Sunday, September 29, 2013

Homeschooling in South Africa

By Lizette Balsdon

Fear of the unknown is one of the reasons why parents worldwide make the choice to send their children off to school instead of opting for homeschooling. Home education is treated as a new and strange concept, when public schooling really is the new concept. In the old days, homeschooling was the norm for pioneers ranging from Thomas Edison to Mozart, Theodore Roosevelt, to C.S. Lewis and recent achievers such as Tim Tebow and the Jonas Brothers.
It has become the norm for parents to leave the raising of their children to teachers, using a wide range of excuses as to why they would never consider homeschooling. While I have no problem with other people sending their children off to school, I would like that same courtesy and freedom of choice to apply to my family too.
In this article I will tell you why my husband and I homeschool our children. I will not talk about our lifestyle, religious, economic or political reasons (which are all significant), or the fact that I vowed never to be apart from my kids for a whole day, on the day they were born. No, this time I will stick to proven facts, provided by the media in our country, South Africa.
Before I do though, I'd like to point out that homeschooling is a big sacrifice, only to be done by parents who have their children's best interests at heart. With that in mind, you might want to educate yourself on how it works before coming to uninformed conclusions about kids watching television all day, or parents allowing cheating on tests.
Is homeschooling legal in SA?
Yes, it was legalized by the national education law in 1996, for the duration of the compulsory education ages of 7-15. Currently, it is estimated that around 80, 000 children in SA are homeschooled. Can so many people be wrong?
Where do you get a curriculum?
There are several major curriculum providers in SA, and numerous smaller ones. But there are even more approaches: classic, textbook, eclectic, unschooling, lap booking, living books, Charlotte Mason, online, tutoring, long distance... the list goes on. You can buy a curriculum at a book shop, or download free books from the Department of Education website. However, just because a curriculum is used in a school doesn't mean it's good - perhaps it's just cheap.
A good curriculum is one that caters to each student's individual learning style. Successful homeschoolers find a curriculum that suits their learning styles, or they build an eclectic curriculum using local and a myriad international curricula components. International curricula, especially from the USA and UK are compiled by native English speakers with years of experience, which results in professional grade, high-quality curricula.
If you think SA's standard of education is world class, consider the 2013 report by the World Economic Forum: "World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Information Technology Report 2013 ranks South Africa's Maths and Science education second last in the world, only ahead of Yemen." That is partly to blame on the inexperienced composers who create poor course ware. A recent article shows how Google Translate was used to translate a poorly written English Life Orientation book into Afrikaans. The books contain a multitude of spelling and grammar errors, direct translation and full stops in the middle of sentences.
I always refer to Oprah Winfrey's comment about SA's pass rates and unemployment rate: "It is also indicative of your standards here that you can pass with 30%. Businesspeople can't operate successfully if they function with only 30% to 40%."
Who marks your tests?
Parents who homeschool their children actually care more about their children's education, not less. That's why they set their own tests and use strict marking standards to ensure their children get the best education and meet curriculum outcomes. Homeschoolers are not trying to compete with other kids in the class; they just want to be the best they possibly can and that's why many homeschoolers enter university years ahead of their peers.
What about matric?
Homeschoolers have a range of options to acquire the matric qualification they need to enter university in a variety of countries. The only option not available is the International Baccalaureate which requires full time attendance at a recognised institution that offers that course - but then again, that's not available to the majority of SA kids that are in public school either.
Other options include the National Senior Certificate (NSC) or equivalent, IGCSE, CIE, GED and SATs. Does your local public school offer all these options?
What about university?
However, homeschoolers who complete internationally recognised matric qualifications, have access to international universities. A damning report by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) states that "Access, success and completion rates continue to be racially skewed, with white completion rates being on average 50% higher than African [black] rates." At the same time, close to 80% of admissions are granted to black and coloured students. Henry Ford said that we should surround ourselves with competent people and this figure shows me that my kids need to study abroad, should they choose to.
In Conclusion
Homeschooling is an organic form of education which has a positive effect on families and aims to teach children the importance of family values. This was proven by a recent American study. Surely improving family values will create a better world for everyone.
If the above reasons were not compelling enough, one should consider how conducive the current public and private school environment is to learning:
  • A 2012 report by the KZN department of education shows that in 2010 and 2011, 12 971 KZN schoolgirls were pregnant, ranging from Grade 1-12. I'd rather my kids learned about sex and pregnancy from me than from their peers.
  • With the national acceptable average class size of 40, I can't be sure that my kids will receive the individual attention required to hone their skills and nurture their gifts.
  • In the last two days, in two separate incidents, one learner attacked a teacher with a broomstick, chair and stones, while another shot a teacher in the leg.
Some people are indifferent to children's wellbeing and might argue that kids should be exposed to all the above to know what the world is about, after all, they will be exposed to it when they are older. My counter-argument is that I'd like my kids to be alive when they are old enough to make their own decisions.
Lizette is a homeschool mom of two who has proven that homeschooling can work for any family. In addition to being the principle of TwinStar Academy and professional all-in-one-mom-chef-cleaning-lady and wife, she is also a professional copywriter and owner of Content Cafe Copywriting Services in South Africa

High-Tech Packers and Movers - Explore the Multiple Benefits

By Vikash Rock

When moving from one place to another, one of the most important things to consider is the packing job. Of course, there are many other aspects of the shifting procedure that need your attention. However, packing is one of those few shoddy tasks that can spoil everything, if not done in the proper way. Even if you hire the best packers and movers in the nation, anything can go wrong at any point of time.
You appoint the most renowned company around, plan every aspect of the moving process, save lots of cash, and arrive at your new residence on time. Sound perfect - doesn't it? Sadly, it's just a dream or reverie for most of the people. You can get everything right and yet, land up with a few broken furniture or expensive commodities. It is highly frustrating and extremely distressing when you lose something precious or expensive. Luckily, you can avoid this situation with the help of the right packing agency.
These days, there are countless agencies out there, offering packing and moving services. Nevertheless, only a few of these organizations are high-tech in their business approach. Although you may think that hiring somebody with knowledge and positive online reviews is enough, the fact is something different; you must pay attention to the technology used by the company as well. The more advanced it is, the better for you. A lot of relocating agencies still use the age-old technologies, in terms of shifting. In the present world, a modern and high-tech shifting company always has the upper hand. Here are a few top benefits of appointing a high-tech packing and moving company.
Online resources make the shift simpler
If a shifting firm gives you loose sheets of paper that include your moving agreement and other related documents, you may easily lose them in the shuffle. However, if these agencies have an online move organizer where you easily see all your documents, you'll never lose track of them. If you have any doubt or query, you can easily go through these papers at any point of time. When an agency keeps all credentials in an online set up, everything remains structured and well-organized.

Effective Bike Shifting Services by Professional Packers and Movers

By Aarav Sehrawat

You would come across so many individuals that come into contact with professional packers and movers for getting their bikes shifted from one location to another. The fact cannot be denied that the movers and packers industry has taken over the entire world by storm. At some point or another, people feel the need to get their cars or bikes transported to their desired location safe and sound. As a result, they have been relying on the expert services of an experienced mover that can effectively deal with various needs of the customers relating to bike transportation. A professional packer and mover provides effective bike shifting services.
Why do people hire the expert bike shifting services of a professional packer and mover?
The answer to the above stated question would lie in the minds of those who have hired the services of a professional moving company for bike relocation. There are several reasons why people get their bikes shifted to the required destination from the current one. You have bought a new bike lately and you cannot ride to cover a long distance. This is because of the reason that the location is far away from your current residence and by the time you reach your new residence, you would be totally worn out. In this regard, you should consider getting in touch with a competent bike transportation company that can analyze every minute detail of your need and comes up with a comprehensive solution that proves beneficial to you.
Your bike holds a value in your life and you would not want the entire bike shifting process to be complicated. Prior to handing over your bike to a company, you need to consider some important things. They are the following:
1) Contact the experienced company - You would find several bike shifting companies that claim to have relevant experience with regard to bike shifting but not all the companies would have the experience. You need to make sure that the company has the right experience of dealing with transporting the bikes and ensures that the bike reaches its destination without any damages.
2) Ask relevant questions - Your bike is precious to you. You must ask all the questions that strike your mind prior to hiring the services of a company. You have to be convinced that your bike would be transported on time and safe and sound.
3) Dedicated workers - You need to make certain that the workers are honest and dedicated in their work. You can also ask them what technologies they would be implementing in getting the required task executed with efficiency.
4) Contact several companies for free quotes - You have to get in touch with several companies so that you can get multiple quotes. You can then compare, negotiate and choose the one that fits well within your budget. Make sure that you have properly checked out the company before hiring it to shift your bike.

Tips to Help You Pack Your Belongings When Moving Home

By Lino Chave

Moving home can turn into a stressful experience. With so much to do it can often be a hard task to know where to start. This article provides some simple top tips that will help you to methodically, efficiently and safely pack all of your belongings when moving home.
Gather Supplies
The first step is to gather together all of the supplies that you will need to move home. This can include things like cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, newspapers, sellotape, fragile stickers, pens and paper. Some removal companies will sell these items, or you can purchase them from craft stores or online retailers.
One Room at a Time
Start by Packing Your belongings one room at a time. This will make it easier when it comes to unpacking the goods in your new home.
Packing Tips
When it comes to packing boxes you should never fill one box up so that it is heavier than you can lift. Fragile items will need to be carefully wrapped so that they don't break or get damaged during the move. You can use newspaper to carefully wrap delicate items, or you can use bubble wrap to make sure that everything is properly protected.
When you are sealing the cardboard boxes you should use several layers of strong tape to make sure that it is sealed.
Labelling
Labelling is an important part of the packing process. It can be very helpful to write a list of all the items that you pack into each box, as well as what room the box is meant to go into. This will help the removal team to identify what room the box is going to go into when it gets unloaded into your new home. It will also let you locate certain items quickly, or provide you with an inventory should certain items go missing.
Fragile items should be clearly labelled with a fragile sticker, along with a 'this way up' sign if required. You can purchase special packing labels or write directly onto the box in order to mark it.
Overnight Box
It is a great idea to pack a separate box which contains all of the essentials that you may need in your first night of your home. Moving home can often be tiring, and the last thing you will want to do is to rummage through lots of boxes trying to find your toothbrush. This box can contain things like toilet paper, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, a hairbrush, snacks, a change of clothes, and even a kettle and coffee so that you can enjoy a hot drink in your new home