Update to our situation (Summer 2000)
As the boys approach 14 and 12, we began to think about qualifications that they might need, in case they want to go to college or to follow careers requiring particular skills. After much discussion about the possibility of GCSEs (see my GCSE page for details of the various options for home educated children) we decided that, as we are living abroad, it would be best to opt for a full correspondence course.
The only one we could find was that offered by ACE, leading to the National Christian Schools Certificate at three different levels, equivalent to various numbers of GCSEs and A-levels. At the time of writing, we have registered with TEACH, the European distributer of ACE, done the training and diagnostics, and both boys are set to start on their diploma course from September.
Further update (Spring 2001)
The boys - now 14 and 12 - started using the ACE curriculum at the end of August last year, having done diagnostic testing to determine their level, and one or two gaps in their maths. The course consists of modules, each of which is divided into twelve workbooks or 'PACE' booklets. Each PACE has some teaching material, questions, checkups to ensure the material has been learned, and a 'self-test' at the end. When the self-test has been completed, a test is given, which is marked and goes towards the certificate.
There are 16 modules in the first level of the National Schools Certificate programme, and from current progress it seems that about 8 modules (96 PACEs) is about what a child would expect to finish in one academic year of around 35 weeks. However there is no required speed of working, and my younger son, now 12, who has also started, is working more slowly in this first year, doing maths and English at his expected age level rather than for the course.
A typical day - such as it is - with ACE
On a typical day now, I am first up, at about 6.30am. My younger son wakes around 8.30am, and I take his brother (and their father!) some coffee around 9.00 am. My younger son gets dressed, has a bowl of cereal, and does his guitar practice while his brother - not a morning person! - is slowly waking up. We aim for them both to start their curriculum work at about 10.00 am, but if they're both ready before that I'll read a chapter of whatever novel I'm currently reading to them.
At present my older son is working on 8 different subjects with ACE - there is a core of maths, English, 'word building', science, social studies (history/geography), Biblical studies and literature, and he's taking a music elective. He finds that he spends about twenty minutes on each subject each day, with a break in the middle, so he has generally finished by 1pm when we have lunch.
On the days when he wakes up later, he may have things to finish in the afternoon. My younger son is not taking Biblical studies yet, and has decided to leave the Year 8 part of history until September, so we read a National Curriculum history book together and discuss it for twenty minutes or so each morning. He usually finishes his ACE work before his brother, and will then read his email until lunchtime.
Afternoons and evenings are varied, as before, with clarinet lessons for my older son, guitar and piano lessons for my younger son, music practice for both. My older son now plays in the local town band, so has band practice on Monday and Thursday evenings. On Friday evening both boys go to the inter-church youth group, and on Saturday mornings my older son goes to an art class. Most of the rest of their time is taken up with computer-related activities. My older son has taught himself a variety of programming languages and 3D graphics, and participates on a games-writing web site as well as maintaining his own and helping his father.
Despite the formality of the curriculum material, we still consider ourselves fairly relaxed and informal about home education in general. There are many learning opportunities outside of the coursework: the boys both listen to the BBC world service and continue to read widely. We don't have particular routines to follow, rather fitting around the scheduled items such as music lessons. When we have visitors from the UK - as happens fairly often - we put aside the curriculum material for a break.
A fairly recent event has been a monthly home educators' get-together, with usually about five or six (out of a possible ten or eleven) families on the island. We rotate venues between ours and two others in different cities. It's good to meet with other home educating families, and the children enjoy meeting their friends.
Another update (Spring 2006)
In February 2002 our older son started attending drama classes at a local theatre company, where he quickly found his niche and was part of a winning entry in an international drama competition that summer. He took Grade 5 drama within a few months, and in 2004 took Grade 8 drama, which he passed with honours.
In September 2004, just before he was 18, he working part-time for this theatre company as actor, musician, and web-designer for a year. He was still playing clarinet, and started drum lessons shortly after his 18th birthday, progressing rapidly. Meanwhile he continued to work slowly through his ACE modules, gaining the level 1 certificate and, eventually, finishing the level 2 work in January 2006.
He did thus just before going away for two years as a volunteer on the 'floating bookshop' MV Doulos. Home education and life in Cyprus has prepared him well for the multi-national community of 320 people on the ship, and it seems as if his creative and other skills are being well-used. Anyone wanting to know more can read his Doulos blog.
Our younger son has also continued working on ACE modules, although - as with his brother - enthusiasm has often waned. He is now 17 and aiming to finish level 1 and 2 by June this year, after which he hopes to take a theology degree course by correspondence. He continues with his music, playing piano and guitar at a fairly high level and particularly enjoying accompanying others.
Yet another update (Spring 2007)
Our older son is still working on the Doulos, and updating his blog about three or four times a month. He was promoted fairly quickly from the general deck crew to the role of waterman, and shortly afterwards to senior waterman, a highly responsible job requiring creativity, thinking 'outside the box', and the ability to be flexible as well as self-motivated. An ideal role for someone who was educated at home.
Our younger son finished level two of the NCSC in September 2006, and enrolled as a distance learning student at the Open Theological College. He writes about this occasionally on his blog, and hopes to transfer to a regular university after he's finished the first year of modules (which will probably be the middle of next year, since OTC students cannot take more than six modules per year). Around the same time as he started this course, he became the organist at the local Anglican church.
Other approaches to home
education:
Gayle
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Heather - Henrietta - Jane - Kathie
- Paula