Dave Pommier
I am a homeschooling dad with a wife and two boys. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing, so I feel compelled to write it all down.
In my spare time, I work as a registered nurse, drink too much coffee, and intermittently renovate the house.Top Posts & Pages
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Tag Archives: confidence
The end of Bloke School?
When my friends decided to return their kids to school, my eldest boy was angry and upset. His (probably legitimate) complaint was that we would never see them again. This is not the first friend he has lost. His great … Continue reading
Return of the assessor
As part of the requirements for homeschooling where I live, we are visited by a government assessor every year or two. This is frequently the cause of a great deal of angst for people. I have heard frequent complaints from … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching and learning
Tagged assessment, bloke, confidence, homeschool, registration
5 Comments
On the tools
We have been taking things pretty easy from a purely academic point of view lately. Even though our year runs to a general kind of plan, it is not rigidly fixed. We are actually ahead of schedule on the bits … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching and learning
Tagged bloke, confidence, flexibility, homeschool, learning in context, life experience, negotiation, play, safety, self determination
1 Comment
In and around Ubud.
It is a struggle to pick my boys up and carry them around anymore. They are both extremely large for their age and also very articulate. I often forget that at six and four years old, they are still only … Continue reading
Posted in Life experiences, Teaching and learning
Tagged bali, bloke, confidence, homeschool, learning in context, life experience, safety, self determination, socialisation, travel, ubud
3 Comments
Dangerous toys
‘Take a look at this piece of wire. It’s a very heavy gauge, nearly as thick as your finger. It’s very strong. We can hardly bend it. But now look. If we put it into the bolt cutters and give … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching and learning
Tagged bloke, confidence, flexibility, homeschool, learning in context, life experience, negotiation, play, safety, self determination
6 Comments
Cause and effect
Last christmas, my eldest boy was desperate for a bow and arrows. It was all to do with the influence of Tolkien at our house, and his desire to be Legolas. I enjoy archery a great deal myself. As a … Continue reading
Posted in Life experiences, Teaching and learning
Tagged archery, bloke, confidence, homeschool, learning in context, play, self determination
7 Comments
Socialising and subculture
Like many people, one of the first questions I had when I was thinking about homeschooling was ‘Where are all the boys friends going to come from?’ We are not very social people. We do not belong to any interest … Continue reading
Posted in Life experiences
Tagged bloke, confidence, history, homeschool, philosophy, socialisation
11 Comments
Teddy bears picnic
I had never considered that a teddy bears picnic would be something I would be involved in with the boys. The other day, however, it surfaced that the two teddies, Hottie and Licorice Bone, were having a birthday. It was unclear … Continue reading
Posted in History, Nature
Tagged bloke, confidence, flexibility, homeschool, local history, nature, ocean, play
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I meet the assessor
In this part of the world, all children six years and older have to either be in school, or be registered as a homeschool student. In practice, not all homeschoolers are registered. Some people refuse registration as a form of … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching and learning
Tagged assessment, bloke, confidence, homeschool, registration
2 Comments
I’ve made paint
Walking outside to investigate a suspicious silence, I stepped into the verandah to be met with a eureka-like ‘Dad. I’ve made paint!’ There he stood with a bucket and paintbrush. One of the trees, a fair few of the verandah … Continue reading
Posted in Experimentation
Tagged bloke, confidence, experimentation, homeschool, imagination, learning in context, painting, play, science
7 Comments
