Saturday, April 16, 2016
Sunday, January 10, 2016
My Thoughts on UK Education
We have a few months of school under our belts now, so I feel somewhat prepared to offer up my opinions on the educational system here. There have been moments when, in a fit of fury, I have been ready to tear into all the frustrating differences that we have experienced. But, gratefully, I now feel calm enough to highlight the good and not so good, compared to what I've experienced and expected in the U.S. Obviously this is all very subjective. I'm focused mostly on Luke's school which is a public school for Years 3-6.
The Good:
- The curriculum is challenging and sophisticated. Luke had to skip a grade because of his age (more on that later) so I've only ever experienced U.S. kindergarten curriculum before now. I'm not sure what the average 2nd grader is studying in the United States. But I have been impressed by the curriculum studied and the thoughtful activities at Luke's school. Each half-term he has a "term project" which is related to some topic that they are focusing on during that term. For Sept/Oct it was world religions. For Nov/Dec they are studying Ancient Egypt. At first I thought this was going to be a little above his head and to some degree it is. But after being introduced to these topics, I have been surprised how often Luke has brought them up outside of class. We have been able to have some good teaching moments at home and I feel like delving into some of these topics has really expanded his mind. I often felt in U.S kindergarten that while I loved Luke's teacher, she was bound to a curriculum that was a bit boring and highly regimented. When I volunteered in the classroom I always felt like what I was doing was aimed at the slowest kid in the class and the kids who could do more were completely uninterested. Keep in mind that in the UK, I technically have one of the "slower" kids in the class since Luke was not well prepared to enter this grade. But they have still managed to involve him and he is able to keep up to some degree. I just wish I could volunteer in the classroom to figure out what their secret is.
Along this same line, here is a small example of some of the things that the kids in his grade have been able to participate in so far this year:
-Swimming (they have a small indoor pool and go swimming once a week for PE)
-Italian (once a week he has an Italian lesson. I hear at the end of the year they cook an Italian meal in the kitchen)
-Create animations using the program Scratch
-Run in a cross country race at Regents Park
-Attend a tour of the Houses of Parliament and learn how the government is organized
I'm sure there is a lot more but I only get a glimpse here and there (spoiler alert: this is one of the bad things)
-Fieldtrips! It is much more affordable and convenient to get the kids learning outside the classroom in London. All kids ride free on public transport so there is no need to rent a bus for the day. Personally, I would have a brain hemorrhage if I had to supervise 30 kids getting on and off a train, but saintly teachers and staff manage to keep track of everyone and take advantage of some excellent free (or almost free) museums and landmarks around the city. Parents also are invited to volunteer on fieldtrips and I was impressed with how well organized everything was when I tagged along. Luke has already been to the Sikh temple this year and every once in a while his class will walk down the street to the local library.
-Assemblies! There are regular assemblies at school (almost every day) and the kids are divided into 4 teams called "houses". It feels straight from Harry Potter sometimes although I think this tradition predates Harry Potter. They win "house-points" and compete against each other for the house trophy. I think because of this there is a lot of unity between grades. I was a bit nervous to have Luke be the youngest kid at school but the older kids have been really kind to him. The older girls at school think he's so cute (in that little brother kind of way) and I have no doubt that they would protect him if he was ever being teased. Luke always is giving me the update on how many house-points his team has and what funny thing happened at the most recent assembly.
The Downsides
-Parent Involvement. One of the biggest downsides for me is that I feel the partnership between parents and staff a bit awkward. In the U.S. I was always encouraged to volunteer in the classroom and I felt a high level of transparency with Luke's teacher. I really had a good grasp on what was going on at school. I also had the teacher's email address and could communicate with her very easily if I had a question or was concerned about something. Projects done at school eventually found there way home so I could see them. In London, I feel very disconnected to Luke's teacher and have very little knowledge as to what goes on every day. None of the projects completed at school ever come home in his backpack. The school does try to keep a blog updated where they will occasionally post about something going on in the classroom. But generally these feel a bit random like seeing one of two minutes of a movie and trying to figure out the plot.
Communication. The school has a policy that they do not give out email addresses for their teachers. So if I want to communicate with Luke's teacher, I have to email the school secretary (there is only one woman who runs the whole office) and she acts as a middleman between the teacher and I. I also have the option to try and pull the teacher aside before and after school. But you can imagine that a teacher who is impossible to contact otherwise, has quite a long line of parents waiting for her each day.
When I attended the school's PTA meeting (we would call it "PTA" in the U.S but it is not called that here), I felt a very subtle tension between the parents and the school. I'm still trying to put my finger on exactly what I was sensing. It is just so odd to have a school ask for parent involvement in fundraising and not really want them involved in anything else. It is really hard to feel a part of the school community when there are so few opportunities for parents to be involved or have a say in their child's education. I lack the feeling that parents and teachers are in a partnership together.
Those are my thoughts so far. I'm sure I will have a more well-rounded perspective as time goes on.
The Good:
- The curriculum is challenging and sophisticated. Luke had to skip a grade because of his age (more on that later) so I've only ever experienced U.S. kindergarten curriculum before now. I'm not sure what the average 2nd grader is studying in the United States. But I have been impressed by the curriculum studied and the thoughtful activities at Luke's school. Each half-term he has a "term project" which is related to some topic that they are focusing on during that term. For Sept/Oct it was world religions. For Nov/Dec they are studying Ancient Egypt. At first I thought this was going to be a little above his head and to some degree it is. But after being introduced to these topics, I have been surprised how often Luke has brought them up outside of class. We have been able to have some good teaching moments at home and I feel like delving into some of these topics has really expanded his mind. I often felt in U.S kindergarten that while I loved Luke's teacher, she was bound to a curriculum that was a bit boring and highly regimented. When I volunteered in the classroom I always felt like what I was doing was aimed at the slowest kid in the class and the kids who could do more were completely uninterested. Keep in mind that in the UK, I technically have one of the "slower" kids in the class since Luke was not well prepared to enter this grade. But they have still managed to involve him and he is able to keep up to some degree. I just wish I could volunteer in the classroom to figure out what their secret is.
Along this same line, here is a small example of some of the things that the kids in his grade have been able to participate in so far this year:
-Swimming (they have a small indoor pool and go swimming once a week for PE)
-Italian (once a week he has an Italian lesson. I hear at the end of the year they cook an Italian meal in the kitchen)
-Create animations using the program Scratch
-Run in a cross country race at Regents Park
-Attend a tour of the Houses of Parliament and learn how the government is organized
I'm sure there is a lot more but I only get a glimpse here and there (spoiler alert: this is one of the bad things)
-Fieldtrips! It is much more affordable and convenient to get the kids learning outside the classroom in London. All kids ride free on public transport so there is no need to rent a bus for the day. Personally, I would have a brain hemorrhage if I had to supervise 30 kids getting on and off a train, but saintly teachers and staff manage to keep track of everyone and take advantage of some excellent free (or almost free) museums and landmarks around the city. Parents also are invited to volunteer on fieldtrips and I was impressed with how well organized everything was when I tagged along. Luke has already been to the Sikh temple this year and every once in a while his class will walk down the street to the local library.
-Assemblies! There are regular assemblies at school (almost every day) and the kids are divided into 4 teams called "houses". It feels straight from Harry Potter sometimes although I think this tradition predates Harry Potter. They win "house-points" and compete against each other for the house trophy. I think because of this there is a lot of unity between grades. I was a bit nervous to have Luke be the youngest kid at school but the older kids have been really kind to him. The older girls at school think he's so cute (in that little brother kind of way) and I have no doubt that they would protect him if he was ever being teased. Luke always is giving me the update on how many house-points his team has and what funny thing happened at the most recent assembly.
The Downsides
-Parent Involvement. One of the biggest downsides for me is that I feel the partnership between parents and staff a bit awkward. In the U.S. I was always encouraged to volunteer in the classroom and I felt a high level of transparency with Luke's teacher. I really had a good grasp on what was going on at school. I also had the teacher's email address and could communicate with her very easily if I had a question or was concerned about something. Projects done at school eventually found there way home so I could see them. In London, I feel very disconnected to Luke's teacher and have very little knowledge as to what goes on every day. None of the projects completed at school ever come home in his backpack. The school does try to keep a blog updated where they will occasionally post about something going on in the classroom. But generally these feel a bit random like seeing one of two minutes of a movie and trying to figure out the plot.
Communication. The school has a policy that they do not give out email addresses for their teachers. So if I want to communicate with Luke's teacher, I have to email the school secretary (there is only one woman who runs the whole office) and she acts as a middleman between the teacher and I. I also have the option to try and pull the teacher aside before and after school. But you can imagine that a teacher who is impossible to contact otherwise, has quite a long line of parents waiting for her each day.
When I attended the school's PTA meeting (we would call it "PTA" in the U.S but it is not called that here), I felt a very subtle tension between the parents and the school. I'm still trying to put my finger on exactly what I was sensing. It is just so odd to have a school ask for parent involvement in fundraising and not really want them involved in anything else. It is really hard to feel a part of the school community when there are so few opportunities for parents to be involved or have a say in their child's education. I lack the feeling that parents and teachers are in a partnership together.
Those are my thoughts so far. I'm sure I will have a more well-rounded perspective as time goes on.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
The Lake District - Day One
The kids had a week off from school in October (referred to as half-term). Actually all the kids in the UK had the same week off. There are a few private schools here and there that have different vacation dates but for the most part everyone gets the same week. Which must have made sense to somebody sitting in an office somewhere, but to me it is completely insane. Do they have any idea how hard it is for a doctor to get a week off when every other doctor with kids in his department is also trying to get the same week off? (and of course there have to be doctors working). Further, do they have any idea how hard it is to find a hotel or airbnb with availability when there is the potential that every family in the entire country is also looking for a place to stay. Ah! It is just one of the things that I don't understand about this place, but it makes sense to them. I will admit that this would make family reunions a whole lot easier.
*I should also note that if you try to take vacation while school is in session they can fine you. I actually had to sign a contract that said I wouldn't do it. Even for Cam! As if a 4.5 year old missing a couple days of school is catastrophic to his education! But this will be further discussed in a later post.
Under these circumstances, Andrew was not able to get the entire week off but he was able to get a few days tacked onto a weekend so we decided to head up to the Lake District (Cumbria). I had heard that this part of England would be especially beautiful during Autumn.
We left after the boys got out of school on Friday and hit the most horrendous traffic we have experienced thus far. We didn't end up getting to our hotel until 1am. The kids didn't transfer very well and Esme screamed for longer than I'd like to admit but eventually everyone fell asleep. At one point I thought maybe Esme would calm down if she had some milk to drink but I didn't have any and didn't want to drive around trying to find a grocery store open (I actually never plan on driving on the left side of the road...it freaks me out enough to watch Andrew do it). But luckily there was a tea and coffee service in our room and they had these tiny little servings of milk for tea (like sacrament cup sized). I emptied all 10 of them into a bottle and that seemed to help.
The next day was quite rainy so we drove up to Lake Windermere and visited the aquarium to escape the rain for a bit. I wasn't expecting much out of this aquarium. It was really small. But I was pleasantly surprised by some of the exhibits that were set up. It was actually pretty interesting.
*I should also note that if you try to take vacation while school is in session they can fine you. I actually had to sign a contract that said I wouldn't do it. Even for Cam! As if a 4.5 year old missing a couple days of school is catastrophic to his education! But this will be further discussed in a later post.
Under these circumstances, Andrew was not able to get the entire week off but he was able to get a few days tacked onto a weekend so we decided to head up to the Lake District (Cumbria). I had heard that this part of England would be especially beautiful during Autumn.
We left after the boys got out of school on Friday and hit the most horrendous traffic we have experienced thus far. We didn't end up getting to our hotel until 1am. The kids didn't transfer very well and Esme screamed for longer than I'd like to admit but eventually everyone fell asleep. At one point I thought maybe Esme would calm down if she had some milk to drink but I didn't have any and didn't want to drive around trying to find a grocery store open (I actually never plan on driving on the left side of the road...it freaks me out enough to watch Andrew do it). But luckily there was a tea and coffee service in our room and they had these tiny little servings of milk for tea (like sacrament cup sized). I emptied all 10 of them into a bottle and that seemed to help.
The next day was quite rainy so we drove up to Lake Windermere and visited the aquarium to escape the rain for a bit. I wasn't expecting much out of this aquarium. It was really small. But I was pleasantly surprised by some of the exhibits that were set up. It was actually pretty interesting.
For instance this ant display completely blew my mind. And it was out in the open (not behind glass). This rope was draped from one end of the display to the other and one end had a pile of leaves on it. These ants are referred to as leaf-cutter ants and they cut leaves and bring them back to their colony. I was a little bit mesmerized watching them work and reading about them was even more interesting. They are like a highly organized little army.
Oh yes, the rain paid us back with a rainbow
I loved how the moss wrapped itself over everything
We all breath a sigh of relief when this happens. She doesn't sleep long in her stroller but it is magical when she does
This is Wray Castle. We didn't go inside...kids were getting tired and damp.
I know. So many pictures. But how could I not?
Thursday, November 19, 2015
More good than bad
I thought Mema would get a kick out of this picture. She knows this look all too well. Luke is in the zone playing "angry face" (aka Clash of Clans) while waiting for Dad to come out of the temple. Classic example of how we can be so consumed by what is happening on a screen while there is a gigantic beautiful masterpiece right behind us :).
This morning Luke said he was worried that what happened in Paris would happen here in London. I could not assure him that it wouldn't happen here. All I could tell him was that I believe there are a lot of good people in the world. There are more good people than bad people. And I believe good will win.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Leeds Castle and a view from my window
On the way home from the White Cliffs of Dover we were going to be driving by Leeds Castle. It is quote "the loveliest castle in the world" so we thought we would stop and take a look. It was closing when we arrived and we couldn't get through the gates of the enormously long drive way. We were worried we might not be able to even catch a glimpse but then as we were off on a side road, we saw some locals walking and asked them where we could get a view of the castle. They told us about a footpath that would take us to a great hill overlooking the castle. It is where all the locals go to watch fireworks when there is a special occasion going on there. It was perfect. I do have a tiny itch to go back and see it up close sometime (I hear it has a moat!) but I definitely was filled for the time being.
We walked through this sheep farm (part of the public footpath)
Leeds Castle in all its loveliness
Trying to get the kids excited about more photo-taking
Luke is my little acrobat so he really got into this
Dad knows how to get them smiling
These are all blurry :( but so cute that I'm posting them anyway
Give these kids a field to run free. They are happy.
I love catching little moments between these two. Cam always looks at his Dad with such admiration. Andrew is his number one hero.
The next morning I woke up and there was a nice morning light (post stormy weather)...
This is my view from my kitchen window
This is my view from my bedroom window
I don't know if a photo adequately captures it. I love looking out this window
There are some nice private yards below. We are sort of surrounded by incredibly wealthy people. We are not one of them but definitely enjoy their pretty homes and yards.
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