One year in…
Over the Nut Clusters the other morning we reaslised that it was a Very Significant Day. It was exactly one year since we had begun Home Edding. I mentioned this to A who paused, mid mouthful and looked up-’ Oh yeah-cool ! Don’t come into the lounge for a while will you, as I’m making a movie’.
Right that told me. It’s been quite a year I mused whilst clearing the table. A had attended our local Catholic Primary school where I also worked. It was a small, one class per year, friendly school and we had no problems with it. Other than the usual battles over A’s behaviour and constant chatter and the school refusing to accept our suggestion that A was dyslexic. He was happy enough there until the final year and the business of choosing a secondary school.
As anyone who has been in the system will know, the final year of primary is all about the SATS. Yes the very same ones that the Government are now talking of scrapping. It is a very boring year for the children. By now the SEN teacher had confirmed that A was indeed dyslexic- not that 20 mins one-to-one once a week was making any noticable difference. When I asked what extra help A would be entitled to during the SATS I was told extra time. When I pointed out that would make no difference, if you can’t read a word it makes no odds how long you stare at it. I was told that his reading ability was not sufficently bad enough to warrant a reader. Having been told that hs reading ability was that of a 9 year old, ( he was 11.5) I wondered how bad did you have to be ?
The thought of secondary school and all the homework and the travelling involved began to depress us more and more. He was never going to cope. Then some friends of ours invited us over for a visit to their place in the south of France, on the Spanish borders. As we had already made plans to visit Portugal we thought why not do both.Then why not travel in term time when it is both cheaper and quieter. A doesn’t actually need to do these SATS. I could teach him at home. It was a heady thought. !He already had a place at secondary school, we could always turn it down later on….
So I went to see my boss, the Headteacher and said that I would be resigning and leaving at the end of term and taking Alex with me. She welled up with tears and blew her nose loudly and then said- ‘have you thought about this-oh but of course you have ? ! What a marvellous opportunity to travel-A will love it !’ Needless to say not quite the reaction we had expected !!
So we spent the summer travelling around in Europe and had a fantastic time. The autumn came and A’s friends went off to various secondary schools and we decided to keep going down the Home Ed path. Finally because he wasn’t being made to read -he would read. We have no reading scheme, no set book that the entire class is reading. A reads his science and maths books ( which doesn’t count as ‘real reading !) and pores over the Argos catalogue, the Guiness bookof World records, the mobile phone manual, computer games instructions or whatever else he is into.
The abject fear of words has gone. He is happy, well adjusted and several years ahead in subjects like maths and science which he has always enjoyed. Because he didn’t go to secondary school he has time to continue with after school activities like Film club and Trampolining. He doesn’t spend hours of an evening doing homework and neither do I anymore !
We have made lots of new friends over the past year and met many people on the same journey. I have had the chance to organise activities and trips ( something I never thought myself capable of ) and I have learnt how to negotiate for discounts too !
My mother in law, accusing me of being over- protective and not exposing A to the unpleasant side of life said’ We all have to experience bullying so that we know how to deal with it.’ I didn’t deign to reply to such a purile remark. As the months passed I found myself less and less bothered by other people’s opinions of what we were doing. People’s reactions ranged from admiring to downright hostile to plain envious.
It’s been a huge learning curve for all of us and we are still only at the start of our journey. I think the Home Ed road is one which will become more travelled. I only wish I had known that I could have started our journey earlier.
Maire Said on April 10th, 2009 at 2:43 pm quote
Congratulations on your first year. Mine are dyslexic too and my second dropped all outside activites at the beginning of secondry school. His sister will never experience that thank goodness.