Monster & Teeny

Back in September 2005 I wrote this post on what would have been Monster’s first day at school.

And now I am sat here on about what would be the end of his first year at school.

I don’t know what he would ‘know’ or have been ‘taught’ if he’d completed reception year - I have no idea what would be expected of him if he were about to embark on ‘year one’ in September, I don’t really understand what all the different ‘key stages’ are and the idea of an ‘enriched curriculum’ sort of makes me snigger really. This is indulged ignorance on my part, in the same sort of way as I am quite proud of never having read any Harry Potter and I never read the ‘Contented Little Baby Book’ that a friend bought me when I had Teeny and looked hideous from lack of sleep when she met me for lunch on my third day of being a ‘mother of two’. Indulged ignorance on enjoying not needing to know, quite liking to brag about not knowing and also a bit of ‘what I don’t know can’t hurt me’ as in, if I am not aware that he ’should’ be able to read a certain 100 words, count from 1 to 20 backwards and forwards and jump through certain coloured hoops in a certain order then I will feel no obligation to ensure he can, does or feel lacking when he doesn’t.

So I can’t round up what educational value this year has had for Monster, I can’t list all the workbooks we’ve completed, demonstrate a balance of literacy, numeracy, science, humanities, languages and art with a side helping of physical education. I can’t list the books we’ve read, the educational teachings or approaches we’ve followed. I flatly refuse to belittle all the great times we’ve had this year with friends, attending parties, camps, get togethers and so on by putting them in a ’socialising’ box or the travelling we’ve done under a ‘geography’ heading.

What I can present, in answer to how our first official year of Home Education has gone is Monster himself. He is a happy, healthy, loving, curious, inquisitive little boy. He has great passions and interests, plays endlessly, approaches every single hour of every single day with enthusiasm, a zest for life and learning , a confidence and sense of self, an ability to articulate himself and talk to anyone he meets with the same confidence whether they are adult or child. He can make friends, negotiate, justify and argue, fit into a group, play with a handful of children, entertain himselfm make his voice heard, lead or follow. Monster knows who he is - I know many adults who have been ‘through the system’ and had that ability eroded from them.

Our whole lifestyle is shaped by Home Education but Home Education simply slips into our lifestyle.

There are times that I question whether this path is the right one for all of us, times when I know unquestioningly that it is probably not right for me, personally. I don’t think there has ever been a time when I could have seriously and honestly said it was anything but the absolute best path for Monster though.