Angelicscalliwags Catch Up and Plans for Next Year: Thomas

Thomas has an incredibly busy summer ahead of him as he prepares for his final year in our little home school.  He will be working on the tech team for this year’s church holiday week at the end of July.  The beginning of August he is working as a trainee teacher in Manna summer school (this is the Christian drama group we are involved in), and he will be playing in the worship band on the last day, which he and Noah have been preparing for, with Gary’s help, for weeks now.  The day after that he and his sisters will be heading for Soul Survivor, a Christian week-long youth event.

In September Thomas will be applying to attend a well-known music academy to study Music Production.  If he gets in it will open up a huge number of doors for his future.  He has already been to an open evening and both he and Gary were so impressed by the academy’s professionalism, enthusiasm and just how much they seem to care about their students.

The minimum academic requirement is five IGCSEs/GCSEs or equivalent Level 2 qualification.  Thomas has already sat two (Physics and Chemistry) and is half way through another two (Engineering and Maths).  So next year will involve finishing of his Level Two BTEC in Engineering, taking his Maths IGCSE and beginning English and Biology IGCSE.  That will give him six which allows him to keep other options open should he not get in to the Music Academy.

He will continue his Engineering at the local college, and Maths using Conquer Maths.  I will be taking him through his English and we have bought in a Biology course from Wolsey Hall.  We are SO impressed with Wolsey Hall.  Their courses are so much better set out than any other home school IGCSE provider, and their courses are so in-depth.  Whilst Thomas isn’t exactly excited to be taking Biology, he is enjoying the course thus far 🙂

Thomas will continue working with the tech team at church, alongside a Music Technology course.  He also plays Bass in the worship band.  He is now being asked to help out more and more at church events and private events, sorting out audio-visual stuff.  He works alongside one of his best friends, helping to lead worship for the dance group the girls are all involved in.  The same group who run the dance, also run a Christian drama group.  All four girls attend this and Thomas is a trainee teacher there.  He also does sound for their performances, so is deeply involved.  He will also be kept busy as one of the few boy singers in the Youth Choir, his job on a Saturday morning at the local bakery and his volunteer work with the local adults with learning difficulties group.

I will be trying to back off and encourage a bit more independence in terms of the day-to-day running of his life, but will still meet with him once a week to set goals together.  As this is his last year in home school he has a couple of non-academic requirements to attain before he graduates.  The first is that he reads the Bible once the whole way through, and the second is he learns to shop for and cook from scratch at least five different breakfast foods, five different snacks, and seven main meals.  He and Gary will also be working in the garden and on the shed each Saturday for a short time, with the view of Gary passing on basic handy man and gardening skills to Thomas.

It is a bittersweet time as I watch my eldest child and only son begin his journey in this world.  I am excited for him.  I see an incredible young man with huge potential and the ability to achieve all his dreams for his life.  Home school has been the perfect start to his life, and we all have absolute faith that this was the best choice for him.  He is a passionate, mature, responsible young man who we are very proud to call our son <3