Breaking News -You DO NOT Have to Follow your Submitted Home School Plan!

That's right, you do not have to follow the Home School Plan you put together to register to Home School in Victoria, NSW or most states to be honest!

Like WHAT??

Yeah I know, all the work you did, the stress, the anxiety and the research and then putting down all those resources linking in with all those Outcomes and stages. Maybe you spent a fortune on a ready made curriculum promising a smoother transition.

You do not have to follow these at all and especially not during the transition period and deschooling period.
Which is the first 2-3 + months of your Home Ed journey.

BUT WONT THEY CHECK?

Nope, depending on the state you register in, it will then depend on your duties to record and report your child's learning.
Start recording the learning, the conversations, the resources you use - please note this is EVERYTHING you do daily - because learning is in everything!

Let me repeat that: Depending on What State your are registered will depend on what YOU need to do to Prove you have offered your child learning opportunities and how they have improved.

This literally means asking your child a question. For example: Child loves Minecraft, ask child, who created Minecraft? (Research of History of Computer games) Child may know or may not, ask them to look it up. DONE! You offered a learning opportunity to your child.

This does not mean you force your kids to do what you have mapped out or for you to be forced to follow your scheduled plan.
You can actually take a breather and relax for a period of time.

WHY BE RELAXED? - Because you need a period of time to transition, especially if your children have spent any time within a schooled environment.

Even more so if mental health has not been optimal and you need to nurture their vulnerable being.

Remember, school is 1 way to get an education and often the least effective. It can also cause a lot of damage to Mental Health. 

You can gain an education in many different ways that look nothing like school.
This is often a confusing concept because most of us were schooled, and that is often what we think of when we think about learning.

As an example, may I direct your mind to think back on when your children were babies and toddlers.
Think about all their growth and development.

Did you teach your kids to chew food? Did you hold their mouths, move it to grind down their food for them? Or did they experiment and spit food out, lick and suck it from their own fingers?Did they play with it?

Did you teach your children to speak by holding their jaw in the correct position and hold their tongue so they pronounced the words correctly? Or did you let them make sounds first and blow bubbles, and ask them to repeat a word and then repeat those words back to them?

What about walking? Did you instruct them on how to hold their ankle? Instruct them on which muscle to use?
Or did you hold their hands and let them take a step?
Did you allow them to fall on their backside and bump into things?

Learning doesn't stop because your child is now a certain age.
Nor does it start.
It has always been happening.

Humans continue to learn no matter what.
Especially young humans.

School often interrupts the flow of meaningful learning because school needs to manage a large group of children at different developmental stages and control their behaviour and try to meet the learning requirements of the set curriculum first before even addressing what each individual child may need.

But my kids wont do anything unless I make them!

Yes, it can definitely feel like this.
We often feel judged or maybe judge others and ourselves on not doing enough, not being busy enough, or being too busy.

Maybe you are used to your children being at school and not seeing what they are doing, (often not as much as we think) or maybe you have witnessed ISO schooling where they are instructed by a teacher to do XYZ and that has kept them busy, or bored or disengaged.

Or maybe you discovered how little your child does because the teacher has to Manage behaviours first and control a crowd. I have the utmost respect for teachers and know many still in the system and those who home educate, I mean no disrespect.

Try this.

• Reflect on these questions.
  Why cant your children do nothing for a while? No academics, no school like work. (What do you worry about or fear?)
• Why cant your children and yourself just decompress and chill out for a while? (we often need assistance with this)
• Does it bother you that the children are gaming all the time?
• Or on their phone?
• Or never leaving their room?
  And are playing on their iPad all the time etc etc.

Now upon reflection, what comes up for you? What feelings, what thoughts?

It is worth noting these down.

Children and people will often appear to "shutdown" after and during a transition period.
Doing the above things are quite normal after having your time so micro managed that you don't know what to do with yourself.

Can you put yourself in your children's shoes.
Having to ask to go to the toilet, ask to drink their water, told when to eat and when not to eat.
All these things happen in school.

So, maybe, some kids will go crazy on their devices because they are scared they will be taken away or that it is how they are processing all the changes from school to home education.

Maybe the children are fearful of now being told what to do and when to do it?

Or maybe their loving parent has turned into the stressed out teacher?

Deschooling and undertaking a transition period is essential to reconnect to yourself and your children.

All of these are addressed in the Online Group Support Program beginning Feb 13th 2023 (info here) where you receive support and advice that helps you embrace the next stage of growth for yourself and family.

But what about the Plan I wrote?
The plan and the registration process is an ADMIN process and that is it!

The learning plan is to get you legally registered to Home School, in your state.

You can do what ever you want in your Home Education and that definitely doesn't mean you have to stay home! OR have to do "school".

Depending on which state you are in will depend on what recording you need to do.
My suggestion is you take photos and make a note.
For example: Went to beach, saw dolphins, collected shells, met up with cousins. (that is it) Later you can link this to curriculum, Key learning areas and even slot into your plan. It can be done after the activity.
Or

Watched series on Fantastic Fungus - learnt about microbes, Biomes, Video camera work, special effects and Fact checking.
Or

Watch the movie Thor, discussed Myths and legends, special effects, comic books turned into movies, marketing, genres and costumes.

I suggest you use the plan as a guide of what needs to be offered throughout your registration period - this can be up to 2 years.

There is NO hurry.

Or you can completely BIN it and see how you evolve into a home that loves learning.
I use the term 'offered' because that is all you need to do - if you force learning you will struggle to have a happy family that loves life long learning.

WHAT NEXT? - After registration you need to TRANSITION to the new normal of home education - this is a part of Deschooling.

This doesn't mean school at home, this means chill out, reconnect with your children, get to know them again.

Take a holiday or a virtual holiday.
Let yourselves rediscover the absolute joy of learning without it being forced.
Educate yourself on how children learn and set a rhythm for your home so that life is relaxed, unforced and exploratory......and this is for you and your family to talk about.

If you would like to be mentored through this process please check out my  signature paid program here.

I am hoping this eases the burden of fear around trying to force learning in your home - this is what schools do.

Reflect on why you are choosing the freedom of Home Education and ease yourself in.
It is a massive learning curve but the most rewarding experience you will ever undertake.
It is truly a mindset shift.

Annmarie