School Choices Part 2

Since this post a lot of things happened. Jimmy got properly diagnosed with Autism. We celebrated at a 

specific Indonesian Cafe that does plain noodles the exact way he likes them. 

Also, there was a pandemic. I kept a diary the whole time. I didn't post it here because everyone was going 

through the same thing and I thought it would be boring. I have some kind of plan to cross reference it 

against Dominic Cummings' select committee evidence and finally work out what the fuck was going on.

Like everyone else, I home schooled the kids. For Kirsty it was a nightmare. For Jimmy it was.....

his best life. 

We didn't send him back. 

So now I have one home educated kid and one kid in school. Its interesting. 

The thing about the Gaelic school that I didn't grasp at the time.  Everyone else is tutoring. 

The class is moving at the pace of a tutored child.

If you knew from the start that you planned to heavily tutor your kid that school would be a rational choice.

They won't be slowed down by the rest. Back in the early days someone described the Gaelic school as 

"like private school but for free". This must be what they meant. Because in other ways it's not very much

like private school at all. 

If you want to be a laid back, disorganised hippy Mum but then you also think "I'll send them to the high

performing school and they'll magically perform highly" then you are in for a shock.

Home Education is the opposite. If Jimmy is two or three years behind in Writing and Maths, well so

 what? If he has an undergraduate level knowledge of history- that's fine as well.

If he wants to spend all day geeking out on his "special interests" I let him. 

If he can only sustain 10 minute bursts of attention on anything else......10 minutes it is.

He'd have a hard time slotting himself back into school at this point, that's for sure. 

But what's the hard deadline for really knuckling down to structured study? Assuming that’s the aim? 

14 maybe, for the start of standard grades?


At the same time Kirsty's started coming home with the disappointing report cards and the school

 are expecting me to make her knuckle down. It's a demoralising bit of deja vue because, with Jimmy, 

those reports were the start of a slippery slope that led to us taking him out of school. 

 

Plus, now I've seen how much more laid back it’s possible to be and STILL have your kid learn I’m less 

inclined to play that game.

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