Home Schooling

I have told many of you that I am going to be home schooling the children this year. But thought I would just make a post about this decision in case any one had missed the news. As every one would know from previous blog posts we had a difficult time adjusting to the local school. Whilst the principal had committeed to assisting and supporting us as much as possible in the comming year we felt that it would be her and us against an intrenched school system. A system which was so at odds with the school experience we want for our children and for ourselves.

I read, researched, discussed and read some more. We talked about it together and with the children (who of course jumped at the chance to stay away from school) and we finally made the decision at the end of August.

Last week was the first week of 'home school' we focused on learnng our new routine which means me getting up as close to 6.30 as possible so I can do my exercise before the children have finished breakfast - moderately succesful. It also means the children waking up and starting breakfast before D leaves for work, varyingly succesful. At the moment it also means me having at least a vague idea of the work to be completed each day. I say at the moment because the plan is for the children to take a bigger role in deciding what and how we will learn.

My main inspiration has been John Holt, he was an advocate for at first school reform and then once he realised school reform would never happen, an advocate for home shcooling. When he wrote about it, home schooling was still illegal or difficult in many states in America, thank goodness this is no longer the case. (Home Schooling is also legal in Australia) His writing on school in this country at least is still very relevant today. If you are interested some of his books include "How children learn", "How children fail", "Learning all the time" and "Teach your own". I am hoping that over time we can move away from formal 'me the techer teaching everything' school model to a more flexible and relaxed situation where the children begin to teach themselves and gain confidence in their ability to learn without having an adult in control of their learning. Idealogical perhaps but a nice goal to work towards and certainly if we are successfull, three powerful yong people as the result. If we are not totally succesful then I continue to be the teacher and we are no worse off educationally for the children.

As I said above, some success, we are taking it easy, D has taken on the role of gardening and cooking mentor and the children love learning about these things with him. He has learned how to make yogurt and cheese and is sharing his knowledge and love of bread and sauce making with the children. The possibilities are endless.

I have a good friend in NSW who is also home schooling her boys, her eldest is M's age and they were mates before we moved. She has some fabulous ideas and has also been an inspiration to me. I have another dear friend in Georgia USA who is home schooling her second son after schooling the first who is now in high school. She has also been inspirational and both are great models for me.

Lots (every one really) of people tell me I am some how special to be taking on this challenge but I think if it is something you feel important to your family then all of a sudden it becomes so much easier than you might have thought. Like anything, if you want something badly enough you make it happen. It is so much less stressfull than the school routine allready. I am also wondering now, why we are so desparate to send our children off to school when, once we do we complain about it so much. How we miss them, how we hate that they are being influenced by so many outside forces, how we fear peer group pressure, how we fear and hate that bullying happens to them, that we hate the pressure of home work, we hate the fight to get out of the house in the morning, we don't like the people they some times become becasue of the infuences on them from school, we don't like the teacher or the teacher does not like our children or does not get along with us, we send our babies off to be cared for, molded and taught by some one else and yet we don't really want them around us all of the time because they are some how no longer the darlings they were at 3 and 4 when their only influence was us. If they had stayed with us all along perhaps they would still be more like us than like other people and perhaps we would all be closer as a family and maybe we would enjoy them a little more.

I guess I should also add that I have never been under the financial pressure to return to work and I recognise that I am fortunate for that. Also there was no career in my past that I gave up for children, I gave it up for love and the mobile life that we have had for 15 years. This means that I am not forgoing something more exciting or necessary than teaching my children.

So, when I think of these things I guess I am not so special, I am just doing something that is important to me and my family and that is supported by my wonderful husband, who by the way thinks that home schooling is a great idea particularly if we want to continue working for the UN and possibly taking on field assignments.

Please understand that by making these decisions and sharing my thoughts above I am in no way judging the decisions of others, we all do what we have to do to survive and this is just our way of coping right now and the thought process we have undertaken to get to this point. I am hoping with fingers and toes crossed that over the next year I will have lots of positive things to write about the experience and if I don't, well at least I will have given it a try and know that we have made the right decision for the place that we find our selves in right now.

Wish me luck and send positive vibes over the cyber pathways as often as you can!