PUPILS DEVELOP SELF-DISCIPLINE
MANY PARENTS TURN TO HOME SCHOOLING
WHAT are the benefits of home schooling compared to conventional schooling?
In a traditional schooling environment parents only have to guide their children in the right direction to ensure they perform effectively as most of the work is left to teachers.
This schooling method is not that popular in black communities. Some parents tell us why they chose it for their children.
Botlhale Baily, 17, the MacDonald sisters, Shani, 16, and Celine, ABOUT 75 000 children in South Africa are home schooled.
Association for Home Schooling in SA chairman Bouwe van der Eems says home schooling is growing rapidly in SA as, according to the 2011 census, there were about 57 000 home schooled pupils and the figure increased to 75 000 last year.
Children who are home 14, are some of the learners who have demonstrated to their parents that in a home schooling environment it is possible to manage their time without constant supervision. The trio started home schooling last year through the British International Distance College in Bryanston, Johannesburg.
They write Cambridge exams that are marked at Cambridge International Examination in the United Kingdom. Shani is an AS Level (Grade 12) learner and Celine is writing her IGCSE Extended (Grade 11) in May/June. Both sisters have private tutors.
“I do singing and acting. I’m really working on a career and it’s (home schooling) just more convenient for my lifestyle. There is a lot of self-discipline involved,” Shani says.
“You must be determined to work, you can’t depend on anyone. You have to do your homework. You have to do everything that you are required to do by yourself.
“You can’t get help from your parents because it’s your future.”
Celine is a tennis player and an actress. Through home schooling she will be able to complete matric at the age of 15.
This is because after completing the foundation phase (Grade 9), a learner can do IGCSE Core (Grade 10) and Extended (Grade 11) at the same time.
“The best thing about home schooling is that if you fail a subject or you are not happy with your marks, you rewrite.
“It’s not like in normal schooling where if you fail you feel embarrassed,” Celine explains.
Botlhale completed his AS Level schooled receive their education at home from their parents or tutors. Parents are not required to have any qualifications to tutor their children and there is no criteria they have to meet to allow them to teach.
“Research has shown … there is no correlation (Grade 12) last year with the guidance of a private tutor. He is currently doing a bridging course towards a BCom Honours Law at Varsity College. He says he chose home schooling because he wanted to pay equal attention to his golf and studies.
“It was a bit scary at first but as soon as I got into it, it was lots of fun. It was more challenging than any other syllabus I’ve done,” says Botlhale.
“The number one thing that you miss out on is having different teachers and more people to interact with. In the normal school structure, when you are in matric you look forward to leadership things and the matric dance. So, I missed out on all of that.”
The keen golfer has played and won many golf tournaments. He he is the reigning Junior Order of Merit Champion for the year 2013 and 2014 for the Golf School of Excellence.
He is also the captain of the B Division of the Modderfontein Golf Club Junior League. He has won numerous swimming medals and between the qualification of the parent and the quality of education that the home learners receive. Home learners who receive their education from parents without a matric perform as well as home learners who receive their education from parents with has been taking part in the Midmar Mile in KwaZulu-Natal since 2010.
Botlhale’s parents, Sibongile and Cyril Baily, say home school- master ’ s degrees. It is not the qualification that makes the difference, but the relationship between the teacher and child,” Van der Eems says.
In a home schooling environment pupils learn at their own pace. Van der Eems says on their own children tend to spend sufficient time on a topic in order to master it.
He adds that the environment fosters loving ties between family members.
“Teens seem to benefit enormously from this interaction. Rebellious, destructive behaviour often begins to diminish soon after home schooling begins,” Van der Eems says.
Compared to private schools, home schooling payment is per subject.
Subjects are estimated at R5 000 each while a separate fee for tutors has to be taken into account at an estimated rate of R250 per hour per subject. Exams have an administration fee of R500 for each subject.