Category: reflection

Careful what you wish for


I have been foolishly prancing around saying I lack stress in my life and I can’t seem to function as well without it. Well today was frantically busy. I got an extra and an emergency yard duty. I had already filled my day with commitments and our interim reports due tomorrow the world went a bit pear shaped today.
On my extra yard duty I took this accidental photo of myself with my mobile. It is an apt self portrait of today and I am impressed with how white my teeth look, particularly since I smoke and drink a lot of coffee.
I have also been reading a lot and learning a lot at present. I have been thinking about homeschooling. This was initially prompted by one of my work mates whose children are home schooled by his wife. Then I read some articles today. If you were interested you could read about it on my work blog. Here I want to write ‘my story’ about it.
When my kids were at Harkaway Primary School, a school I absolutely loved by the way, I decided to go back and do a Dip Ed so I could be a secondary teacher. I was doing all kinds of different work at the time and I wanted to get serious about a career that would work for my most important priority, which is being a mum, and a single one at that time. Anyway a treasured friend, Rene and I often discussed that we could home school our kids when they got to secondary school and that idea seriously appealed to me. When I did my teaching rounds I felt it was the only sane alternative, as sending the kids to a secondary school seemed too frightening.
The bottom line is that a lot changed in my life between then and when my kids started secondary school. We moved back to Traralgon for a start and the kids really didn’t want to be home schooled. They were social beings and wanted to remain with their friends. I am sure there are times when they have hated school and I still don’t know if school is what is best for them but it is convenient. I really think homeschooling is the best education you can give your child to be honest. I have often wished I had been able to afford to stay home and educate my kids. I believe they would have enjoyed their education more.

Andy’s little clip

I love a little movie Andy made about riding him and Ella to Blonde Bay and Waddy’s track. It is really cute. It was on revver but I have taken it off.
Today I watched ‘O Brother Where Art Thou’ with one of my classes. I love that movie. It’s great. The opening song ‘Big Rock Candy Mountain’ is an old American folk song by Anonymous. I love those lyrics. They are so childlike and cute, yet filled with adult longings. We have been reading the book ‘Out of the Dust’ by Karen Hesse in that class and I have totally enjoyed it all. I hope the kids have enjoyed it half as much as I have. It is another repetition for me of both texts and has deepened by appreciation immensely.

Motorbike Ride

Today I went on the back of the bike with Andy. I haven’t been on the back with Andy before. It was a thrill for me. We went to the supermarket. My exciting trip to Safeway!
I have only ever been on the back of a motorbike twice before. The first time was with my friend Steve, and he was trying to scare me and he did. I am ashamed to say I lost my moccasins that’s how scary it was. Yes, it is the part about wearing moccasins that shames me. My next ride was around Berwick with my friend John. That ride was at night and it was to the shop, around the block. It was a big bike and I trusted John. It was probably about 20 years later.
Anyway today was only a little ride, but it was fun. Andy’s bike is a dirt/road bike so it is smaller and bouncier. I enjoyed it. I was walking around the supermarket with a big grin on my face. I am pretty scared of motorbikes though. I just didn’t think too much about it today.