It would be OK if I meant triplets or home education.
Neither of those for me has been the wonderful fulfilling experience some may want you to believe. I have been in states of sadness, anger, loneliness and despair about both, but I have found ways through those impossible states, and found that there are joys, and triumphs, and pure feelings of satisfaction to be had; and certain knowledge that I am building loving relationships that will work.
So today my plan is normal: to get everyone to Mad Science, drive thirty miles for drama, then come home, cook, clear up, guide Shark to a new maths website, help Squirrel with her writing, and find that book I so faithfully promised for Tiger, then make a project book on Mexico. Throughout the hours we'll read, listen, talk, argue, and kiss nightnight before bed.
But managing triplets through this home educated day all pales into nothing when I imagine what new horrors and attacks Badman and the DCSF can dream up for me today.
This endless daily cycle of stress here has really brought me low. It feels like I am alone, and struggling. And right now, it's not with the education. I just want to be left alone to do that. It feels like people in this government must hate me for the choices I've made, for what I do, and I don't know why.
To prove to you that they are right to be suspicious, what will they tell you next? They've already said home educators are child abusers; oppressive evangelicals; we force our children to miss out on education; we're on the fringes of society; mentally ill. What will they tell you next? What next?
It's an act of resistance then, to tell you all, to tell anyone who wanders past this blog, that in the past few days this is what we've done, this normal home educating family. These are the things we've done, and I never said, because I was too busy with Badman and Balls.
They won't win, because I have stronger ammunition.
I have taken Tiger, Squirrel and Shark to playgrounds.
We have joined a local group for a lecture at the Open University on the Magic of Oxygen. I have taken my children to join a local nature group to search for fungi. With the help on an expert guide, they found chicken of the woods, King Alfred's cakes, strange and wondrous fairy bells.
They made their monthly evening outing to their wildlife explorer's group. We went to see Pixar's Up, and afterwards talked together about characterisation, animation, and about the story, Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad. We had a wonderful discussion wandering over interpretations of truth, power, colonial ambitions, obsessions. The responses from Shark, Squirrel and Tiger were staggering; mature, insightful, thoughtful, unchildlike.
They joined a group in St Albans to listen to stories, and make wigwams. We came home and pored over geography books and talked about the Americas, the New World, colonisation, the conquistadors.
They joined their regular classroom group for French; Shark went to her drama group. We have pinned up a giant skeleton on the wall in the front room; found out about Mexico's Day of the Dead; made icing sugar skulls.
We have read more of The Hobbit; cooked food together; listened to music; talked, made bad jokes, laughed, and flew kites.
Those are our activities of the last few days. Is that normal? That seems normal to me, to us. That's normal, and to do it, and tell you about it, is my ongoing, daily act of resistance.
7 comments:
(((HUGS))) firstly.
secondly - oooo, love the skulls! and after having to do some research once I can woffle on for ages about teepees/wigwams/wikiups/lodges differences, spellings, where they were/are used.... fascinating stuff, and the model ones look really fab
You have three very lucky children, for their sake and all the others we must win this.
Stick to your guns and dont back down! You are doing a wonderful job and because you are not conforming to this twat of a government they dont like it. Anyone who is independently minded and does not follow the rest like sheep gets them worried, because you can think for yourself. You are a threat to their 'nannying' society.
In this day and age it is nothing less than a 'Witch Hunt' for all non-conformists. I send my kids to school and I still get crap and accusations thrown at me.
Up their bums, the lot of them!
Defiant in the face of adversity.
You go girl....you are doing a fab job. Dont let them grind you down.
Much love RMxx
thank you people for your comments. it will be OK.
that is fighting talk, RM, and that is what i need right now. thank you! xx
Oh thank God you took them to see the movie UP, finally a normal activity for 9 year olds! I was beginning to think you were an overachiever.
...but of course we saw the version dubbed into Latin ;)
lol at UP in Latin :-).
We will wait til it comes out on DVD as have been warned it's a weepy and has a scary dog in it. Watching at home she can turn all sound off and we can have M agitated because apparently there is no point in watching a film without sound! You can't understand what's happening!
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