2012 - Homeschool High School!

We mostly follow the NSW school terms here. Taking it easy during (and immediately before and after) the school holidays - i.e. Mum doesn't force encourage bookwork or formal learning (although of course, it happens all the time!). But I do have my limits on how much Minecraft/YouTube actually constitutes an education!

Last year I spent a lot of time and effort (before my Board of Studies inspection) putting together a very teacher-like plan of what syllabus outcomes we would cover and when!

By Term 4, we were only vaguely following it, as we had morphed into a pseudo-natural learning frame of mind and had changed the way we view learning a lot.

This year, come about October, we have our follow-up visit by the Board of Studies inspector (can't believe it will be two years since we last saw him!). So I guess at the back of my mind, I am conscious of having to "tick some boxes" for planning and record keeping.

Tomorrow, the kids would both be entering Year 7 - the first year of high school in Australia, and "Stage 4" of the Board of Studies curriculum. The ex-teacher in me couldn't help having a browse around the 7-10 syllabi, and listing out the relevant outcomes. The natural learner in me has resisted putting them in a narrow timetable! In addition, the kids are working at Stage 5 and 6 level for lots of maths and science, so I have included them in my "plan" as well.

I guess I just wanted to get my head around what they would be doing at school, but feeling reasonably comfortable that we can stray from the "path" and still be getting a better education than if they were stuck in an age-locked classroom. 

I have also (almost) decided to ditch the teacher's diary this year:

and instead go with my self-designed record of what we did and how it relates to each Key Learning Area or subject - that we I can incorporate all the "little things" into my record keeping:

And of course, I have this Blog, which apart from being a space to get to know other inspiring homeschoolers and keep the relatives informed, has been a great space to record and reflect on our learning journey.

And if you happen to be in NSW (or even if you aren't and are looking for handy resources) don't forget to check out the Board of Studies Curriculum Support pages, where there are heaps of links to programs and units for all ages and years, and very often worksheets and Power Points to accompany. My hint to non-teachers is just skip to the "learning activity" section of any unit and pick and choose activities that suit you and your kids, rather than wade through pages of teacher-speak and try to follow a lock-step curriculum.

We are so looking forward to this year! And very happy to be High School Homeschoolers!!!