Please send questions about One-to-One to info@nezertbooks.net
Is it legal for parents to teach their own children
at home in the UK?
Yes. Everyone has the right to teach their own children. You do
not have to be a qualified teacher and you do not have to follow the National
Curriculum. Children learn better at home and parents often make the best
teachers.
You are British. Is your book relevant to people
living in the United States and Canada?
Yes. Working as a teacher in a variety of European countries has made me
realise that all children, no matter where they
live, are essentially the same.
The teaching of basic skills, such as reading, writing and arithmetic, should not
vary from country to country: it should
be based upon the needs of the developing child - which are essentially the same
the world over.
One-to-One approaches education from this perspective and should therefore be
equally relevant on both sides of the Atlantic.
Is your book only for people who homeschool their
children?
No. In my experience, none of us, as parents, are in
a situation where we can ensure that our children have a perfect education. We all have to make the best of the situation that we
find ourselves in.
Some parents
feel that homeschooling is not practical or desirable in their particular
situation. There is still a great deal that they can do to help their
children to have as good a time as possible during their years in full-time
education. One-to-One deals with this, giving practical advice for each subject
area.
Does the book tie in with the school curriculum?
No it doesn't. The book is based on the premise that a parent
(or teacher) must have the flexibility to be able to respond to the needs
of individual children.
I believe that schools were more successful in the past
when they did not have curricula imposed upon them. In fact, I think that
schools will soon have to return to giving teachers more freedom in what they
teach, because the present system isn't working.
Will my children be able to enter the school system
if I follow the advice in your book?
Yes - providing you pick the time correctly. In school,
children are forced into learning to read and write at too young an age and are
then systematically alienated from learning in general.
If you reverse this process - wait until your children want to read and write
and then foster an enjoyment of everything to do with learning - they will not
only be able to enter the school system but should excel.
Is One-to-One based upon Steiner Education?
One-to-One is based upon our own experiences of education and is not tied to
any particular educational philosophy. However, I taught in a Steiner school for
two years and naturally made use of Steiner's ideas when teaching my own
children.
Is One-to-One based upon Montessori Education?
Our starting point - teaching own children at home - is very different from Maria
Montessori's starting point - she started working with very deprived children
from the slums of Rome. However, I believe that the spirit of the educational
ideas described in One-to-One are in harmony with her ideals of treating
children with respect and helping them to reach their full potential.