5 Easy steps to start homeschooling

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1. Know your rights. The SA Schools Act requires parents to register their children for education at home. In practice, however, some provincial departments do not have the administrative capability to register children for home education. Some of the larger provincial departments have limited administrative capabilities to register children for home education. Unfortunately, the officials in those departments have a limited understanding of home education and the law on home education. Due to this, these officials often require parents to meet all sorts of requirements that are not stipulated by the law. As a result of this situation, more than 95% of homeschooling parents do not register with the department. For an overview of registration, parents can read the article "who will have the final word" by the Pestalozzi Trust. It is advised that parents contact the Pestalozzi Trust which is the Legal Defence Fund for Homeschoolers in SA for more information on legal aspects.
   
   
2. Educate yourself on home education. A good starting point would be to read the Beginners Guide that answers the most frequently asked questions. The Homeschool Lounge is a South African Homeschool Youtube channel hosted by homeschool mom, Anelle Burger. It is focused on the South African Homeschooler and addresses a variety of topics from getting started, matric, legal, special needs to interviews with homeschool alumni. Regular workshops and seminars are being hosted by Dynamis Learning which is owned by well-known homeschool consultant Martie du Plessis.  Attend workshops on home education. Watch the movie CLASS DISMISSED, the first full-length documentary on home education. It gives a good idea of what different approaches look like in real life. Read recommended homeschool books. 
   
   
3. If your child is in a school, take your child out of the school. The law does not require parents to provide the school with any paperwork. From a courtesy point of view it is advisable to inform the school that you have decided to home school your child.
   
   
4. Choose a homeschooling approach and curriculum that suits the needs of you and your child.   Take a look at our guidellines on how to select a homeschooling curriculum. Implement and evaluate if your goals are being met with a variety of assessement tools. Make use of homeschool consultants like Martie du Plessis from Dynamis or Lindi Malan for a personal consultation and advice on homeschool material. You can also visit a homeschooling curriculum expo in your province for curriculum options, talks and workshops on homeschooling.
   
   
5. Join homeschooling support and discussion groups and interact with other homeschooling parents. Parents can meet other homeschooling parents, look at the material that they are using, discuss difficulties, get advice and the children can meet other homeschoolers.

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