I recall when I 1st left school, my mom and dad telling me what a great teacher I would make. Well, for someone who had aspirations to drive a Ferrari by 30 (seriously), that went down like a lead balloon! Coupled with this, was the fact that my experience of school on the whole, in particular my grade 11 & 12 years, were tumultuous / rebellious (to say the least). Frankly, I was dramatically underdeveloped emotionally and socially, and this did me no favours in my interactions with my teachers in particular. Accordingly, the thought of following in the footsteps of my very nemeses, seemed totally absurd!
Isn't it interesting then, that 25 years later, I would be planning that the 2nd half of my life (after 40) begin with starting a school, and becoming a headmaster (somma at the same time!). How this has all come to pass is a story in itself, but needless to say, I am very confident that were it not for Jesus' dramatic intervention in my early 20's, I might well have realized my childhood dream of driving a Ferrari... but also being killed in one!
However, grace and providence prevailed, and with it, my great love of children and education. And so it was with the advent of our 2 eldest sons becoming school going age (approx 5 years ago), that we were forced to answer the scary question every South African parent must ask...
What are my kids educational options?
Sadly, this question has already been answered for the absolute majority (95%) of our country's learners, by a government education system which according to News24, was ranked second-last in the world (75 out of a total of 76 countries) in 2020.
Accordingly, for those like us, without the means (but with the networks, support and capacity), homeschooling seemed to be the next best and logical alternative. And so homeschool we did for 5 years (which Dannean has previously posted about), and in the process accumulated much insight into an often misunderstood, and sometimes overly glamourized, schooling solution. And then, when the means became available (through a family educational trust disbursement), we decided to give private schooling a go too, and see how the benefits stacked up against the costs, and what we already knew.
That was 2 years ago, and yet once again we find ourselves being forced to ask a similar question to the one we did at the outset (7 years ago)...
Are these still my kids only educational options?
Well, today I am very happy to help both you and I, answer that question a little differently. Because now there is another option that I sincerely hope and believe, could change the face of the South African private schooling landscape forever (reference graph below). And so, instead of founding another private school to compete with (and offer exactly what) all other private schools already do, I'm going to start (with the support of our local community) a Future School!
Eduship has not been founded as an independent (from Government curriculum and funding) school, but rather as a Future School...
- private school barriers,
- government school incompetencies,
- and homeschooling limitations,
- inspiration,
- innovation,
- and liberation.
Sound like a pipedream?
Well, only time will tell, but for those residents living and schooling in the south of Johannesburg, who (like us) seem to have run out of (Grade 3 - 12) educational options, think again...
