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. It is advised that parents read contact the Pestalozzi Trust for more information on legal aspects.
   
   
2. Educate yourself on home education. A good starting point would be the Beginners Guide on the website of the Association for Homeschooling. Visit www.sahomeschoolers.org , select the “Get Started” option from the menu and click on “Beginners Guide”. (You must join the website to get access to this).
   Watch the videos in the SAHomeschoolers Youtube channel. It is focused on the South African Homeschooler and addresses most topics from legal to getting started. Attend workshops on home education. Watch the movie CLASS DISMISSED, the first full lenght documentary on home education. It gives a good idea of what different approaches looks like in real life.
   
   
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. Details on curriculums are available on the SAHomeschoolers website. You can also visit a homeschooling curriculum expo. Details can be found by selecting the “Support > Seminars , Expo's etc.” menu option on the website. Click here for an article with advise on how to select a homeschooling curriculum.
   
   
5. Join homeschooling support and discussion groups and interact with other homeschooling parents. Details on these groups can be found by selecting the “Support” menu option on the website.

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