This photo would have been taken during Andrew’s final year at school.
At the end of this year we made the decision to take both of our boys out of school and begin our home school adventure.
Most people don’t seem to like photos of themselves but I love this shot. I don’t remember who took it for me but I’m grateful. As you can see on the blackboard there was a good-bye party for two of the children and because I knew all the kids in Andrew’s class I got an invitation.
I love the look on my son’s face.
It’s late in the 1980s and my hair and beard are threatening to take over, I’m wearing my goofy smile, haming it up for the camera, and I don’t care.
Photographers rarely make it into the shot, goofy or otherwise.
Andrew’s teacher that year was brilliant, so was Matt’s for that matter. The school was good without being great but there was still something wrong.
An entire year of Andrew’s schooling could be messed up by circumstances. He lost his first year at school because his teacher left after two weeks leaving a novice teacher in charge of a double classroom of preps. I turned up everyday for nearly two months and helped this young woman teach until they finally got a replacement!
I’m not sure that I got a thank you.
Two years later his teacher did not show up on the first day. This would have been Andrew’s first male teacher but instead he got the local emergency teacher who was very close to being invisible.
Matt on the other hand had a dream run.
I remember both of my son’s teachers trying to talk me out of home schooling. My answer to them was,“Can you guarantee that my son will have you or someone as good as you next year?”
They could not and we had had enough of ‘classroom teacher roulette’.
Of course, this was only one of many reasons for our decision but it is the one that is related to this photo.
SCHOOME 