It's just the beginning.....

 

Every journey has to start somewhere, and this is where mine begins, with a big decision. The decision to start this journey has not been easy. Thinking about what it will look like for me as mum and teacher, for my husband as provider and general whinge listener on the bad days (as exciting as this is there will be bad days), for our son as a student at home and for our daughter (aged 6) as she stays in school. I think I know where this road will take me but ultimately God will guide me where He sees fit and it will probably look very different from what any of us have imagined!

I wanted to blog about my son and I's adventure into home education to show those we know what we are up to but also in the hope it might be useful to others. I have found other bloggers words encouraging and helpful and my dream is that mine will be too. I found the blog linked below was particularly insightful in looking at the pro's and con's of home schooling a child with special educational needs www.myaspergerschild.com.

So why are we even here, traveling along into education at home? Lots of things led us to the decision; we talked a lot, prayed a lot and consulted others, both home educators and those close to us. 

It's probably best to start at the beginning. My 12 year old son has always had difficulty at school, at the age of 8 our concerns were finally listened to and taken seriously,  he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome (on the autistic spectrum) and ADHD. At this point we had to move him from the primary school he was attending to a more supportive one. He coped well for a while but soon found it too much and playtimes were particularly daunting and challenging to him. Trying to understand the social norms, phrases, tone of voice and facial expressions which we take for granted did not come naturally to him. Phone calls home about his behaviour became a regular occurrence and his behaviour worsened. I hoped that the move in September 2012 to secondary school would help, it didn't. The big world of secondary school confused him, changing teachers, classrooms and expectations overwhelmed him and his behaviour meant he gained a reputation as a naughty child rather than one that needed reassurance and guidance to fit in.

Watching my son lose his passion for learning was heart breaking, his self-esteem was in tatters and he was hardly included in any lessons. By home educating him I can give him one to one teaching tailored to his needs and help him navigate the scary (at least to an Asperger’s child) social world around him. He might not be with children all day in a school setting but that boy has a busier social calendar than most! I can build up his self-esteem so he can see the wonderful person he was created to be and to help him reach his goals.

What happens next is relatively unknown to me, I have an idea about the structure of our day, what subjects he will formally study and which ones will be informal, but this could change tomorrow or in 2 years’ time. I am to eager to see where this could take my son, to see him grow, to teach him. I hope you will join me on my journey, through the exciting days of discovery and the rainy days too!