Chat time!
I've been somewhat distracted over the last couple of weeks. My 13 year old boy wants to go to college. After home-schooling for nearly four years, this will be a really big change for him. And me. However, after really thinking about it for a while myself, I think he needs to do it. If only to get an idea of why we've been home-schooling.
A couple of days back in the Dominion Post, I noticed an article on the numbers in various NCEA exams this year. The most popular subject was NCEA Level 1 English at almost 50,000 exam-goers, followed by Maths at around 45,000. The smallest exam subject was scholarship Latin. What frustrated me in reading that is the difficulty a pupil has in actually being able to study Latin as very few schools offer it. I've not been able to find one in the Wellington region.
So my 13yo, who has been studying Latin for a couple of years now, is unable to continue his studies by going to college. The closest language he can choose is French. That's just dismal. I'm trying not to worry about it, though.
UPDATE: I've started a more intense search looking for colleges in Wellington that might offer Latin. This time, I've had more success. So far, Wellington, Wellington East and Rongotai Colleges offer Latin starting from Year 9.
I've been somewhat distracted over the last couple of weeks. My 13 year old boy wants to go to college. After home-schooling for nearly four years, this will be a really big change for him. And me. However, after really thinking about it for a while myself, I think he needs to do it. If only to get an idea of why we've been home-schooling.
A couple of days back in the Dominion Post, I noticed an article on the numbers in various NCEA exams this year. The most popular subject was NCEA Level 1 English at almost 50,000 exam-goers, followed by Maths at around 45,000. The smallest exam subject was scholarship Latin. What frustrated me in reading that is the difficulty a pupil has in actually being able to study Latin as very few schools offer it. I've not been able to find one in the Wellington region.
So my 13yo, who has been studying Latin for a couple of years now, is unable to continue his studies by going to college. The closest language he can choose is French. That's just dismal. I'm trying not to worry about it, though.
UPDATE: I've started a more intense search looking for colleges in Wellington that might offer Latin. This time, I've had more success. So far, Wellington, Wellington East and Rongotai Colleges offer Latin starting from Year 9.
Good evening, Lucia Maria from the bush in Queensland.
ReplyDeleteVery hot, very sticky here and the galahs are making a racket as the sun goes down.
Hi KG,
ReplyDeleteAnd I bet you are enjoying every minute of it!
Good to hear from you.
We're absolutely loving it, Lucia M.
ReplyDeleteThe space, the wildlife and the heat are just wonderful. Right now we're busy ordering stuff from Cairns, before the Wet arrives because there'll be no deliveries of food etc for at least three months.
This is an enormous house--seven airconditioners and two storeys. Too much for the two of us really.
Seven air conditioners!?!?!
ReplyDeleteThough, I must admit, we are thinking of getting a second (and maybe a third) one. The kids' room especially is like a furnace at night.
It's still cool here at night, but the house heats up so much during the day that it then stores all the heat for hours at night.
So, is that your home for a while, then?
'Evening.
ReplyDeleteWell, we only run a couple of them. Mostly, the ceiling fans are enough.
ReplyDeleteWe expect to be here for twelve months but that could easily stretch into more. It partly depends on how the price of big (ish) boats holds up in NZ, since we want to come back and buy a launch to live on--probably out at Great Barrier.
Evening all.
ReplyDeleteBeen another busy week. Too week to blog.
Glad to hear you are stocking up on food. But how do you truck in three months of beer? 7 Beer fridges did you say?
Funnily enough, I'm watching Aussie TV right now - James May's Toy Stories on SBS is a couple of episodes ahead of TV3.
ReplyDeleteEvening, Zen.:)
ReplyDeleteWe're trucking in beer, for sure. It's ordered and on the way tomorrow. Two big fridges and a freezer, but the beer we'll stack in a spare bedroom and leave the aircon running full blast.
Priorities...
As for your opening comments Lucia, it's pretty common to have homeschooled kids wanting to go to school. Most I've heard of last about a week, though some actually like it and stick it out.
ReplyDeleteI should also like to comment on the irony of safely using power tools all morning then cutting one's finger opening a tin of sardines at lunch.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a delicious irony though, as the sardines weren't actually that tasty.
Hi Scrubone!
ReplyDeleteI think with my 13yo, unless it's really awful, he'll stick it out for a year at least. I'm of the "if you're going to do something, do it properly" way of thinking. I've tried to instil that in both of my kids.
I used to find it strange that when they were going to school, both of mine had the least number of absences.
Today we were at the shoe shop and the 13yo wanted to know if he could get black sports shoes for school, and was really disappointed to find out he had to wear big, heavy shoes with really thick soles that make him feel he's on stilts. Six months of those shoes, and he'll probably be ready to come back home.
Can you get hold of King Oscar brisling sardines, Scrubone? They're the real deal, real sardines, not pilchards in drag. Very tasty.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting too cold to sit in this room (the kitchen). I've got the air-con on full, the doors open all the way to the kids' room with the fan blowing all the hot air out of their room. I can't even turn the heater on, as that would defeat the whole purpose of what I'm trying to do. I'm going to have to retreat to a warmer area of the house, and check in wearing more clothes.
ReplyDeleteLooks like it's too cold for everyone else as well.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason people home school their kids is so they can brainwash them with their warped religious beliefs.
ReplyDeleteAre you a product of the public schooling system Faye, or do you blame your parents?
ReplyDelete