Beautiful Moon

Asha has had shingles this week, affecting our routine a little bit. We were all due to attend the Evergreen Care Trust Annual Ball, but had to ask if Bronwen would look after Asha overnight instead. So, off Chris and I went to the Haycock Inn for a dinner and boogie On leaving, we noticed the moon in all its glory. Even though it was late when we eventually got home, I went into the garden and managed to get some footage of the most beautiful moon, before it clouded over. Here is a bit of what I saw.

Another Brick in the Wall

We were involved in the making of the music of this new YouTube release by Open Art Surgery. You may notice Asha with her cello and even hear the cello baseline. Thanks to all the amazing home educators who were involved in the whole process. Basically, we are standing up for the human rights of ALL families to live in peace in their own homes.

We don’t need your registration / We don’t need your yearly goals / No right of entry to our houses / Badman leave home ed alone / Hey Badman leave us kids alone.

All in all you’re just another brick in the wall / All in all you’re just another pawn for Ed Balls.

This education system is in crisis. The DCSF (the department that allows schools to come between children and families) cannot continue to ride roughshod over the simple and basic right of parents who are already taking full responsibility for the education of their children. Badman’s review is now the subject of a Select Committee investigation. We are off to a London soon, as part of the Home Education Mass Lobby of Parliament to register our concerns.

Please consider supporting the petition to 10 Downing Street. It already has 3500+ names.

Petition the Prime Minister

Just Another Monday

Hating Monday is all in the mind, well, that’s what we think!

A late creation on the theme of the wonderful HE Carnival. Thanks Debs for all your hard work! Sorry, I have not been very active on the blogging front, life kind of got in the way

Sometimes we travel 5200 miles

We’re in India, for five weeks. No, we are NOT here to arrange a forced marriage for anyone! Even though Delyth and Badman (just in case you haven’t heard of them – it is about the highly suspect Home Education Review) think this may have been our plan. Silly people.

We arrived in Chennai and are settling in, acclimatising and getting back into knowing that India is not the UK and that everything operates very differently It has been hot, very hot and there have been no rains for the last three months and we hope the reservoirs do not dry up.

I lived in Chennai as a little girl, from the age of two until I was about 10. I learned to speak Tamil here and have been merrily chatting away again, to any unsuspecting folk! As I really do not look like a local, every time I say something in Tamil, eyes pop and a smile breaks out. It really is very handy for telling autorickshaw and taxi drivers that I will not be ripped off!

Basic Tamil words introduced by a cute kiddie

Chennai traffic

Busy, busy roads pretty much everywhere you go. Cars do drive a lot slower simply because of the sheer traffic in cities like Chennai.

More Chennai traffic

A fuzzy autorickshaw on the right. They are basically three wheelers with a cover, open-sided and nippy little machines.

Auto rickshaw

Getting back into eating the yummiest food in the world – South Indian food, of course! Just in case you want to make some traditional breakfast gub – good old dosais, here’s a recipe for you Folloow this guy on YouTube.

Poite varai!

Forced Schooling

Forced Schooling

A bit of substitution really does work wonders, clearing the mind and focusing the thoughts. Just in case you were not aware, Delyth, dear Delyth, mentioned that she thinks that home educators were a high risk. To children. And may be forcing them into premature marriages. Well, I guess that came as a shock to you. But, it certainly was a shock to us. Why on earth would we marry our beautiful daughter off early? Duh, duh, duh!

Every Child Matters has released some new information for schools, yes, schools now, as it appears that home eductaors may not be the ones with the forced marriage problem. It could be being missed in schools. Oh no! Now, please do not misunderstand me. The issue of Forced Marriage is very very serious – and crimes are being committed against innocent people as we speak. But, diverting attention towards the innocent has been used as a tactic before.

Back to home education and schooling and normal day to day matters. Well, we believe that many children may be being FORCED into schools every day. Yes, they may be. But, just so that we can raise the issue, here’s a poster to share with those who you think may be able to help these children.

JUST SAY NO TO THE DCSF!

Sometimes we go out for the day….

… and that’s okay with us. Asha and I went to Lincoln, not to see the sights, but I had an appointment with the dentist. All done and dusted in about 20 minutes so we toddled off into the town centre on a gloriously sunny Lincolnshire day. We’d had to pay to park so had a little time on our hands and Asha leapt at the opportunity to have her hair cut. She prefers to have her aunt cut it, but we’re not going to be seeing her for a while, so this was next best.

Enroute to the salon, we spotted our good friend who lives on the street, so stopped to have a chat with him. He’s not well, but is coping. We care a lot about what happens to him and he knows he can call us if necessary. Life on the streets is not as simple as it looks. Invariably it is about broken relationships…. If we can play a part in reducing brokenness, we will.

Asha's hair before the cut

We carried on down the road… well, we had the longest wait, a trip mid-wait to move the car, and then back again. The appointment seemed different, and seated in the car on our return, we figured out why! The hairdresser NEVER once asked why Asha was not in school! Quite rare, as on normal occasions, at least two or three people ask why (so much for being ‘hidden’). We laughed out loud! Actually, this hairdresser was different, quite different. She talked to Asha in such a respectful way, asked her exactly what she wanted done, spoke directly to her (not through me) and I was able to sit back and watch. I recommend watching your children. Watch what they say and do, and reflect upon the matter. You will learn a lot.

Asha's hair after the cut

All in all, a good day…. it was a people day, right down to the young checkout man where we stopped to get Mexican Haystack materials. We have that to look forward to…

The shape of things to come?

No Home Educating

Asha and I watched the 1959 version of George Stevens’ production of The Diary of Anne Frank recently. Yes, it is a long and old film, but the historical intensity of it is vital and relevant. I was surprisingly struck by the portrayal of the Star of David and the effect that it had on the lives of innocent Jewish people of Anne Frank’s time. There was a scene that really got me, the one where Peter rips off his Star of David. It was a move of defiance, risk and boldness – only necessary because of his innocence. Perhaps I am just that little bit more sensitive with the furore in the home ed world about the Badman review.  I know that the two scenarios cannot possibly compare, but I think there are parallels. Some parallels.

Could we see the day when home educating families are forced to be clearly visible to the general public, forced to ensure that our dealings can be scrutinised by anyone? In a way, on reflection, I think we had a touch of this during the time that the anti-smoking bill became law. We were to display signage in places used by the public. We were to get a load of council staff to watch smokers. In a negative way, that inspired me.

It’s not that I am a smoker. In fact, I have the dubious pleasure of never having smoked a cigarette, although I passively smoked throughout my childhood. It was in the air, always. I really don’t like the habit, the smell, the ashtrays, the stubs, the cost… everything associated with it. But, I have always had friends who smoked, people I still care about very much. And now, smokers are delegated to side doors in grim alleyways. They carry on smoking, they carry on being people, with feelings, thoughts, relationships and above all are still human. But, we have stopped talking about smokers.

So, could we just as easily replace the ‘NO SMOKING’ signage with ‘NO HOME EDUCATING’ notices? If we continue to sit back and think that it’s not going to affect us, the cumulative effect of the proposed changes to home educators will ultimately affect future generations, and not just home educators. That is why it is so important to act. Now!

Ask your self some searching questions. Would you like to be treated in the way that home educators are being treated? Remember, as yet, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that any ‘concerns’ became ‘evidence’. So, fears are unfounded. We are not hiding our children under beds and drugging them, and pretending to educate them while we languish in ashtrays and takeaway tin foil trays. We are not the ones covering up case after case of daily bullying in schools, suggesting that it is just horseplay. So, if you do feel you have to oppose the freedom offered under current law to home educators (read children and parents) do so becasue you are informed. If you have ever had any serious concerns about a child (whether home educated or not), it is your responsibility to have reported it. No ifs, no buts. If you have not got any concerns, what right to do you have to determine our future? Get some wisdom!

“When I was a boy at my father’s knee,
the pride and joy of my mother,
He would sit me down and drill me:
“Take this to heart. Do what I tell you—live!
Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!
Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch!
Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life;
love her—she keeps her eye on you.
Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!
Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!
Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won’t regret it;
never let her go—she’ll make your life glorious.
She’ll garland your life with grace,
she’ll festoon your days with beauty.”

Proverbs 4:3-9

You can do something. Take a few moments to respond to the consultation proposals at the  DCSF.

Pray about the situation even if you don’t really care. I’d rather be wise than wrongly accuse people of wrongdoing.

The Bad Man uses Bad Tactics

Time to re-launch this hit. Thanks, daleswitch!

Badman’s daughter (who shall remain nameless for the time being) was caught red-handed on the Facebook Group set up specifically to fight the stigmatisation of home edders in the UK. Turns out she should know better as she is/has been an employee of a Local Authority in the south-west, and we would assume that such underhand tactics are not part of their training. One wonders whether she used her role to determine some of Badman’s conclusions. Now, this is a very silly thing for someone to do, considering the nature of her father’s role, with the expecations of professionalism and confidentiality that are part of his job. Silly people will slip up, just give them time. Oops! Now, don’t try that again, Badman, or get better spies!

Old dog has something wrong with her

Old dog has something wrong with her. She was treated with drugs for a chronic ear problem. She then went deaf. Suddenly. Well, we know she is old but that is no reason for sudden deafness. So, we did our enquiries and took her off the meds. And then, her skin turned scabby and looks like it is falling off. Another vet visit. A few pounds (sterling, I mean) lighter, we have another routine. Could it be fungal or an auto-immune condition? We wait to see which response works. So, we are now off to wash her with this shampoo. We are looking forward to the return of her glossy and shiny coat… soon.

Snuggled up

Home educating

Hi everyone.

I have a few questions about Home education!

What about you?

Department for Children Schools and Families

A good option?

A legal choice?

Thanks for voting!

Archie