Hey Blog! It’s the beginning of the year (well, a little later than I planned – resolution no. 1, must get organised, is not fully working yet!), so I think I’ll give you a post on what I’m anticipating and looking forward to in this new year of 2026!
In October, specifically on the 14th, it will be five years since I started Home Ed in a Shed. The blog began as a diary of home education and my other activities, and was begun to coincide with the start of “secondary” education. This period will be ending on the 26th of June, and I am considering resolving the weekly (or, more recently, sporadic) posts at this point. Therefore, I plan to make this term count!
Top things on my list of this year – EXAMS. A bit like marmite, for most people – for me, both sides in one. I both love them and hate them, or rather, hate the amount of time and effort that needs to go into studying for them, especially the essays. You’d think that writing the blog has helped me get better at essays – it has in some ways, but not in the way the examiners want. And I can’t write as fast as I can type – let alone think – making it hard for my brain to keep to one cohesive line of thought. However, in recent days I have seen a marked improvement in my English essay writing, so I’m hopeful it will be at top form by the time of the exams. And yes, I am taking six separate subjects, which is more than double that in exams and therefore trips to Birmingham for the exam centre. The only problem with this is I will be too old for the free Premier Inn breakfasts by this time, so what I’m going to do when we stay overnight there I don’t know!
Other activities: Sailing week in April, the same one as I’ve been on before but this time I have Competent Crew so will be able to take on some more tasks. Should be fantastic, but…
Immediately afterwards (and I mean on the same day – off the boat at lunchtime and get straight on a train to arrive in time for the evening) is my Silver DofE practice expedition, in advance of the qualifying expedition in August! There are eight of us going in two groups (because it’s maximum five in a group), so for some reason we decided to be the Fellowship of the Ring and walk to Mordor for our expedition challenge. Mad, I know.
The usual Scouting, archaeology, wildlife, history, etc.
After the exams – this is like saying “after you’ve escaped the labyrinth,” as at the moment I can’t see even one week ahead, let alone after I’ve got through. And the minotaur (read: exams themselves) is waiting at the entrance. But, if we follow this storyline, there are a whole load of other monsters waiting after I’ve come out, which would equate to the choices due to be made once I have a little bit more time. Particularly on my future.
Interlude here: I have noticed, there is all sorts of advice and support for people going through every difficult time in one’s life, except the one I’m at right now. There are prenatal groups, and postnatal groups, and people at the hospital to help with having a baby; there are marriage counselling and divorce counselling, and relationship advice everywhere you look online, even if you don’t look; there are people to help you choose your job/pressure you into accepting their offers of a job, there are people to persuade you to leave your job and give you support in financial difficulties; there are mid-life crisis centres and later-life crisis centres and near-death experiences to help with when you are actually more likely to die; the only thing there doesn’t seem to be any advice on is what to do when you’ve finished standard education and have no clue what to do next. You think a job is probably a good idea, learning more about the world is essential, friendships are more vital than anything (predominantly to stop you from going insane), but you want to relax and not need to do anything for a bit and perhaps devote yourself to deciding your future in a calmer manner. Oh, and you need to pay for staying alive, your parents, while they love you very much, also want to get you out of the house so they can have some peace for the first time in the better part of two decades, and you have no clue what to start doing. Let’s call it a young-life crisis. That is an accurate depiction of what is going on in my head, veiled behind any other thoughts, but there constantly this year.
Right, rant over. The decision I need to make is, quite simply, whether I should start looking for some kind of apprenticeship immediately, or go for my version of a gap year, and doing my own version of community voluntary service, taking some longer holidays, doing some volunteering, maybe getting a few contacts in my fields of interest, getting some more experience, exercise, expeditions, expect expedient explosive exploration but ideally not expiring. Gosh, what a lot of alliteration. This year of other learning would, I hope, provide some information to use in my future. The question remains, how to fund this – especially when I need to raise several thousand for the Jamboree – and what can I do in the local area – as, again, to remain on the list for the unit, I have to remain resident in Derbyshire. So, I have a choice to make.
I hope I make the right decision, and in time. Apparently, you only regret the things you didn’t do. So I’m off to do some things now. See you all soon.