Author: annebieleski

I am an ex primary teacher... ex because of regulations saying that you have be fully registered within 5 years of graduating and I only ever worked part-time due to art school, a science job... life. (Now temporarily not an ex teacher as I have re-done my qualifications but still haven't gone back to a classroom). I was never going to be a conventional teacher, I wanted to be like my Mum who was a most awesome teacher and had the freedom to teach how she wanted. I am intellectually interested in education. I have spent 20 something years working in early childhood... part time of course! I had nearly 6 years learning alongside Helena at Playcentre. My daughter has refused to go to school so I am fortunate enough to spend time watching her do her stuff and trying some experiments on her. I think learning is easy and happens all the time for every one which is what I want to show on this blog. And it turns out Homeschooling is just fun.

Introverts inc

I thanked Helena’s teacher for making her school experience positive, as judged by Helena wanting to go when she was sick and me not having to drag her in. I also said something to Helena’s teacher about how school can be hard for introverts to which she replied that this was just due to “some…

Listening to my kid

Helena and her not quite 7 year old friend/neighbor are planning a lemonade stand. I’ve heard cooperation, them building on each others ideas and I’m listening now to how they keep each other focused on the task at hand. they are : Planning signs, bunting – marketing, presentation Making a list of what they need…

a great teacher

There is always someone organising something in the homeschooling community. From drama, special classes in the library, bike skills etc and we can either opt in or not. Sometimes I opt us in, or Helena wants to opt in because her friends are there or sometimes it is just what she wants to do. The…

Feeling powerful

I absolutely love my job. Every school holidays I work for a friend. My friend is the best boss I’ve ever had which of course makes things easier, she insures that not only is the actual job fun but that I also feel agency, that I am free to make many of the day to…

An iPad away from..

One of the things that Helena liked about school is the iPads. She has used an iPad more in the last week than in the rest of her life. She has been using a programme called reading eggpress (sic) which has these little bits of text, maybe they are short stories (the one I read…

A sick day..

Days on my practicum actually in a school = 6, days taken off to look after my sick child who got sick attending the same school = 3, so far… Days off sick from school seem to cause grown ups to believe two different things: 1) how dare they send their sick child to school…

first day at school

Helena was up far too late the night before her first day at school as a pupil nervously asking me exactly what would happen… I of course don’t really know so I just guessed a few things. She is in the junior class and is probably the oldest in the class of 8. I have…

Real practicing

At the beginning of the year Helena said she wanted to be able to spell better, I think to be more confident with her writing. I was a bit sceptical (was it a passing fancy) and worried (because I can’t spell, I don’t know the rules) so I put it on the back burner… then…

Cool stuff

We get to do some cool stuff. together… This was a knife making workshop in the weekend (I think there were school kids there) that was arranged through the homeschool community and as usual in homeschool things the adults stayed and joined in. Best of all was that it was run by two homeschooled kids…

Today we did art

I do not know how it started but at some point we were all at the table with paper and crayons and pastels. I tentatively asked if they would like a “lesson” as compared to us just sitting around vaguely drawing and chatting and sort of drawing….. They were weirdly enthusiastic. One dosen’t like to…