The feeling upon learning that you’re missing half a term of school…..
Two minutes later, the feeling upon learning that your parents will be doing some home-schooling:
As you were.
In simple terms our two girls are missing half a term. How can they do this? Well, and I realise this is a pretty sensitive subject in the UK, they are in the fee-paying sector. This means the school can act in the child’s best interest without recourse to all the (no doubt well-intentioned) red tape which Government funded schools are bound by. I know nothing about how state schools handle sabbatical request so I won’t comment – talk to your teacher / Head would be the obvious next step.
So their school was supportive and is supportive and for that we are very grateful.
The truth is that at 7 and 9 years old, this is the time to take a break. No big exams this year or next year and plenty of life ahead to get very serious and bogged down in the UK academic system.
Their teachers have been refreshingly on-side, subscribing to the “they’re going to learn a lot while being away and that will be good for them” philosophy.
We are going to be doing some home schooling. Wish us luck, particularly given that not even my biggest (only?) fan could call me patient. I am very aware of my many faults and a nasty streak of impatience runs through me like the Thames through London.
For the 7 year old it is mainly keeping a diary, doing lots of writing and then playing around with concepts of money and telling the time. So we’ve outsourced both logistics and finance to our youngest. We may be late, broke and hungry but at least she’ll be learning…
For the 9 year old there is more work. At the time of writing I’m not quite sure what, but there will be lots of English comprehensions, maths and reading. More detail TBC.
Travels with my Family 