Our Schools

It's the first week of June and if the teacher strike continues I'm contemplating calling it quits for the year. Don't get me wrong. I support our teachers and our children but it's developing too much stress in our life. Here we are in June. The last month of school that equals chaos anyways while adding an extra day off a week. It is completely messing us up mentally. It's affecting our homeschooling and most importantly it's affecting all our children. This week one of our sons that already struggles within the public system has been removed from school. A mutual agreement between the Principle and I. He's not coping. June is exciting. Then adding the staggered missed days, our son's behaviours have escalated out of control. So before it gets any worse, today (June 6th) was his last day. Not only is it his last day, he will be my 7th child home schooled this coming September. Several of my children have been diagnosed with FASD. (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) For this son not only does he have FASD, he has ADHD. Our son is very endearing but he has a life long hidden neurological disability. He struggles with learning, attention, hyperactivity, he has difficulty sequencing, with memory, with understanding cause and effect, and has weak generalizing skills. Our son is disruptive, and has impulsive behaviours. For example - cutting a girls hair that sits next to him. Throwing rocks at windows. Plugging toilets with larger foreign objects. Urinating everywhere but the toilet. His innocent yet destructive ways are a daily occurrence. Currently he's in grade four. I've been contemplating for over a year now to home school him. I only home school when I know the public system isn't working and its not because it's the public school, it's because some of our children need more one on one, more attention and supervision that the public system lacks. Hence why there is a strike happening right now. I personally don't believe the public system will change drastically to accommodate children like mine that need extra attention. I just don't believe that much in our government. So home schooling is the answer. We are fortunate we have options. When we first started adopting, I distinctly remember our adoption worker asking what we thought about home schooling. At the time I responded, "If we have too" and that "have too" is 100% evident that some of our children succeed learning at home verses the public system. It's interesting for me because some of our children have graduated and do very well within our public system, and some of our children don't. So I don't really have a preference. I believe that our public teachers do an excellent job. They genuinely care for their children they teach. I love most of the teachers I am in contact with. I agree that there is over crowded classrooms, underpaid teachers, and there is not enough educational assistants. Special needs students and students that need extra learning support has risen. I know first hand that special needs children can be disruptive. Not only do they need to be included, they need that one on one supervision and support they're not getting in order to be included and be successful as a successful learning student. I feel sorry this week. The teachers at the public school didn't fail. My son with FASD didn't fail. Our government has. I know my child has special needs funding. I also know that within the public system his funding is spread throughout the school. I also know that his EA time has been limited allowing his behaviours to escalate. I know for a fact that it doesn't matter anymore......because I'm now taking over. I started homeschooling because my children aren't receiving what they need to succeed within the public system, and that's not the teachers fault. Alternative education is on the rise. I'm tired of trying to give consequences to my child/children that are struggling. I'm tired of picking my son up from school for his behaviours. I want him to know he's a good boy, and to learn with what he needs, one on one - in his own unique way to be positively feeling successful. That's why I have dedicated myself to home schooling. I will end this post saying, "I support our teachers, I support our students, I support our schools but I have to support my children that need home schooling because my faith isn't within our government" I need to go with my heart, my directions and it's with Regent, our home school. There was a time I followed man....I don't anymore. I follow that path I'm (we're) being lead on.........and it's in our own unique way.