A short while ago I read a post
over on Caffeine and Fairydust that stuck with me… really stuck with me.
Maz is one of the bloggers that
resonate with me on a soul level and I have a great deal of respect for her and
her writing.
The post was named sometimes it’s ok to quit and the line that resonated with me most of all was;
“Far
too many people are frightened of making a wrong decision; you want to be sure
you’re doing the right thing, but there is no way of knowing until you try.”
The funny thing is that I have heard
this line over and over again over the last few weeks, rephrased in a similar
manner by different people but the heart of the meaning has remained the same,
I have pushed it aside over and over seeing it as a fluke but I have realized that
these words needed to be taken as a form of encouragement… a sign if you will,
a sign to take a chance on an opportunity that has come about and one that I
feel will truly change my life as well as the lives of many if I and others are
just willing to take the chance.
Everyone who has followed my blog
will know how passionate I am about special needs and alternative education and
how deep of a root it has taken in my life and in my heart.
As all of my readers are well
aware I have 2 special needs children of my own and our journey has not been an
easy one, I have experienced the good and the bad… and the really bad and I have
found that education is probably the worst side of it all.
To find a school for a child with
learning barriers, special needs or social disorders is already so difficult,
our schools are terribly overcrowded and our children cannot access the
individual attention they need, most neuro typical children are struggling with
classes bordering on 40 kids and the numbers are growing every year.
Our schools cannot provide free
thinking or individualised education and many children fall victim to the
neglect of this system on a daily basis, there are private schools of course
but so many families can simply not afford private education and even private
education does not always meet the criteria needs of a higher functioning special needs child and
the few special needs schools available of which there are officially 2 government
schools have waiting lists of up to 2 years….
Thus I have spent the better of
the past year becoming more involved with the boys schooling and their school,
it has been a very informative journey I have learned so much and have met so
many incredible people, there have been many road blocks placed before us as
well and everything has lead up to a decision I and others have made which I am
so incredibly excited about.
In short my partners and I have
decided to open up a special needs school of our own.
All my life I have struggled to
find home so to speak, a dream or a journey I felt encompassed a dream and
passion I truly believed in and am willing to fight tooth and nail for… this is
it, I truly believe that every child regardless of their struggles, differences
and needs has a right to a proper education, one where they feel encouraged, acknowledged
and loved, one where they feel safe within their space and are able to achieve
their full potential based on their individual needs with people who truly care
and share this vision and I believe that I have found this.
It will not be easy, this much I
know, currently we are struggling to find our ideal premises within our area
that meets the needs of our children and our community, we are also in need of
help; volunteers and donations in order to procure that premises which at times
over the course of this decision that been a tad disheartening, but I know that
this is something I need to do for my own children as well as the many other
children who need this school and what it has to offer.
We have the love, we have the
drive, and we have the structure and base of where we have come from and where
we are going towards.
I would like to ask that if any
of my readers can share this post or knows of anyone who is willing to help
please ask them to reach out to me, we currently have 42 children who are being
taught under circumstances that are less than ideal who need us to make this
work and find them a new school to call home, because if you think about it
your child spends more time with their teachers and at school than they
generally do at home therefore our vision is create an extension of home for
these and other children.
I have created a Go Fund Me page
for anyone who is willing to help (our goal is small and attainable and will simply allow us the push start we so desperately need) or share the information but any help, volunteers
would be greatly appreciated and encouragement shall be welcomed with open arms and appreciation as well.
We are registered and have applied for registration as an NPO, we are also registered with a local CAPS correlated Curriculum.
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