I was stunned when I did an elementary school practicum in Canada (Vancouver area) for teaching (grade 4, age 9) and was working in a classroom with over 90% S. Asian kids... and was told by my sponsor teacher that the school had an unwritten rule NOT to give the kids any "homework" when they travelled to spend a month or so with extended family in India. The school wanted to actively discourage this... My opinion? I think that travel anywhere, even if spent watching television in another country(!), was something a child would learn more from than sitting in any classroom!
I routinely pulled my boys out of school for snow days (and later learned this is illegal here too), because it almost never snows and life is too short.
For the record though, British Columbia is an EXCELLENT place to homeschool as we have sections in our education act that allow you to do so without any curriculum or routine scrutiny. You can truly unschool! The Minister of Independent Schools can come and drop by to see what you're up to... fair enough! But to date, no family has EVER been found to be wanting. I was on the Board for the watchdog group to make certain no bad end ever comes of the sections (13 and 14). It is a gift. And the children I know who have gone through their learning years in this way have no issues with post-secondary or careers/jobs.
Hell yes, Alison! Experiences like yours convince me to raise the kids I one day hope to have in British Columbia. There are so many aspects of the culture and life I have in Spain I enjoy more, but when it comes to the flexibility of homeschooling and later integrating into the public school, I feel so damn fortunate to return to BC without a problem.
I only homeschooled my youngest, from grade 5 to completion, but wished I had my oldest, too--he was always bored out of his mind.
I too did "correspondence" as a kid in the 70s--grades 4, 8, and 9, before dropping out. Back then, one had to lie through the teeth...but my Christian parents (!) did that! I learned so much about self-direction and motivation, which as a writer has served me well.
Of course I have to click on this post immediately, haha! Well, I was actually surprised and then a little offended that homeschooling is illegal here in Germany (I heard they are reviewing this but to what extend I don't know). But it's ok for me at the moment because I do not have the capacity to homeschool, even if I want to. Kindergarten and Montessori schools seem to align with my principles at the moment, but as my kids get older this may need to be re-evaluated. I do wish we can take them out of school when we need to go home to Malaysia though, but I guess summer holidays will have to do for now.
"You can’t expect loyalty from people who betray themselves, and you won’t get peace from people who are at war internally. You are not in a relationship with someone’s potential but with the person in front of you. And finally, a soulmate is not always the person you’ll spend your life with, but a mirror that helps you discover something new in yourself"
-actually, you can..I mean loalty..but that depends on the kind of inner betrayal of course...
I tend to agree with peace part, yet others might disagree.
I completely agree withe the rest of the quote, I love all of it too, make no mistake-yet I think..isn't falling in love is akin to getting mghical glasses that allow you to see the person " каким он был задуман"? Sometimes they stay...
Fascinating, about schools-I always think to myself though "people go with scenarios when they're free to choose ..countries, schools, etc..." It's something that is so...there are times, places ,and circumstances that allow all that, but I think it's rare occurence...I'm really first generation in my immediate family who has a tiny bit of that...being able to go, well, somewhere. Choosing this school over that. etcetera. It's a different world for sure. Somewhere. Will it continue to exist? I hope it will...
Thank you! I like how you mention, “falling in love is akin to getting magical glasses that allow you to see the person.” Maybe it allows you to see through all the walls, traumas, and conditioning. It will enable you to see the person for who they are without all that. Unfortunately, all the layers that those rose-coloured glasses see past are still the reality in this world.
And yes, it’s also a privilege to be able to think about and choose where and how your kids get taught.
On the other hand, homeschooling can sometimes isolate children within fundamentalist religious views, which may be more accepted in the Americas than in Europe. This is one reason why some European governments want to lower the compulsory schooling age to four years old, particularly for immigrant children—not only to help them learn the local language earlier but also to reduce religious influence. Additionally, homeschooling may hinder the development of social skills especially for unique children. Not everybody has Captain Fantastic skills. (https://kdhx.org/articles/film-reviews/239-captain-fantastic-celebrates-noam-chomsky-day)
Haha, I love the Captain Fantastic reference. That is very true. And yes, in America, there is also the Christian fundamentalist side of homeschooling. Still, I believe in the Canadian system, where people have the flexibility to choose when to take their children in and out of school. In my case, it only furthered my education. And for families who struggle to get their kids to school, the system encourages students with all sorts of abilities and backgrounds to attend rather than punish them for not attending.
I know that In Belgium, there is compulsory education, not compulsory schooling. That's one of the reasons Elin chose Belgium. However, taking your kids out of school for a world trip must be rare because "no more than 29 half days unduly absent" once they are six or older. Maybe it's flexible depending on the relationship you have with the school and teacher? It's also good to know that there are some online options. https://www.groeipakket.be/en/benefits-groeipakket/school-supplement/Attendance-conditions
I was stunned when I did an elementary school practicum in Canada (Vancouver area) for teaching (grade 4, age 9) and was working in a classroom with over 90% S. Asian kids... and was told by my sponsor teacher that the school had an unwritten rule NOT to give the kids any "homework" when they travelled to spend a month or so with extended family in India. The school wanted to actively discourage this... My opinion? I think that travel anywhere, even if spent watching television in another country(!), was something a child would learn more from than sitting in any classroom!
I routinely pulled my boys out of school for snow days (and later learned this is illegal here too), because it almost never snows and life is too short.
For the record though, British Columbia is an EXCELLENT place to homeschool as we have sections in our education act that allow you to do so without any curriculum or routine scrutiny. You can truly unschool! The Minister of Independent Schools can come and drop by to see what you're up to... fair enough! But to date, no family has EVER been found to be wanting. I was on the Board for the watchdog group to make certain no bad end ever comes of the sections (13 and 14). It is a gift. And the children I know who have gone through their learning years in this way have no issues with post-secondary or careers/jobs.
Hell yes, Alison! Experiences like yours convince me to raise the kids I one day hope to have in British Columbia. There are so many aspects of the culture and life I have in Spain I enjoy more, but when it comes to the flexibility of homeschooling and later integrating into the public school, I feel so damn fortunate to return to BC without a problem.
I only homeschooled my youngest, from grade 5 to completion, but wished I had my oldest, too--he was always bored out of his mind.
I too did "correspondence" as a kid in the 70s--grades 4, 8, and 9, before dropping out. Back then, one had to lie through the teeth...but my Christian parents (!) did that! I learned so much about self-direction and motivation, which as a writer has served me well.
Of course I have to click on this post immediately, haha! Well, I was actually surprised and then a little offended that homeschooling is illegal here in Germany (I heard they are reviewing this but to what extend I don't know). But it's ok for me at the moment because I do not have the capacity to homeschool, even if I want to. Kindergarten and Montessori schools seem to align with my principles at the moment, but as my kids get older this may need to be re-evaluated. I do wish we can take them out of school when we need to go home to Malaysia though, but I guess summer holidays will have to do for now.
"You can’t expect loyalty from people who betray themselves, and you won’t get peace from people who are at war internally. You are not in a relationship with someone’s potential but with the person in front of you. And finally, a soulmate is not always the person you’ll spend your life with, but a mirror that helps you discover something new in yourself"
-actually, you can..I mean loalty..but that depends on the kind of inner betrayal of course...
I tend to agree with peace part, yet others might disagree.
I completely agree withe the rest of the quote, I love all of it too, make no mistake-yet I think..isn't falling in love is akin to getting mghical glasses that allow you to see the person " каким он был задуман"? Sometimes they stay...
Fascinating, about schools-I always think to myself though "people go with scenarios when they're free to choose ..countries, schools, etc..." It's something that is so...there are times, places ,and circumstances that allow all that, but I think it's rare occurence...I'm really first generation in my immediate family who has a tiny bit of that...being able to go, well, somewhere. Choosing this school over that. etcetera. It's a different world for sure. Somewhere. Will it continue to exist? I hope it will...
Thank you, Nolan-superiteresting as always
Thank you! I like how you mention, “falling in love is akin to getting magical glasses that allow you to see the person.” Maybe it allows you to see through all the walls, traumas, and conditioning. It will enable you to see the person for who they are without all that. Unfortunately, all the layers that those rose-coloured glasses see past are still the reality in this world.
And yes, it’s also a privilege to be able to think about and choose where and how your kids get taught.
On the other hand, homeschooling can sometimes isolate children within fundamentalist religious views, which may be more accepted in the Americas than in Europe. This is one reason why some European governments want to lower the compulsory schooling age to four years old, particularly for immigrant children—not only to help them learn the local language earlier but also to reduce religious influence. Additionally, homeschooling may hinder the development of social skills especially for unique children. Not everybody has Captain Fantastic skills. (https://kdhx.org/articles/film-reviews/239-captain-fantastic-celebrates-noam-chomsky-day)
Haha, I love the Captain Fantastic reference. That is very true. And yes, in America, there is also the Christian fundamentalist side of homeschooling. Still, I believe in the Canadian system, where people have the flexibility to choose when to take their children in and out of school. In my case, it only furthered my education. And for families who struggle to get their kids to school, the system encourages students with all sorts of abilities and backgrounds to attend rather than punish them for not attending.
I don’t know if the statement that in Europe children are not allowed to travel around during school age is correct. In Belgium if you inform the school that one wants to make a world trip then they will give you a special home school learning package with a teaching manual that you can take with you. In the Scandinavian countries remote online learning is developed to help families that live too far from school. Dat bestaat ook in Nederland: https://www.google.be/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwjQrOCWxsSHAxVfUJEFHRLROioYABAAGgJscg&ae=2&gclid=CjwKCAjwko21BhAPEiwAwfaQCFOcOsYHcIt2jkAMTMVaY56Wyxz0UyJKZ1jptV9NZC0HbUVD9H0g8BoCBukQAvD_BwE&sig=AOD64_32UhoW28_IcrIi47m21SwynQE4Dg&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwjk1deWxsSHAxUsERAIHQz2DJAQ0Qx6BAgNEAE
https://eurekaleuven.be/product/jaarpakket/amp/
https://icha.be/lespakketten/
https://www.vlaanderen.be/huisonderwijs-voor-leerplichtige-kinderen
I know that In Belgium, there is compulsory education, not compulsory schooling. That's one of the reasons Elin chose Belgium. However, taking your kids out of school for a world trip must be rare because "no more than 29 half days unduly absent" once they are six or older. Maybe it's flexible depending on the relationship you have with the school and teacher? It's also good to know that there are some online options. https://www.groeipakket.be/en/benefits-groeipakket/school-supplement/Attendance-conditions
And yet it is allowed if you fulfill the conditions of giving home education: https://www.durvenspringen.be/leren-op-reis/
Okay! That’s good to know.