don't disagree that some people have less of an affinity for spelling, reading will do your spelling a world of good.
(for the record, my spelling has taken a dive since I started relying on spellcheck in emailing)

[Darkmag]

MAybe you shoul pay more attentin to you reading. Harry Pottr and Twilight don't count. Read some Robert Jordan and Raymond Feist. Read some DiscWorld (great for vocab).

:p

While I don't disagree that some people have less of an affinity for spelling, reading will do your spelling a world of good.
(for the record, my spelling has taken a dive since I started relying on spellcheck in emailing)

I've read nearly all the discworld novels, even played all the games, sir Terry Pratchett is by far my favorite author. I'm not saying reading is useless, I mean when ever your exposed the the correct use of a language it can only help improve you abilities.

I read a lot less books now than I did five years ago, and my language skills have drastically improved, most likely due to all the long ass assignments I had to write for varsity. But some people just have a better affinity towards language especially those suffering from Dyscalculia, and some people learn better through different methods than others might.

[Azimuth]

What's with the Harry Potter haters? Have you guys even bothered to read the books, or are you just assuming they're rubbish because other people said so? The entire series is fantastic reading, and I can say that with some credibility, because I also read stuff like Umberto Eco, Mervyn Peake, and Jorge Luis Borges. I'd mention my degree in English literature here too, if I didn't think Toi would throw a big fat wobbly about it again.

Anyway, I'd hardly rate Robert Jordan and Raymond Feist as any better than JK Rowling. :/

[Kensei]

If you want to improve your spelling and grammar, read more books. I probably learned more from books than I ever did from any teacher in high school. And that goes for more than just English.

I disagree that only reading books will improve spelling and grammar. I would say writing more than reading, in a place that will aid in correcting your spelling - for example online Play by Bulletin Board games.

That and a built in spell checker in the internet browser of your choice ^_^

[onona]

I disagree that only reading books will improve spelling and grammar.

Where did I say that reading was the "only" way to improve? :/

[Azimuth]

Spell checkers don't help anyone learn to spell. They just do it for you. :|


Originally Posted by darkmag
I'm not saying reading is useless, I mean when ever your exposed the the correct use of a language it can only help improve you abilities.

I'm not saying reading is useless. I mean, whenever you're exposed to the correct use of a language, it can only help improve your abilities.

Glad to be of assistance.

[Darkmag]

Spell checkers don't help anyone learn to spell. They just do it for you. :|



I'm not saying reading is useless. I mean, whenever you're exposed to the correct use of a language, it can only help improve your abilities.

Glad to be of assistance.

Thanks for the irony. :)

[Azimuth]

It passes the time. ;P

[Domanskip]

What's with the Harry Potter haters? Have you guys even bothered to read the books, or are you just assuming they're rubbish because other people said so? The entire series is fantastic reading, and I can say that with some credibility, because I also read stuff like Umberto Eco, Mervyn Peake, and Jorge Luis Borges. I'd mention my degree in English literature here too, if I didn't think Toi would throw a big fat wobbly about it again.

Anyway, I'd hardly rate Robert Jordan and Raymond Feist as any better than JK Rowling. :/

I don't hate Harry Potter at all. The series is one of my favorites and I've read each book upwards of three times. I'm merely saying that they won't improve your spelling and vocabulary as much as some of the authors you mentioned.

[Chippit]

If you want to improve your spelling and grammar, read more books. I probably learned more from books than I ever did from any teacher in high school. And that goes for more than just English.
ilu.


Spell checkers don't help anyone learn to spell. They just do it for you. :|



I'm not saying reading is useless. I mean, whenever you're exposed to the correct use of a language, it can only help improve your abilities.

Glad to be of assistance.
ilu2.

http://www.dapperstache.com/picotheday/gorilla_shark

[Azimuth]

I don't hate Harry Potter at all. The series is one of my favorites and I've read each book upwards of three times. I'm merely saying that they won't improve your spelling and vocabulary as much as some of the authors you mentioned.

Not least of all because it should be Expecto patronum, not Exspecto patronus. :<<<

[dammit]

Moving from the current convo of spelling to the original topic of Home schooling, I'd say, in your situation, it is the best option for you. I've never been home schooled but I've done most of my degree on my own. Studying on your own does let you see how disciplined you are but it also allows you to be more flexible in when and where you'll do the work, what days you'll do whichever subjects and so on.

Changing schools sucks, from my experience, and I would hate to do it in matric, so yes, if I were in your schools I'd go the home school option. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Btw: Which institution will you do your matric year through, if you go the home school route?

[Chippit]

Not least of all because it should be Expecto patronum, so Exspecto patronus. :<<<

See, the thing about Faux-Latin is that all it needs to achieve is sounding like Latin. This was proved by Dungeon Keeper. :P

[Graal]

Well, Harry Potter helped a lot with my spelling. Afrikaans being my first langauge means that usually there are quite a number of words I don't know, then I grab the dictionary. Helps a lot. Anyway, Harry Potter helped my reading speed along quite well, there was a time I could read 6 books of between 300 and maybe 700 words in 2 weeks(library only allowed me to take 6), most of them usually were fine print. Harry Potter helped me run through the books, meaning my spelling got better, thus helping me in the long run as well.

[Azimuth]

Wait. ****. It's exspecto. Rowling writes expecto.

My lecturers would crucify me. .__.

[MonGooS]

Btw: Which institution will you do your matric year through, if you go the home school route?

TBH I haven't even started thinking about that. Its been more of an idea than an actual plan. But its turning into an almost definite thing now.

Do you know of any decent ones or could you suggest anything ?

[cov1e_stalker]

TBH I haven't even started thinking about that. Its been more of an idea than an actual plan. But its turning into an almost definite thing now.

Do you know of any decent ones or could you suggest anything ?

If you are creative ( as in 3d animation , acting, sound engineer) , then go to City Varsity, they only ask for a matric certificate.
Or Rhodes universtiy , one of the best in SA , but you will probably need to do matric at a school.

[onona]

If you are creative ( as in 3d animation , acting, sound engineer) , then go to City Varsity, they only ask for a matric certificate.

I wouldn't recommend City Varsity for their 3D animation course :/

[HolyMackerel]

I have to disagree with that, compared to the some of the people I know, I've read 10 times more books than them, and my spelling is terrible compared to them.

What kinds of books do you read? Because I have to agree with Onona on that. I have read all kinds of books and I can spell any word without a dictionary, and I've been able to most of my primary- and High school life. One of my friends, who is in Varsity is an incredible genius studying his final year in BSc Bio genetics and his spelling is terrible because he has probably read four books in his entire lifetime.

Reading does improve your vocabulary, ask any writer. We even have some good writers in this forum.

EDIT: He's doing his doctoral.

[MonGooS]

Do you guys think a Uni / Varsity etc. Would make a fuss if you did your matric in homeschooling instead of a proper school ?

[Lysis]

The whole point of a matric is to standardise a certain level of qualification. So as long as you have the matric certificate, then the universities should be satisfied.

[dammit]

Do you guys think a Uni / Varsity etc. Would make a fuss if you did your matric in homeschooling instead of a proper school ?


The whole point of a matric is to standardise a certain level of qualification. So as long as you have the matric certificate, then the universities should be satisfied.

Exactly. This is why I asked which institute you were looking at because not all institutes give you the matric certificate you need. I do know damlin offers this, but to be honest, I wouldn't do any course through damlin.

I just checked up to see if UNISA offered matric courses, but it doesn't seem like they do. I actually don't know what other institutes are available for this.

[Kraken]

If you're looking at doing your final year from home, the British International Distance College is probably your best bet. I worked through them from grade nine through 12 (foundation to HIGCSE) and I was accepted into UNISA no problem. I believe their matric is of a higher standard than local matric, too.

But if you do go with them, you HAVE to expect the worst about everything, just to be safe. If you just trust them with something wrong, or shoddy service, you can get ****ed in your progress through the year. :p

[wrathex]

Does not matter where or through whom you write matric, you will write the National Senior Certificate (IEB), which is a standard matric and accepted countrywide at all learning centres as such.

Have a look at this website for more info. (http://www.isasa.org/)

[cov1e_stalker]

I wouldn't recommend City Varsity for their 3D animation course :/

Why ? I am planing on studying 3d animation , who do you think provides the best course ?

[onona]

Let's take this to PM, cov1e_stalker.

[Scorch621]

Someone in my class has just moved to homeschooling...havent heard from him lately...but im not sure its a good thing if you want to get a good job im not sure....

[dammit]

Someone in my class has just moved to homeschooling...havent heard from him lately...but im not sure its a good thing if you want to get a good job im not sure....

I really don't see how one could be affected negatively in this area by being home schooled. Employers may look at someone who is home schooled and decide that they're probably more disciplined than the average student who attends school.

[MonGooS]

I hope so, but I have made my decision and if we move I will do homeschooling for definite. If we end up staying here I will decide closer to the end of the year if I will finish my last year in this school or swap to homeschooling. Atm I'm not mad over this school :/