Six weeks into our "de-schooling" experiment, we heard the words every parent dreads, but we were secretly desperate to hear: "I'm bored."
The Desire to Learn (and the Fear of the Void)
Ash was hinting at wanting to do some learning. It was a huge relief. We agreed on some non-negotiables immediately: English and Maths had to stay. With her dyslexia, we couldn't let the basics slide, and we knew the Local Authority would eventually want to see progress in these core areas.
But when we asked, "What else do you want to learn?", we were met with a blank stare. The freedom to carve her own path wasn't exciting; it was paralyzing. She was still recovering from a system that told her exactly what to do every hour of the day.
The Anxiety of "Not Knowing"
We quickly realized that while Ash hated the sensory overload of school, she loved the certainty of it. As an autistic child, the "unknown" is a scary place. Waking up without knowing what lay ahead was causing her anxiety levels to creep back up.
She told us she missed the school's timetable app. She missed knowing exactly what was expected of her.
The Genesis of an Idea
I’m a web developer by trade. I work full-time, so I can't be the day-to-day teacher, but as I listened to Ash, I realized I could contribute in a different way. The problem wasn't the work; the problem was the visibility of the work.
I looked at Claire, my wife. As someone who is likely undiagnosed autistic herself, she was also struggling with the lack of order. The thought of "winging it" every day was causing her massive stress.
So, a plan formed. I decided to build something.
- For Ash: I would recreate that sense of certainty she missed. A simple web app on her phone where she could see, at a glance, what the day held.
- For Claire: It would provide a structure to hang the day on, reducing the mental load of having to invent a routine every morning.
- For Me: It was a way to help my family using the skills I actually have.
"We didn't need a rigid school bell. We needed a visual rhythm. And I thought I could code it."
I opened my laptop that night. I wasn't trying to build a business; I was just trying to build a life raft for my wife and daughter. The first version of the timetable was about to be born.
