So... A lot of you know that we home school, we have done for almost 4 years now. I have really enjoyed nurturing and teaching my children. They both really love learning, and it has been a both wonderful and sometimes challenging journey.
Our reason for home schooling in the first place, was based almost entirely on the fact that we live in a pretty bad school district. Hope was not being challenged educationally, and was in her words, "bored". She had started school knowing how to read (she was reading chapter books at the time), knowing basic math (how to add & subtract), but by the end of her first year she had lost a lot of the knowledge she had begun with. The school she was attending, did not want to encourage her too much, and told me that they very rarely, if ever, move a child up a class level. Also, as our house backed onto "said school", I was hearing things I didn't think were appropriate over the fence. I could hear Hope's teacher yelling at the class - which is, I think, totally reprehensible! No child deserves to be yelled at, especially not by someone they are supposed to be learning from. So, at the end of 2002 we took it all into our own hands, and decided to home school. It was scary for us, especially because we had a picture in our minds of home schoolers being a real odd bunch - were we willing to become part of that?!?
When Aimee turned 5, we began to home school her - it was a real struggle and I didn't quite understand why, until she was diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder at the end of that year. I was not sure what to do, and so we put her into school. The same school that had been so terrible for Hope. At the time, I didn't know there was any other option, and I was basically just reacting. She now goes to a satellite class which is under a special school. I am hoping that at some point we will be able to put her into a mainstream school. She is doing so well now academically.
Briahna has never been to school. She has never had a problem educationally, and it was very exciting when, last year, she learned to read! One of my proudest moments, as a home schooling mum, I would have to say! Hope was a self-taught reader and Aimee learned to read at school. Being the youngest child in our family, Bree is a bit of a mummy's girl and has needed some encouragement to come out of her shell around other people. I love her to bits though! I have been lucky to have been blessed with 3 wonderfully different, unique girls - and I love them all!
Hope came to me at the beginning of this year, and told me that she wanted to be a doctor more than anything else, when she grew up. It gave me a scare, because how was I going to teach her all the things she needed to get into medical school. Science has always been a scary subject to me. What to do?!? I want to support my children in whatever endeavour they choose, so I had a dilemma. To begin with, I didn't want to think about school. I KNEW, without a doubt, that my children wouldn't be going to the school next door. I had no idea what school, if any, I would feel comfortable about sending the girls to.
Once, I had come to terms with the idea that home schooling might be coming to an end for us. I decided I needed to find the right school. We couldn't afford private education - unless we won the lottery - and so we were stuck with looking at public school or christian school options. It seemed every option we looked at in the christian sector had a waiting list 50 feet long. So that was, at least for now, a no goer. I had, by this stage, decided that it was an all or nothing thing - both of the girls would be put into school. I wanted to find a school that took both age-groups. Hope will be intermediate (middle school) age next year, and it would be nice not to have to travel to more than 2 schools, for now.
About a week ago, I was chatting to a friend of mine on the phone - she just happens to be a teacher - about my school worries, when she suggested a certain country school that she had taught a music class at over term 1 & 2 of this year. She said the teachers were fantastic, and that the principal was a christian guy. So, I looked the school up on the internet - great thing this internet is, for researching schools. I emailed the school secretary and set up a meeting time - we went yesterday. It has all happened so quickly - because we signed all the forms for their enrollment and they start school on Tuesday, 17th July, after the holidays. When you KNOW something is right, things can happen seemingly fast.
The school is awesome. It is a little country school (it has a roll of 154 students). They have calf day, a flower day and bible-in-schools. The classrooms go no bigger than around 20 students, and it is about 15 minutes drive away from our front doorstep. Truly AMAZING!
My little cling-on (Briahna) was very taken with the school, and I am left thinking that it will be me crying when I leave her at school. She is going to have a ball.
I believe this is the completely right way for our family to go. We have discussed whether or not I will return to work, but at present I am going to be a "lady of leisure". Yeah right, hehehe, actually I already have most days booked out to do things. Mainly Music, Children's Church, coffee groups... and no stress about whether the girls are doing enough "book-work". I will definitely miss them during the day, it's going to be quieter and tidier. I can put the school room into better use - a big craft room - YEAH!
Yep, it's that time of the year again. End of the school year and report time.
Understanding how the autistic brain is different to the neurotypical brain will have significant implications for education and intervention 
