If you have come here you want to know a little bit about me, the author of this website. That’s one of the first things I do when I find an interesting educational site – I check that the authors are qualified, knowledgeable, and seem to enjoy what they are doing.
I always want to mix with educators who are passionate about teaching or passing on their knowledge. These educators still have a love for learning, unabashed wonderment, or enjoy the challenges of skill and knowledge building. So, here is some background information about me:
I have been teaching or tutoring since 1981. I have taught in public and private schools, tutored students privately, and home educated or privately educated my four children (though all of my children have accessed local schools when it suited their educational paths). All of my children have gone on to university in the UK, to read Psychology, Geography, English, or International Relations.
Teaching in schools in London, Hong Kong, and Arizona has given me opportunities to learn from my students as much as it has given me skills and experiences to build upon as a teacher. I continue to learn from my students.
Whilst home educating my children, I took the opportunity to complete a research degree, focusing on home education in the United Kingdom and in the United States. Before I did my PhD and taught my own children, I had not considered home education as a possible option for my family. As a school teacher, I believed I belonged in a classroom and expected all of my children to enroll in the local schools. My experiences as a home educator and researcher led me to my recent Master's in Technology and Learning Design, as I wanted to understand more about teaching and learning in the online environment.
My research interests and my experiences with home education broadened my understanding of a field that I thought I knew, but realised was far more intricately complex than I had imagined. The insight I gained through research and home educating gave me the confidence to tackle another ambitious project in 2007. As we lived in the USA by this time, our eldest child had the choice of attending a traditional American high school, home educating using a prepared curriculum, or accessing online virtual education. As none of the choices seemed suitable, I suggested switching tracks, to follow IGCSEs – International General Certificates of Secondary Education. I found out that private candidates could take various courses of study and sit the IGCSE public examinations in a Registered Examination Centre in the UK or in the USA. The only problem at the time was that there were no Cambridge International Examination (CAIE) Centres in our state, and no other examination boards (AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, WJEC) supported in the USA. In the end, we ended up travelling to Cambridge, UK, for our eldest child to sit exams. Two years later, there was still no centre that we could access in our state, so we travelled to a centre in Florida. Every time one of my four children took IGCSEs or A Levels, I had to find a centre before we started working. As a family, we have used four centres; two in the UK and two in the USA.
Home educating my four children has been a journey for all of us, a challenge for me as a teacher, and a privilege as a mother. I have had far more growth as an educator than I thought was possible, as I have taught multiple subjects, at different levels, for the last dozen years or so. I have retained a strong research mindset, coupled with my teaching practices, and recently completed a Master of Arts degree in Technology and Learning Design. The research focus on hybrid or flexi-schooling (part-time schooling and part-time home education) by home educators in the USA and UK has particular relevance in our educational world today, and my research continues into comparing home education in the UK and USA.
Now that I have completed my home education journey with my children, I am taking on projects that give me joy and purpose (and keep me busy!). Most recently, I have been facilitating student teachers at our local university, and I am still tutoring students online all over the world in multiple subjects or for university admissions preparation.
When I started in 2006, I was overwhelmed with the lack of information that I could get my hands on in order to teach my children from a distance. As I have now taught a number of different subjects, I have built up a wealth of resources such as schemes of work, teacher notes, internet-based researching and self-study notes. I am knowledgeable about the AICE programme offered in the USA for AS and A Level CAIE candidates. I know how to read and understand syllabuses and specifications for IGCSEs, GCSEs, AS and A Levels from AQA, Pearson Edexcel, and CAIE. I help students create schedules to follow for the week, focusing on a balance of academics and free time. Learning should be fun, challenging, and not overwhelming!
The COVID-19 pandemic created the most challenging few months for me as a teacher, and yet I was privileged to teach my schooled students online for the remainder of the 2019 - 2020 school year. I know that the pressure on teachers, parents, and students was undeniable and not something to be replicated, and I am now in a position to help through individualized projects.
I believe that teachers and students need readily accessible information to efficiently gain knowledge and skills on their educational journeys. My passion to share what I know has motivated me to create this website, offer tutorial support, and start creating my own exclusive teaching materials.
Please let me know if there is anything that you would like to see on this website, or if you have anything that you would like to share.
And, as I always say to my students, enjoy your educational journey!
I always want to mix with educators who are passionate about teaching or passing on their knowledge. These educators still have a love for learning, unabashed wonderment, or enjoy the challenges of skill and knowledge building. So, here is some background information about me:
I have been teaching or tutoring since 1981. I have taught in public and private schools, tutored students privately, and home educated or privately educated my four children (though all of my children have accessed local schools when it suited their educational paths). All of my children have gone on to university in the UK, to read Psychology, Geography, English, or International Relations.
Teaching in schools in London, Hong Kong, and Arizona has given me opportunities to learn from my students as much as it has given me skills and experiences to build upon as a teacher. I continue to learn from my students.
Whilst home educating my children, I took the opportunity to complete a research degree, focusing on home education in the United Kingdom and in the United States. Before I did my PhD and taught my own children, I had not considered home education as a possible option for my family. As a school teacher, I believed I belonged in a classroom and expected all of my children to enroll in the local schools. My experiences as a home educator and researcher led me to my recent Master's in Technology and Learning Design, as I wanted to understand more about teaching and learning in the online environment.
My research interests and my experiences with home education broadened my understanding of a field that I thought I knew, but realised was far more intricately complex than I had imagined. The insight I gained through research and home educating gave me the confidence to tackle another ambitious project in 2007. As we lived in the USA by this time, our eldest child had the choice of attending a traditional American high school, home educating using a prepared curriculum, or accessing online virtual education. As none of the choices seemed suitable, I suggested switching tracks, to follow IGCSEs – International General Certificates of Secondary Education. I found out that private candidates could take various courses of study and sit the IGCSE public examinations in a Registered Examination Centre in the UK or in the USA. The only problem at the time was that there were no Cambridge International Examination (CAIE) Centres in our state, and no other examination boards (AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, WJEC) supported in the USA. In the end, we ended up travelling to Cambridge, UK, for our eldest child to sit exams. Two years later, there was still no centre that we could access in our state, so we travelled to a centre in Florida. Every time one of my four children took IGCSEs or A Levels, I had to find a centre before we started working. As a family, we have used four centres; two in the UK and two in the USA.
Home educating my four children has been a journey for all of us, a challenge for me as a teacher, and a privilege as a mother. I have had far more growth as an educator than I thought was possible, as I have taught multiple subjects, at different levels, for the last dozen years or so. I have retained a strong research mindset, coupled with my teaching practices, and recently completed a Master of Arts degree in Technology and Learning Design. The research focus on hybrid or flexi-schooling (part-time schooling and part-time home education) by home educators in the USA and UK has particular relevance in our educational world today, and my research continues into comparing home education in the UK and USA.
Now that I have completed my home education journey with my children, I am taking on projects that give me joy and purpose (and keep me busy!). Most recently, I have been facilitating student teachers at our local university, and I am still tutoring students online all over the world in multiple subjects or for university admissions preparation.
When I started in 2006, I was overwhelmed with the lack of information that I could get my hands on in order to teach my children from a distance. As I have now taught a number of different subjects, I have built up a wealth of resources such as schemes of work, teacher notes, internet-based researching and self-study notes. I am knowledgeable about the AICE programme offered in the USA for AS and A Level CAIE candidates. I know how to read and understand syllabuses and specifications for IGCSEs, GCSEs, AS and A Levels from AQA, Pearson Edexcel, and CAIE. I help students create schedules to follow for the week, focusing on a balance of academics and free time. Learning should be fun, challenging, and not overwhelming!
The COVID-19 pandemic created the most challenging few months for me as a teacher, and yet I was privileged to teach my schooled students online for the remainder of the 2019 - 2020 school year. I know that the pressure on teachers, parents, and students was undeniable and not something to be replicated, and I am now in a position to help through individualized projects.
I believe that teachers and students need readily accessible information to efficiently gain knowledge and skills on their educational journeys. My passion to share what I know has motivated me to create this website, offer tutorial support, and start creating my own exclusive teaching materials.
Please let me know if there is anything that you would like to see on this website, or if you have anything that you would like to share.
And, as I always say to my students, enjoy your educational journey!
Samantha Eddis, PhD
Faculty Adjunct, Arizona State University
IGCSE and A Level Specialist, Eddis Tutorial Services, LLC
PhD, socio-political views on home education
Master's in Technology and Learning Design
TOEFL Certificate
Montessori Certificate
Faculty Adjunct, Arizona State University
IGCSE and A Level Specialist, Eddis Tutorial Services, LLC
PhD, socio-political views on home education
Master's in Technology and Learning Design
TOEFL Certificate
Montessori Certificate
My research
Eddis, S. (2018) Flexischooling, Hybrid Home Schooling and Technology. Unpublished thesis, Master's in Technology and Learning Design, University of Roehampton [Online]
Available on request.
Eddis, S. (2015) 'A Case Of Mistaken Identity: Perspectives of Home Educators and State Officials in England, Wales, and Florida, USA.' In Rothermel, P. (ed.) International Perspectives on Home Education: Do We Still Need Schools? United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 99-110.
Available at: https://www.worldcat.org/title/international-perspectives-on-home-education-do-we-still-need-schools/oclc/904716063
Eddis, S. (2007) A Comparative Study of Attitudes Towards Home Education, Held by State Officials and Home Educators in England and Wales, and in Florida, USA. Unpublished thesis, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Surrey, England
Available at: epubs.surrey.ac.uk/771345/
Eddis, S. (2018) Flexischooling, Hybrid Home Schooling and Technology. Unpublished thesis, Master's in Technology and Learning Design, University of Roehampton [Online]
Available on request.
Eddis, S. (2015) 'A Case Of Mistaken Identity: Perspectives of Home Educators and State Officials in England, Wales, and Florida, USA.' In Rothermel, P. (ed.) International Perspectives on Home Education: Do We Still Need Schools? United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 99-110.
Available at: https://www.worldcat.org/title/international-perspectives-on-home-education-do-we-still-need-schools/oclc/904716063
Eddis, S. (2007) A Comparative Study of Attitudes Towards Home Education, Held by State Officials and Home Educators in England and Wales, and in Florida, USA. Unpublished thesis, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Surrey, England
Available at: epubs.surrey.ac.uk/771345/