my son is now 1 yr and 7 months.i have to start applying to schools from now as there are waiting lists at many of the good schools.
before i knew about the reading programme, my sons schooling was pretty much mapped out. now however that he is reading and being exposed to so much on brill kids, i dont know if going the regular schooling route would be good enough for him or the best.
i am considering home schooling but im not sure if that is the best option. i know my child will cope excellently in school and he would enjoy knowing and learning but i dont want him to be an outcast or treated differntly by his teacher. i am not sure if teachers are well equipped to deal with this kind of child we are all rearing. would my son be ostracised in any way?
will his teacher get frustrated having a know it all. i dont mean to be so blunt or arrogant. my child has learnt what he has through the grace of God and all the people that provide these learning materials but the fact is that he is superb and there is no hiding from it.
what plans have u people for the years ahead? i would like to know so that i can make the best decision for Sa’ad.
Dear Fatima,
Looking around at the people I know who emphasized early learning with their kids, it seems that if they start their official school at first they are pretty bored but by the 3rd or 4th grade sort of even out with their peers and are just a bit ahead. Talking to the teacher beforehand and explaining behavioral rules to your son would help. Learning comes easier for them but there isn’t such a gap to be concerned about. I am homeschooling and my oldest is 4th grader. She read by 3.5 and always loved books. She speaks two languages fluently and is learning third. Since we follow the country’s curriculum and she goes in for tests I opted for stopping her “double” math classes at 3rd grade. Instead of competing with her schoolbooks and keeping a grade or two ahead (how she started) we learn smth different. I think that could be a key to bright kids we have: challenge them with subjects outside their regular school curriculum whether you teach them or they go to school. My second grader (3rd in his English) plays chess and it’s getting hard for me win. He learned to read by 2 though never fell in love with books. I did math dots (never went through the whole program) and Doman’s picture cards. At 3 he liked puzzles and we got him 60-100 pcs ones. (Once he picked his puzzle pieces and joined them all face down without seeing the picture!) My prayer is they could develop their talents and go on to fulfill them in life.
Anyway, my advice is if you plan to send him to school, teach him other subjects he can still enjoy learning with you later besides the 3 Rs. And keep him from school as long as you can
P.S. Do you know what happened to Einstein in school?
Here is his quote on it
Albert Einstein, winner of the 1921 Nobel Prize in physics, in his most thorough autobiographical writing, regretted the influence of school. “It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry.” Einstein continued, “It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty.”
I enjoyed reading about you and your children and the progress they are making!!! Wow, you must be so proud of them. Did you yourself know the three languages you are teaching your daughter? And did you yourself love puzzles? We have a huge floor puzzle which my son can pretty much do on his own - it’s about 20 pieces I think. Did you introduce large size piece puzzles first? The brain is an amazing thing isn’t it - there is just so much we can teach our little ones. Thankyou for sharing.
Hi TABS,
I was an early reader since my parents were helping my older sister to learn to read. I must have been 2.5-3 then. I learned a bit of English that way too: listening to my sis reading her lessons and then later doing them for her for permission to play with her toys :biggrin: I didn’t grow up with 3 languages though. Just one and learned 2 more as a teen and a fourth one I am still learning :unsure: Unfortunately it’s my kids official school language, so their dad has to help. That’s how they speak both well . I didn’t learn from books or classes though, it was more of a conversation/reading plus dictionary approach. I just wanted/had to understand.(I think I almost lost my third for lack of practice.)
Anyway, there were no puzzles available where I grew up and my kids are better at them than me. We started with one floor puzzle (24large pcs) but I can’t remember it being easier and then got progressive sets of 6, 9, 12,16,20… I think it’s easier if you see the whole picture (unless you are standing with your floor puzzle) Actually first as babies they had wooden knob puzzles. The ones with a full cardboard frame under are also easy and help to see how pieces should fit with each other. It is amazing how much their little minds absorb! Talking about it, my almost 4 y.old is quoting her bed-time stories by heart after hearing them a couple times on a CD.
So, get him more puzzles and regular size will do! (I always help them at first if they want me to, so they don’t get discouraged)
My husband and I are sending our daughter to a Montessori School here in Adelaide. The classes instead of being in years is in cycles.
For example there is Cycle 1 which is ages 5-6 Cycle 2 which is ages 6-9 and cycle 3 ages 9-12. So if your child is more advanced they can do more advanced work but still be in the same class as all their other peers, without being ridiculed or outcast. I do not know if there is a Montessori school avaliable in your area but it might be worth looking into.
karma to you nikollete. i hope to follow in your footsteps.
deep in my heart i feel like school isnt for me but the thought of homeschooling seems so daunting. but if you look at it i guess i am already homeschooling!
what social activities do you have lined up for your kids? what schooling curriculum are you using?
the more i think about it as i am typing this i am more convinced that school is not for me. are you flexible with your times or do u have a rigid 8 to 2.
kimba15 , in South Africa i know of montessori pre schools but not of a whole schooling system. i’d like considering that option because i run a mum and baby school and therefore work but it is incredibly flexi. i will however look out for it here.
i want my son to have more opportunities than i did. my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and i wanted to become an oncologist but my results werent good enough to do that. i hope that my son can do what he loves.
DO not beat yourself up about not having the scores high enough to get into medicine. Life has a funny way of helping us get onto the ‘right path’ I wanted to be a lawyer my scores too were not high enough but i figure that somehow the great universe is leading me in the right direction.
the universe (god) still needs loving mother’s and wonderful teaches which you are.
Now I have looked on line and foud a Montessori School in South Africa in cape town it is called the Rainbow Montessori School and it is in Durbanville Cape Town.
Just make sure that if it near you that you check the school out. MAria Montessori never patented her frm of education and therefore many centres can call themeselves Montessori but may not use the MOntessori Method
This is an Australian website but it has lots of information that will help you be decerning a school which is http://www.aaaa.net.au/
I think you are doing a wonderful job with your son just from reading your posts you are an inspiration to me to keep going with my daughter.
thanks hey. if you really think about it i am doing what i love at the moment. maybe i just attracted this to me.
cape town is 12 hours away from me!! lol! but it is a beautiful place to raise a child. i live in johannesburg. i hope i find someting here.
didnt realise that being a mom would come with so much of resposibility! i love doing it anyway!
I am also in South Africa and am unsure what I will do with my daughter when she needs to go to school especially with education the way it is in this country. The only advice I can give is to visit the schools (particularly any preschool you are thinking of) and ask them to show you everything and explain their programme. If at all possible I would also ask if you could bring your child in for the morning or even the whole day when you can be there with him - then you can see if he finds it exciting. Any good preschool will allow you to do this.
Also try and find some parents who are homeschooling if you can - I know that there are a fair number of them in South Africa and get there opinions - I have spoken to one woman who has homeschooled three boys here and they have done very well (they are now in high school and still homeschooled) A person who has done it here can tell you what they struggled with, what curriculum they used and how easy it is to register your child. You can also do some research about it on the internet and then try to find out what could work here.
Let me know what you decide as I have the same questions as my daughter picks up more and more.
hi Fatima,
I use A Beka for English and used to for other subjects. It’s colorful and friendly and I could manage with just the kid’s books till 4th grade (where I am at now) Math and phonics flashcards are great too.
I’ve been to Durban and Gaborone, not too far from you!
Now we are in Hungary and have to take Hungarian tests/follow their curriculum. Our school times are set 9.30-10 till 12-plus 1hr.after lunch. It’s been enough to keep up, though English is sliding at times. When my husband is extra busy with work, I catch up on my part. Averagely older kids get 4 days a week of Hungarian with either him or a friend who comes to help.
Nadia
if you live in SA then you feel my pain lol.
how was the matric results. wont mention!!
the homeschooling is great because you get to teach them anything but there is a trade off.
nikolett have you come to terms with the fact that you are sacrificing your life to make your kids life better? do you feel okay with doing this? do you ever get frustrated at times? what do you do if you get frustrated?
ok you asked about their socializing before and I didn’t answer. 10y.o. goes to aerobics and 8-basketball, both twice a week. They have some friends from other homeschooling families and we go out together occasionally or they host or go for sleepovers.
Next one. I realize that I am not living for myself first of all and I believe it will make my kids’ lives better. I do miss my social life but I wouldn’t change it. Anyway, I will have my kids here for next 10-15 years and then I still have time to invest in other things plus have a loving family! I enjoy my last two kids a lot more since I realized this fact. (With my oldest the sacrifices seemed BIG ) I do get frustrated and then I just need to be left alone for a bit to pray/read and find my peace. Because of our work we’ve lived in Ukraine, Namibia and Uganda before coming here,so that livens things up for me (I love change). I work occasionally and also study at home though not a lot.
wow. moving around means that they have had such a rich experience and have explored other countries. you know my husband and i always wanted to travel and live in other countries. we didnt take the risk because of our child and his school. but if he is homeschooled then it rules out that problem.
i guess there is ways to overcome the social barrier. its great that you have other homeschooled families. right now i feel that this is so right for me but i wonder whether i will feel like ive lost out on my life. theres only one way to find out. by just doing i suppose.
its wonderful that you guys have travelled so much. i think the solution for me is to find a passion so when they grow up and will be living life i would have something for me.
or i could just have lots of kids like you!! lol you’re brave!
when ur kids grow up im sure they will appreciate everything youve done.
