I just want to give a quick update of what we have been up to since February.
We hit a very difficult time in homeschooling at the beginning of the year, to the extent that we considered the option of putting Tiger into school and me going back to work. We went through the motion to find Tiger a place at a private school (after the sitting the usual entrance tests).
The process of admission to a good private school with excellent academic results is another post altogether, but because we made our decision at the last minute, we missed the usual application deadlines so it was all a bit of a rush to secure him a place as the school told us it was fully subscribed, and that there was no place for him. Nonetheless, they had him take the entrance exam, giving us a day's notice, so there was no time to prepare. It was just as well since Tiger would not be persuaded to prepare for tests anyway. So, without any expectation or preparation, he took the tests the next day and the school secretary called me that same afternoon to offer him a place. As a result, since September, the boy has been attending a small private school near where we live.
Why a private school? The main reason is physical safety. I am not joking. The state schools around here are quite rough, and I have very little comfort that the environment is one that is condusive to studying.
Do I think that private schools provide a better education? I would say that depends on what the yardstick of comparison is. If compared to state schools, maybe so; but I personally think home education trumps private school education on all fronts, if it were done properly, of course.
For those who are interested or curious, there is an attempt to demystify the difference between a private education (where only 7% of the UK population attends) and a state education:
So what am I doing now that Tiger is at school? Most days I spend 12 hours in the shark pool, which resembles this:
Life takes on unexpected turns.
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all!
We hit a very difficult time in homeschooling at the beginning of the year, to the extent that we considered the option of putting Tiger into school and me going back to work. We went through the motion to find Tiger a place at a private school (after the sitting the usual entrance tests).
The process of admission to a good private school with excellent academic results is another post altogether, but because we made our decision at the last minute, we missed the usual application deadlines so it was all a bit of a rush to secure him a place as the school told us it was fully subscribed, and that there was no place for him. Nonetheless, they had him take the entrance exam, giving us a day's notice, so there was no time to prepare. It was just as well since Tiger would not be persuaded to prepare for tests anyway. So, without any expectation or preparation, he took the tests the next day and the school secretary called me that same afternoon to offer him a place. As a result, since September, the boy has been attending a small private school near where we live.
Why a private school? The main reason is physical safety. I am not joking. The state schools around here are quite rough, and I have very little comfort that the environment is one that is condusive to studying.
Do I think that private schools provide a better education? I would say that depends on what the yardstick of comparison is. If compared to state schools, maybe so; but I personally think home education trumps private school education on all fronts, if it were done properly, of course.
For those who are interested or curious, there is an attempt to demystify the difference between a private education (where only 7% of the UK population attends) and a state education:
So what am I doing now that Tiger is at school? Most days I spend 12 hours in the shark pool, which resembles this:
Life takes on unexpected turns.
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all!
