The Sad Divide!

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We are brand spanking new to all things homeschooling!

So, I write this post with caution and hope. I realise that my voice might be deamed weak and irrelevant but I write none the less.

Both Jethro and I are so excited about our homeschooling adventure which will begin next year. I have written about our reasons for bringing him home in this blog.

We have 4 beautiful sons. Two are in high school and the other two are in one of our local, government primary schools. 

We attend a church and live in a community where many people send their children to a variety of schools and many homeschool.

I teach art and am so encouraged by the variety of educational choices. Children come from the Waldorf school all the way across the spectrum to homeschool. I absolutely love these beautiful children and we do have loads of fun and good learning.

One of the deep sadness I find within the homeschooling online world and in conversation with moms from time to time, is the public negative and often misplaced critism of school. Here, I want to say that I get that a child may have had an absolutely awful, awful experience at school. I tutor children and run an ADHD support group and so really get how difficult school can be for kids and parents alike. So I recognise and acknowledge here the deep pain for families. There is much growth needed in many areas in modern schools. 

But....... we have had a very good and healthy experience in general for 3 of our boys. They are thriving and learning through all the good and the not so good. For them, the positives have far outweighed the negatives and yes, even the waiting has not been that bad. Smart, ingeneous kids find a good way to fill the gaps with reading or doing work or just being social. 

I feel that the public "dissing" of schools  actually harms the homeschooling choice.  I realise that intially a "voice" needed to be created and a space carved out for homeschooling and I really pray that that space is maintained. We are about to straddle the two words. The strangeness of that is evident. Perhaps I am the furtunate one because I get the good and bad of both and so my perspective is balanced. Ill let you know. But for now, my hope is that we can all really  work at offering grace and space for people to choose. Their is fun and a wonder in diversity!!