I thought I would start a new thread, because this is surprising to me. This is UK, but might be of interest to people elsewhere as well.
The law in the UK says that children must be educated full time, and that responsibility for ensuring that this education happens rests with the parent(s), and that they delegate to the LEA, but remain the ones in charge.
It does
not say that children have to go to school, but specifically allows for education 'otherwise'. There is no necessity for 'otherwise' education to follow the national curriculum, to take exams or to include any specific content. That is up to the parent concerned, taking into consideration the needs and aptitude of the child.
This point has been challenged in court, and the clarification we have to date is that education means something like preparation for a full adult life, and that what that actually means will vary depending on the child. It does not need a timetable, or set hours, or to follow what happens in school.
One attractive feature of this is that, for example, I could choose the route of International Baccalaureate for C, rather than A levels.
I went to discuss this option with Nmum and dad yesterday.
Mum sat and glowered and said nothing (passive aggression). Dad expressed her rage as well as he could, which is not very well in a family where anger is suppressed up to and beyond boiling point. But he was angry. He said, how can you get an education if you don't go to school, and what about exams. So I said you take exams, by entering for them. In fact you can take them early, a few at a time, instead of ten squashed together in two years. And you get an education by learning.
So, they are not happy. Dad told me sternly to think about it very carefully before making a (wrong!!) decision. Duh!!!!!!! My dad thinks experts are always right, and that I am supremely arrogant, because sometimes I think I know better than the experts, when of course, I can't possibly, because I have no brain.
So from this point of view, what I am suggesting is irresponsible to the point of insanity. I would not be surprised if he discusses it with my brothers, they agree, and they decide I am an unfit mother as a result. I wonder if they would try anything else?
Probably not. Just lots of pressure, because they are used to me doing as I am told.
I agreed with Das as much as I could about generalities, and in fact no decision has been made. But I think it might actually prove to be a very liberating experience for both C and me. She was reading Oscar Wilde plays at 10 years old. Not all of them, but a couple. When she told the school teachers they were not able to accommodate that level of learning into the class. As I read somewhere in the EO literature, sending a bright child to school is rather like waking a sleeping person to give them a sleeping tablet. And if the experience of school is negative, as ours has increasingly been for several years now, it can in itself be positively harmful.
So, this was all a surprise to me, to be honest. No need for expensive tutors, no need for expensive books or slavish adherence to the curriculum. Just; 'There is the world; C, go explore'.
Haven't told Nbrothers yet. Perhaps I won't bother. Dad will do that for me, no doubt. I will wait and see how long it takes. Meanwhile, C and I are planning a trip to the circus tonight.
