Today I accompanied Rhiannon to a college interview. She wants to do a First Diploma in Art and design which is equivalent to 4 GCSE's - nothing earthshattering, but she wants to pursue a career in art and design and having been mostly self taught in her art, she wanted to start with a basic course to "fill in" gaps in her knowledge and experience before progressing to more advanced courses.
The interviewer clearly did not get home education. She couldn't understand why she was only doing 2 GCSE's (the requirement for the course). Why didn't she have any predicted grades for her GCSE's? Why didn't her Biology exam include a practical? Why wasn't she doing art GCSE? Why was she home educated anyway? Does she have any friends? I think she thought that there must be something "wrong" with Rhiannon and at the very least, I must be a bit of a weirdo or certainly irresponsible.
I fumed all the way home.
I was left feeling angry and frustrated at her blinkered views - almost felt like saying "you can keep your course then if you are going to be so prejudiced!" It also left me feeling full of doubt about my decision to home educate......have I let her down? I hope not.
But Rhiannon is determined to forge on ahead and prove her prejudices wrong.
A couple of A*'s at IGCSE wouldn't go amiss, but that would be administering pressure on Rhiannon just to make me feel better. At the end of the day, when you home educate it has to be about the child and not your own ideas and aspirations, nor your own sense of comfort.
She has a "conditional offer" for a place on the course, providing she acquires 2 "D's" in her exams! I can only assume she is likening Rhiannon to a schooled child who only takes 2 GCSE's.
