Saturday 4 June 2011

Homeschooling triplets?

There has been a bulge of incomers to this blog thanks to a mention over here.

Mired to the armpits with the experience of the last eleven years, I felt I had something to say, so added to that discussion in the appropriate box. My amazing observations never made the light of day. No comment.

Anyway, I doubt I will gain many American admirers. A few moments scanning the archives here on grit's day and people can tell what's what. My parenting celebrates everything that goes wrong and my almost non-existent teaching would merit an exam failure.

It's not as if I can shield myself from critical scrutiny with a vision from the Lord, either. It all too soon becomes embarrassingly clear that we home educate triplets for all the wrong and faithless reasons.

Um, like I never had a frame of mind to don my Mother Superior outfit and spring out of bed at 6.15am everyday to pack three lunch bags in accordance with school regulations. The experience of teaching had also left its practical, pedagogical, and philosophical scars. The immediate future of my own was clear enough to me: education should mean take young kids to the woods and give them a challenge with mud and stick.

And Dig? How do I put this? Imagine that class thing, which we English can't talk about, but it is there, like an undercurrent of threat.

Not saying anything, but let's pretend that a lower-middle class, government-paid, holidays-in-Majorca kind of mumsy female teacher of four-year olds unwisely adopts an expression of I know best to discuss school policy on home work with an independent, upper-middle class, globally-travelled, professional male scholar with wide experience in international education.

To add to her lecture about the school's responsibilities before bedtime (which properly should be at 6.30pm) let's imagine how she presses upon him a copy of Pat the Fat Cat and tells him with her moral face that doing what the school tells him to will make everyone's life straightforward until his daughters are ejected from the local comprehensive at age 16. Let's also pretend that to diffuse a slightly awkward pause she finally jumps in with, Is he following X-Factor, because it's fantastic telly!

None of it quite fits, does it?

Then heigh ho, the triplets never went to school. I could indulge myself alternatively lolling around in bed and weeping in woods being bashed with sticks and pelted with mud while Dig could go about the world safe from primary school teachers telling him what to do.

Now, as any reader can see, yes, of course homeschooling triplets is possible.

Unfortunately you would have to follow the blog to know if every day it's desirable.

8 comments:

kelly said...

Made me smile, which after the day I have had is a HUGE achievement.

Deb said...

Dearest Grit, anyone who comes here and decides against visiting daily is the sort of humorless sad sack we should all pity.

And I did find your comment! Number 80, near the bottom.

sharon said...

Just reading about the Grit method of schooling is alternately awe-inspiring, terrifying, hilarious but always educational! Speaking personally I have learnt so much in the years I have been following your activities. The benefit to the now-not-so-little gritlets is incalculable.

I ploughed through the comments on the linked article - my they certainly are a mixed bunch over there, just like the rest of us eh!

R. Molder said...

I remain a loyal American follower :)

Grit said...

xkisskissx

RuralDiversity said...

had to laugh at the scene of primary school teacher meets academic...I can tell you from experience that it ain't always a pretty sight.

RuralDiversity said...

oh, by the way, I used to comment here as Ladybirdcook! :-)

Grit said...

hi ruraldiversity! we like your tomato campaigns.