Armed with the National Curriculum, subscriptions to some of the primary resources sites, a strong coffee, packet of jaffa cakes and some good ol' fashioned positive attitude I figured I had this Home Ed lark in the bag.
Not really, as it turns out. The bag is big and has holes in and your stuff falls out the bottom when you're not expecting it. How annoying.
It's only once I was on the way I realised it's a bit bigger than I thought. I was totally focussed on the teaching aspect - what do they need to know, how can I teach it - which only gets you so far. If you're trying to stay aligned to the National Curriculum you're going to need some assessment.
Also some subjects might not be your thing. I'm not great at history. It didn't interest me when I was at school and I have some serious knowledge gaps (the gap is pretty much 1980 back to ... the big bang. Ask me about the last 30 years though and I'm fine. Because I was there.)
I'm revising British monarchs and the Roman Empire and feeling a teensy bit like I missed out. It's good stuff.
What's the point of this ramble? Just 2 tips.
1. If you want to stay on track for English and Maths get external assessment (RMEasimaths, Mathletics, Explore Learning etc etc)
2. Outsource some subjects to willing friends/family or private tutors
It gives me an objective feel for if the boys are making measurable progress against national standards, boosts those social skills and gives me a much needed bake-a-cake / put-the-washing-on / hoover / pay-the-bills / prepare-for-next-week break. I think of it as PPA. Worth every penny.
