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!!

Where the path leads.

This is a photograph of our Jet. he has already perfected the art of homeschoolers hair!

Jethro is in Grade 4 at one of our local schools in Cape Town . He is a bright boy who is thirsty to learn and great fun to be with. 

He has ADHD. 

Distracted in his thinking continuously and always unless something grabs his interest and of course the faithful old friend of ADHD people - BOREDOM!

When ever I say this I am aware that people may misunderstand ADHD boredom. It is not that he is so super clever that the work is beneath his ability nor is it that the actual work IS boring. ADHD boredom is about interest being grabbed and held. If something is super interesting for the kid, then he or she is spellbound and it is easier on and off Ritalin to pay attention. However, if the work is not grabbing and especially if it is repetition, well then the kid is lost to an inner world of fantastic distraction.

This is our Jet.

The path we are on with him has lead us to the door of homeschooling. You can read this in my blog post here.

http://reluctancewithhope.blogspot.co.za/2016/07/i-am-reluctant-homeschooler.html

After gathering enough information from people who already home school and who have been very helpful, I took some time out yesterday to visit the Internet sites for myself.

One of the difficulties in taking a child out of school to home school, is in navigating the level of the child in an area of learning.  It is tricky beyond tricky and as all things books cost money, I would like us not to make a mistake!

So the online journey has begun.

I began with South African sites that offer different options for English, ,maths and history as an example.

The most helpful thing they offer is an assessment to gauge the level of learning. Yipeeee. stress reliever!

Now to look at what is on offer. For the most part, especially all the wonderful reading material that is linked to the lessons, I am desperate to begin - ( not only for Jet but for me too)

There is a wealth of choice and fabulous reading material to choose from. The options seem really exciting.

It is so thrilling to be embarking on this journey with this kiddo. When I explained the process thus far to him last night , his little eyes gleamed. This morning his announced, " I wish the year would go faster so we can homeschool soon."

Neither he or I really know what this is going to look like in reality, but at least we can "kind of" see a fun way forward!

The Gathering

I have arrived at a point where I think I, sort of, have a kind of handle on some of the choices available to us for homeschooling Jet next year.. I am incredibly grateful to those who have kindly given up time and patiently answered my super dumb questions.

I am sitting outside my fav high school, with the wind building a storm, and I wonder what in the world have we decided to do?

I am not one of those people who dislike, disagree with or hate mainstream schooling.
Our son has not been bullied and nor is he struggling academically.. And yet here we are.

My emotions fluctuate between absolute fear and extreme excitment.. I know the proof will be in the pudding and well love it with this kiddo..

Three observations I'll come back to again in time and reassess.

1. Homeschooling could be expensive if one is not smart.
2. The work content varies from medium to extreme as one chooses
3. It is tricky to know what to include and what to ditch..

The learning to ❤︎. Homeschooling journey continues.

Step one in letting go and saying hello

Today I met with our school Principal to share our story and our decision to homeschool Jethro. We have had a very good relationship over the years. We chatted and chatted and I was so encouraged by his positive response and support for our choice. Thank you Lord.

Yesterday I met with my friend Tammy to share with her curriculum choices. It was exciting to see the options for children and it was also a little overwhelming.. I came away thinking 💭,, ok we can do this..

Very exciting to be planning and thinking what might work for Jet and for me too. Thank you Lord for the option of fun in learning.. So grateful for the option and mindful of the enormous priveledge this choice is..

I am "The Reluctant Homeschooler"

For Lucy and Drew!

This is a photograph of a wire owl taking flight from its perch. This is a little what I feel like right now. Full of hope and excitiment and scared to death!!

I am a mother of 4 beautiful , kind, sweet and very handsome young men. The oldest is 16 and the youngest is 10. The middle two are 14 and 12.

We have  enjoyed many years of good education in what some call "the system" and I guess in many ways it is a system of education. I think people often talk about The System as some kind of terrible kind of thing. A necessary evil. We have had a very healthy and good experience in so many ways in  sending our children to school.  We are beyond forunate to be at excellent schools and our sons are being stretched and grown in their experiences at school for which we are indeed grateful.

The two older boys are in high school at Westerford High in The Western Cape and the two younger ones attend Sweet Valley Primary in our local area. 

We have had many blessings and watched our sons grow and thrive through the good things and also through the negative things that inevitably come with school.  We would not have changed these many experiences for the world.

Two of our children have ADHD   which has meant a real shift in the way we parent and also in what we expect from schooling for them. The one son has found his groove and is thriving in so many ways. 

Our youngest unfortunately has not yet found his groove .

Each year I hold my breath and wait to see how he settles and how it is all going to work out. Trusting the Lord and pressing on with helping him find his groove has been the aim.

This year, right in the very beginning of the year, we visited our specialist who is walking with us in our ADHD journey.  

She confirmed my fears about Jet in school and shared some of them.

Then she said these words....

" I think Jethro would thrive in a homeschooling situation"....

I stuck my fingers in my ears because this was not what I wanted to hear.

This was not the first time the homeschooling idea had been suggested. My precious friend Colleen who is homeschooling her daughter, had suggested it many times before.

So, here we are, 6 months down the road and we have made that jump. We are leaping forward, like that owl, and going to take the plunge.

He is in school for the remainder of this year and God willing we will bring him home to school him in 2017.

My thanks is to all those brave homeschoolers who I interact with and are willing to share life with me and to my dear friend Tammy who has boldly gone where many fear to tread. This blog post is dedicated to Lucy and Drew who actually were the final catalyst to my KNOWING that this is what this boy needs... for now. 

Drew you rock kiddo!

Who knows what the future holds  but God and we are heading his call with this son of ours so that he can learn and thrive.

May the year ahead be full of good learning for you Jethro.

Lets do this thing!