Desiree Visagie – Owner

My name is Desiree Visagie. Myself and my husband Rodney are the owners of My Homeschool Centre.

We are nobody special, just a mom and a dad who were looking for answers for our own children. My doctor once called me “the mother of many” and it appears this was a prophetic word. We have a daughter, Jenna, who is a Montessori trained pre-school teacher and twin girls, Amy and Megan, who are about to complete their matric. 

As parents we encountered much of what many of our prospective parents are encountering. Our girls were at a public school – one of the best in our area. Jenna was at the same school from Grade 1 to grade 7. In her first term of Grade 7 I was told she could not read. This resulted in extra lessons and added pressure during a crucial school year.  When the twins got to grade 4 in the same school we noticed when looking at Amy’s report, that the same pattern was developing that we saw in Jenna’s grade 4 report so we made the decision to move them to a private school with smaller class sizes. On arrival at the private school Amy underwent testing with the educational psychologist and tested as highly gifted which made the fact that she was struggling at the government school all the more puzzling. Megan was having no issues and was excelling at both schools. They both thrived in the smaller classes at the private school and we thought we had found the solution. As many will know, private schooling comes at a cost – one which we were happy to make sacrifices for so that Amy would reach her full potential.

Then came high school. In grade 8 at the private school Amy failed first term English, her home language. We met with all concerned and were assured it would be remedied. The first term of grade 9 arrived and she failed first term Afrikaans. It was at this point that I was desperate to find an alternative for my own children. It was physically impossible for me to deal with the pressures of working without knowing that my children were ok. After some extensive research I came across the home-schooling system of education. What really appealed to me was that each child could work at their own pace. They did not need to be as fast as the brightest child, as Megan was, nor did they need to be held back by a child who, like Amy, needed extra attention from the teacher.  My final bit of “research” was a cup of coffee with a principal I greatly admired. I wanted to get his input into the concept. He felt it was a good model and that it would even be of value to children that require remedial assistance. He then made me aware that the property that houses the centre was for sale and the centre was born. After being a parent who was dissatisfied with what I had experienced, I was now in the position to employ “my own” teachers.

We gave notice at the private school and the twins joined the centre. They were there for a year when my husband was transferred by his company to KZN. The twins mainstreamed back into another private school environment where they are thriving. Their year at the centre taught them discipline and so during this, one of the worst times in our history – the Covid 19 pandemic, they are thriving working from home during their all-important matric year.

While it was my intention to create an environment that my own children would thrive in, with a little faith, a lot of mistakes and a truck-load of dedication, a place for other children to thrive in, was born.

The home-schooling environment will most definitely create a learner that will have discipline, not be afraid to ask for help and also not be afraid to make a contribution to a discussion. I have experienced this with my own children.

Some people ask about the extra-mural aspect. We made use of private clubs for our children. They were swimmers, athletes and netball players. Jenna and Megan have completed the Midmar mile more than once and competed at provincial level galas, Amy participated in provincial athletics meets and Amy and Megan played indoor netball leagues. When Amy and Megan mainstreamed back into the private school they were selected to compete at first team level for swimming and netball.

I trust that you have enjoyed reading this little bit of info about why and how the centre came about. While I live in KZN I make frequent trips to the centre and to be honest this is one of the things I am missing the most during this lockdown period. I have a wonderful team that support my dream and vision for the centre and they often go the extra mile to make a difference.

If you decide to make use of the centres facilities I look forward to meeting you and your children on my next trip to Johannesburg.

 

 Ms Ronsleigh Meyer – Admin and Accounts 

Often referred to as the mother-hen of the team, she is the person who does the planning and preparation for the rest of the team. She meets with parents wanting to make enquiries about the centre and is a wealth of information regarding the homeschooling process. She manages the day-to-day processes of the centre. 

 

Here is what she has to say about herself: 

I am a single mom to a 17-year-old son who has been in the Homeschool environment for his High School career.  It has always been important for me to find an environment that suits his needs as we knew from a very early stage that mainstream schooling was not for him.   Being a fulltime working mom, one of my main concerns while at work, which I am sure is many parents fear, was how is my child being treated while at school and was he in an environment where he was safe and getting the individual attention needed in order to understand the work he was learning.  This I found in the Homeschool environment.  I am a qualified Bookkeeper and HR Manager who thrives for structure and I have a passion for administration.  There is a time and place for everything and I have experienced the rewards that dedication and hard work bring which is something I would like to instil in every child that attends the Homeschool centre and Aftercare.  I practice an open-door policy as discussions encourage thinking and ideas on how to resolve any challenge.

 

Mrs Charlise Le Roux – Tutor

Charlise works with our juniors from Grade 1 to Grade 3. Her no nonsense approach to learning makes her a valuable member of our team.

 

Here is what she has to say about herself: 

My name is Charlise, I am 28 years old and I’m qualified with a teaching degree in BEd Foundation Phase. I have a certificate in Cognitive behaviour therapy, Trauma and Stress Related Disorders, First Aid Essentials for Children and I completed a six-month theoretical course in HIV/Aids Care and Counselling. I like staying indoors and binge watching my favourite series or catching up on computer games. I am a little OCD and like things to be in order and well organized. I’m flexible, quickly adding new skills and I’m eager to learn.  I like keeping order and discipline in my class. I have 8 years’ experience working with children. I wanted to become a teacher because I love teaching and I want to make sure that the people of tomorrow are well educated.

 

Ms Priviledge Ellen Sibanda -Tutor

Priviledge is our maths, science and economics whizz! She is also a qualified swimming coach who will be making use of the learn-to-swim pool on the property to teach children to swim. 

This is what Priviledge has to say about herself: 

I chose teaching because I am passionate about making a difference to as many students as I can as effectively as possible. I understand challenges associated with learning because I experienced the left-hander stigmatization that is common in black dominated communities, which at the time affected my academic growth to a larger extent as I spent grades one to three being forced to use the right hand from a ‘special class’. Having studied Psychology has helped me understand the different behaviours exerted by both colleagues and learners in a workplace because of differences in religious beliefs and exposure amongst other factors. I have grown to be a better teacher by the day, whose approach centered more on problem solving than fault finding. I have learnt to be patient with every child because children are special in their different ways and they have contributed a lot to my professional growth.

 

 I am working towards a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics and currently I hold an Honours degree in Education (majoring in Mathematics) from the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe (Bulawayo).