Recently I was asked by someone if I would answer some questions for their blog site so I thought I would put up the answers on here too. Hopefully this will give you a better picture of who I actually am.
1. Can you please tell us something about yourself?
My name is Deborah Joy Drapper. I love my name. Deborah Joy means ‘ joyful bee’ and I consider myself to be a happy, hard working, sweet girl, but with a sting in my tail!!
I was born in Essex, the 4th child in a family of 11 children. I have 3 sisters and 7 brothers ranging from 22yrs to 2yrs old. Seven years ago we moved down to Dorset where we live in a farmhouse, over a mile away from the nearest bus stop. We have several pets including 2 goats and 17 hens, so have our own milk and eggs, and I love to get out into the fresh air and help out.
I love pink and my room is full of pink things from my quilt cover and rug, to my fluffy pink pen and note book. I even have a pink tool bag full of pink screwdrivers and hammers!!!
I am home educated and my parents give me every opportunity to reach my full potential. I enjoy science, speech, and maths best, but also study a whole range of subjects including British Sign Language, agriculture, food hygiene, and lots more. I love it! I get up in the morning and can ‘go to school’ in my slippers!! I can wonder off into the fields, or run, or play in the trees to let off steam, but I can sit quietly at my desk in my own bedroom and study, research, and read.
Each year the Local Education Authority have to come round and ‘inspect’ our work. This is a section of the inspectors report last year,
“I feel it is worth emphasising how innovative, imaginative and successful Mr & Mrs Drapper are in their thoughts and planning to create a highly stimulating Christian learning environment. The atmosphere is one where their children can progress well, maintain their natural curiosity, willingness to learn and care for one another… Their ideas for topics and projects is quite remarkable.”
For two years in a row we have made it to the regional finals of the school’s ‘Make Your Mark Challenge’. Not bad considering we were supposed to be a team of 16 year olds and our youngest team member was 8!! That year we came second in the whole South West!!
I am as happy dressed up in my smart jacket and blouse as I am in my army boots crawling through the muddy stream we call ‘The Amazon,’ and each summer Joel, Kirsty and myself pack up our rucksacks and march off into the hills where we camp for a few days, cooking over an open fire, sleeping rough, and just ‘hang out’. I go to the local St John Ambulance Cadets where I learn First Aid and I have helped out at several public events.
My mum and dad are my mentors, my supporters, and my friends. We chat for hours, and get excited together, about plans and ideas, and if any one of us needs help we all share together the problems and find solutions. I think I have learned my strength of character from my dad and my love and passion from my mum.
My sister Kirsty, who wants to be a hair stylist and beautician, spends hours styling my hair and we have a great laugh dressing up. Then I have loads of email friends around the globe and I would happily chat to, and I get on with anyone whether a 90 year old or a 9 month old.
Most importantly I am a Bible believing Christian, which in the UK now-a-days is quite a rare thing.
