My children arrived in New Zealand right before the school year started. They could barely speak English, and everything felt foreign—no elevators, no phone booths, no school lunch system like back in Korea.
Yet they had to learn in English and adjust to an entirely new system. That's when we first tried home learning alongside their ESOL support at school.
Long story short, it didn't work. I designed the curriculum and monitored everything myself, but when my practicum started, I ran out of time. Without regular check-ins, the kids stopped keeping up. Lesson learned.
But this year, we can't afford to skip it. Each child is at a critical transition point and needs something different—a personalized curriculum that fits their stage and strengths:
M enters Intermediate, preparing for the pathway ahead
H moves into Year 6, transitioning from child to student
J starts primary school, learning to focus and follow routines
This time, the key is independence. The routine has to work whether I'm home or not, because I'll be juggling classes and practicum too. And honestly, that kind of self-directed learning seems essential here in New Zealand, where education values independent thinking over just getting the right answers.
Now, it's time to start again.
