It was the year 1994 when I wrote the book, How to Unlock Your Child’s Genius, a book that would become an important text for many homeschooling families. The book was based on my many years of working as an independent educationalist and author where I ran my own Saturday schools at the weekends, and my working as a learning specialist during the day. Soon after the publication of the book I would sell thousands of copies at conferences, churches, schools and bookshops.
The book had a bigger impact than I realised and I never imagined that when I started back in 1987 that such a journey was just beginning. It was in that year that I rented a small youth club to start my very first Saturday school. The old venue stank of beer and marijuana, as it had been used by youngsters the previous night to have a rave. However, the many years of opening more and more Saturday schools and providing home tuition saw me gain an expertise that enabled me to help thousands of families.
Working with a small team of teachers that I had gathered over the years saw me develop a method of education that looked at eleven specific areas that included, diet and learning, educational management in the home, reading and mathematical skills, mind games and leadership skills, cultural literacy and family learning. With the books publication I soon found myself being contacted by many more homeschooling families who wanted an approach to their homeschooling.
Within a few months I found myself advising families on how best to homeschool, whether on a part-time or full-time basis. The families that came to us had little idea on how to homeschool their children but were desperate to be successful, for many had withdrawn their child from school due to extreme bullying, school exclusion or for academic reasons. So my little book became their bible and for these struggling parents I was able to make them into parent-teachers.
Suddenly families had trained parent-teachers who were more confident in educating their children and who were clearly more resourceful. They fed back to me that their homes were transformed; they were now places of creativity, empowered homes that bred success because they were more self-reliant and self-sufficient. Now, they realised that real learning is when the whole family goes on a learning journey together and realises that real education comes from within.
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