The meeting looms

Well, we have used up our new arrival grace period and 'the meeting' appears imminent.   Of course, I am talking of the meeting with the representative from THEAC.....

Having received a phone call from a complete stranger who will come to our house, meet the calves and "have a chat" about our programme and our education philosophy.
The question is do I mind? ....hmmm....not sure really.

I am not a lover of regulation and supervision of what I deem basic human rights, the right to freedom, the right to choose, the right to live the way you want.
There is far too much of that in modern life already!

I include the right to take responsibility for your children's education in that. 

But, and it's a big BUT, would I feel the same way if another home educating family had very different views from my own? Would I feel the same way about a very religious family or a very secluded family for example?  

Is regulation in some form necessary?

I'll admit I do not know the answer to this question. I believe children have the right to a quality education. I believe families have a right to privacy.....

I hope that the meeting is about support, providing access for families to the kinds of resources and facilities that schooling families receive. I hope it's not about judgement and results because that is opposite to our philosophy of learning.

The polite and distant stranger merely said she wants to see examples of literacy and numeracy.
There are many....I could literally bury her in a pile of samples of learning and living with literacy and numeracy that are apart of everyday life around here.

Will that be right? Who knows? 
I wonder about her experience? What has she achieved in life that deems her our superior, our assessor?  The whole idea of it makes me uncomfortable.

Still, I shall not put the cart before the horse, we shall wait and see...

And then of course, I will blog about it.

A day in the Gardens

Ah! There is nothing better for me than a day with my family in the Botanical Gardens or in the country surrounded by beautiful nature. 


The feelings of peace and serenity I get are totally replenishing.


Had an amazing day today in The Tasmanian Botanical Gardens in Hobart. What an incredible place to spend the day, endless things to learn and enjoy. 


Today the calves explored a veggie garden and a herb garden, touching and smelling everything. We went to the fernery and the Japanese gardens. 
AND we went to a SubAntarctic room housing samples from Macquarie Island, Australia's most southerly island, complete with icy winds and seal grunts!


The calves found a swarm of bees building a nest and sat down to have a picnic in the sunshine and watch. The elder calf had happened to bring along a book on honey bees thinking she may chance upon some in the Gardens, so we all read about bees and the unusual dances they do to communicate. The calves invented their own dances to communicate their different ideas too.


We discovered a heated wall that was used in the original gardens to grow fruit that didn't agree with the colder Tasmanian climate, we saw an original Wardian case and learned about the discovery of greenhouses. We also spent time talking about an amazing traditional style kitchen garden that is being revamped to meet today's eco-friendly ideas.


We rolled around in the grass and yes, even hugged some trees. 


Glorious!


And there was a school group there too, small groups of kids running around at full speed trying to find the answers they needed for their worksheets. One group ran up to the bridge in the Japanese Gardens and shouted back "It's not working" to his classmates in answer to some question or another. I thought to myself as they thundered past, 'well at least they're collaborating', but then another child shouted "Don't give them the answers! Miss ... said it's a competition"! 


As we were leaving, we saw this group of children lining up by that amazing wall I mentioned, the groups were taking turns in reporting back to their friends what they had learned. 
I couldn't help but giggle to myself when I wondered how many times they had to listen to their friends report "It's not working"?....No sweetheart...it isn't.


Honestly? Is this the best we, as educators, can come up with? What a waste for those kids!

MONA

There is an amazing new museum in Hobart called MONA. An eclectic collection of modern art and historical artefacts. We had a lovely morning at this museum today exploring. The calves had their own i-tour guides and showed me how to use them properly, including discovering an interactive map and managing to locate the games feature?
The museum is set in the centre of a small vineyard and has a brewery, a restaurant, cafe, gardens and hotel.
Fantastic! Love museums! Love wandering around them with the calves watching them take it all in.


Glad to say there were quite a few kids there.
There's something particularly brilliant about watching kids and modern art, especially the interactive kind. The elder calf notices all kinds of things I don't, she sees humour in exhibits and laughs aloud. She gets scared and expresses disgust when she feels it too. I enjoy watching her reactions.


So, MONA, we will definately be back and if you're ever in Hobart...

An Island in the Sea

Connection is important, isn't it?

Being connected... to the world...to your community...to your friends.
Leaving one home and moving half way across the world to another left me feeling disconnected. 
It would most people I imagine.

I expected to feel a homecoming, as though, instantly, I'd returned to where I belong.

But the feeling I get?

It's more like...familiarity...a fondness for times past.
Has Australia changed or have I?  
Maybe both.
I still love it here, it is beyond beautiful!
Especially here in Tasmania.

The rest will come with time I suppose.

But it has taught me something about Home Education. And about myself.
I crave the connection, the connection with others who see the world as I do. With others who value what I value.
It's hard when, in your social network, you are the only one who feels a certain way. You're an island in the sea. Especially when it's about something so important, your kids and their future for example.

The Home Ed. community is strong and supportive but hard to find at times. The  connections take time.
In my experience of travelling, one year is a good marker. It takes a year to estalish some friendships and find your way around. To feel at home.
I miss the connections of my Home Ed. group in HK more than I anticipated. I am sure I will find those connections again.
Whatever it is that motivates you, when you find others who share your passion it fills you up. Renews your energy, revitalises.

I am definately in need of some of that!




I will treat them tenderly and cherish them because I know their value.  

THEAC

Hoorah! We are finally back online..everything takes a little longer in Tasmania.

THEAC- Tasmanian Home Education Advisory Council...

As a Home Educating Expat you tend to fly under the raider of compulsory schooling laws and regulations. At least in HK that is usually the case. Moving home to Australia means attending to all those nasty regulations, for us it's for the first time.
So far, I'm pleased to report that the process has been relatively pain free, pleasant even!
We contacted THEAC around 6 months ago and informed them we were a home educating family, hell bent on not sending our children to school and began the process of 'registering'. We were informed of the requirements and sent a newsletter outlining a lot of the contacts and support groups available to us here.
Writing a two page outline of the how, why, when and what of our eclectic home ed. philosophy sounds like a straight forward task, honestly a two volume outline would have been easier! But we did it and now that we are here, have what's termed 'provisional registration'. A lady will pay us a 'monitoring visit' in two months time and see what the calves have been up to. As long as they're not locked in a cupboard when she arrives we should be good to go.
All going well, the next step is 'full registration' when she'll pat us on the back and say "see you in two years"....Sounds simple doesn't it.. only time will tell.