It is looking increasingly likely that when Yasin starts school next year we will be using Sydney Distance Education Primary School. Has anyone got any experience with distance education? Were you satisfied with it or not? Do you think that getting approval to home school might be a better option. I'm a bit daunted by the idea of developing my own curriculum which is why a school of distant education is more appealing.
Any insights into how to make the program work better for us and so on would be very gratefully received.
I did Dubbo School of Distance Education for about 6 months.
We were pretty happy with it (parents included). Work was posted to us in weekly bundles, then we posted it back.
All 3 of us did better than we'd ever done at school.
Everything is set out ready to go. I think it would be easier than home schooling as the curriculum is already set, you just need to do the work.
They also have camps & work shops for the kids to attend to spend time with the other kids & get to know them.
BJ, did you go back to school afterwards? How did you go slotting back into the school curriculum/environment? Is there anything that could make the home to school transition easier?
There's no chance of attending camps but I might ask the school when/if the time comes if there are any other pupils nearby that we could meet every now and then for some kind of group activity.
I'm sorry to hear about stupid teachers but then again I will be the main teacher and I know from my own school days that bad teachers are available in all the systems.
Going back to mainstream school didn't seem to bother any of us. I was 13, my brother 11 & my sister 8.
We went back to our old schools in the new year. At first people thought we'd moved away & moved back, but my parents worked in shearing sheds, so we travelled with them.
We were only out of school for 6 months though.
My cousin was home schooled full time & it has had a very negative affect on his whole life. He went to school for a few months here & there, but his mother always pulled him out when she realised they were only teaching him stuff for his age group (She had him doing year 7 maths at 6.)
They also never really spent time around other children or people. She is a single mum & there are only the two of them. He has no idea how to interact with other people. He is a very smart kid, but because he's never been socialised he treats everyone around him like they are completely dumb & incompetent. We are thinking his mother maybe paranoya schitzofrenic though. She appears to be & my grandfather was, so obviously these things aren't the norm.
After seeing that though I have never liked the idea of home schooling at all. Its only my experience & only full time, but I have pretty warped views on it.
Honestly though DSODE was great IMO. If I had to I would do it with my kids. If your worried about the home school transition I think just make sure he is around kids as much as possible out side of school.
My BIL & SIL went to a primary school of 12 kids. My SIL went straight to high school with 1000 kids & it was a bit daunting for her. My BIL did year 6 in a bigger primary school before high school, so the transition was easier for him.
Are you a Primary School teacher?
If the answer is no why even think about Home Schooling. Do Distance Education they have all the materials to match your childs. I know a family that did it while travelling around the world and there girl came back in front of her peers.
Teaching your child won't be a piece of cake but why create extra work for yourself by trying to figure out all the maths and english and other stuff you need to teach.
Distance Education Primary School
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