Schools -- The
System is DifferentThis page was developed and is maintained by ALD & MJD (the kids)
Probably the Most Important Consideration Before Accepting the Assignment Was Schools ....
How good an education would the kids get ? What was the curriculum ?
Would the children fit in ? .... be accepted ? .... enjoy it ? How easy would
it be to "transfer" credit earned here back to a US university ? What
schooling options were available ? Before making our decision to come
here, we were "allowed" one trip, to scope it out. We allocated that time
roughly as .... 5% "the job", 10% "the town", 25% "the animals", 0% "the
house" and 75% "the schools" (so we can't add). After being here a year
now, this is what we think regarding our particular schooling situation,
along with some general findings.
This page is organised into two sections. The comments below relate mostly to "our school" in particular. The following table relates mostly to "the system" in general.
To start, our school provides, we believe, a super education. Teachers are involved (sometimes maybe too much), and spend their time teaching .... Where we came from, too much time was spent by teachers "being buddies" with the kids -- which is fine -- but, it resulted in them being less respected, and having to spend most of their time just controlling the class.
For background, our school ....
- Is Private -- and therefore expensive
- Is Co-ed -- many private schools are not
- Is Mostly Boarding -- our kids are "day students" and live at home
- Covers ages 11-18 -- an affiliated Junior (primary) School covers ages 5 ? - 10
- Was founded about 400 years ago -- as a boys boarding school -- changes to co-ed and day students are recent
Oundle School -- "Cloisters"
- Has Mostly British Students -- but also some American and Far East students
- Has No Bus Service -- but with 80% boarders, who really needs it
- Conducts Classes on Saturday
- Has (Requires) Uniforms -- Boys, blazers and ties (unique by house, which is where the boarders live-- there are six boys houses and four girls houses) -- Girls, long coulottes (for "day kids" the coulottes are navy blue, and for boarders pinstripes are added in burgundy and grey) and sweaters (boys navy, girls chose navy or burgundy)
We see you shaking your head -- after those last two items, how on earth did we convince the kids that this was a fantastic opportunity ? Well, we are very democratic here and offered a choice -- this school, or .... home schooling, spending 8 or so hours a day with mom, learning about everything under the sun. The reaction to the choice was kinda like "So, what color are the blazers, then ?"
- All in all, the kids have been treated fairly, and we're proud about how hard they've worked to "catch up". They are doing great, have made friends, and (we think) are respected by their classmates and teachers. What more could you ask for ?
| Our Understanding of "The British System" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The
"System"
|
Actually, and maybe
surprisingly, it is much (??) different. Learning and
curriculum is much broader until much older. A variety is
required in Middle School .... participation in
extracurricular activites is strongly encouraged - Art,
Music, a big emphasis on "Sport" and teamwork
and Religious Studies (not to worry, more of a
"morals" class). Language study includes many diverse offerings .... French is required .... a second modern language -- Spanish, German, Russian, American (kidding) -- is the norm. Plus, languages people don't speak anymore -- Latin or Greek. Son is taking Latin .... tempus fugit and semper fi .... the whole bit. Learning is in small increments, from an early age. Physics, chemistry, biology, trig, algebra, geometry .... all from about age 11 on. Not at all like high school in the states, which is major doses of specialised learning .... we remember .... Freshman science and algebra, Sophomore biology and geometry, Junior chemistry and trig, Senior physics and calculus .... not here .... hence the need to "catch up". But, in some cases, biology for example .... our daughter was ahead there, but behind in chemistry and physics -- tutoring (tuition) was needed in those subjects. |
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| The School
Year
|
Generally, the school year
is longer, from early Sept. to early July, but there are
long breaks in between the "terms." Michaelmas
is the first term, which lasts the longest (Sept. to
Dec.), then Lent--the shortest (Jan. to Easter), and
Summer, which lasts from Easter to early July. In the
middle of each term is a 1-2 week break (depending on the
term length). Between terms, school normally breaks up
for 3-4 weeks. The summer break usually lasts from early
July until early Sept. Below is the schedule for
1999/2000:
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| The School
Day
|
The lessons last from 8:50am
to 3:50pm, with an assembly at 8:30 on certain days (most
kids arrive around 8:15 for morning registration). For
our school, the Michaelmas and Summer terms had lessons
between 8:50 and 10:45, which ended in a break of about
25 minutes. Lessons resumed at 11:10, and went until
1:05, ending with lunch. Now, here's where it gets tricky
-- On Tues, Thurs, and Sat, there is "Sport" or
another option (depending on your form {i.e. 7th
grade=1st form}), which tend to have different start
times. On Mon and Fri, there are lessons after lunch,
starting at 2:30 and going until 3:50 (afternoon
registration is at 1:30). Wed lessons end at lunch, and
students either have CCF or another option (again,
depending on your form). But, the Lent term is
different... The morning is the same, but after lunch there is a "study period" where students involved with teams and so on could have matches before is gets dark, and the others stay in a room to study. Lessons resumed at 4:30 and went until 5:50. Yuck! After lessons in the Michaelmas and Summer terms, there are voluntary lessons you can go to that allow you to get extra help or extra time to work on something. Different vols are on different days and at different times, so students get confused a lot. Vols last until 6:30 or 7:00 pm (depending on when they start). For the 1st form, there is a voluntary "Maths" lesson that starts at 4:00 and ends at 5:30. |
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| The Teachers
|
Generally the teachers are
excellent at helping, but only if the kids are willing to
allot the time for it. If you don't try to fit in with
the teacher's schedule, then you don't get much help.
Also, if you goof off in a lesson, then come looking for
help later, the teachers are less likely to help you. Lessons are fun, but only if you had a good teacher. Some teachers are more strict than others, but you find that in every school. What we found surprising is that the teachers pay a lot more attention to their students in our school. That is probably because most of the students live there, and so it's more like a family group. Since we don't live there, and our parents are local, our parents tend to take a much more active role. At first, the school administration really didn't quite know what to do with Mom & Dad's "suggestions". The relationship between teachers and students is relatively the same. Students do not talk to the teachers if it isn't necessary, which is a little sad in a way. Teachers are often given bad reputations, but it is mostly due to the fact that no one except other teachers talk to them. Daughter surprised a lot of teachers when she talked to them about things completely irrelevant to the lessons they taught, and treated them more like friends than teachers (but not without the respect they deserved). Once you talk to the teachers, they are more likely to repsect you as a student, too. Other students thought she was crazy when she said that Mr./Mrs. So-and-so was a lot different outside the classroom, and most kids admitted that they didn't have the courage to talk to them! Silly, isn't it? |
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The Sports |
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Cricket is similar to baseball, with the basics outlined below. For more information, see "The Laws of Cricket" -- yes, Laws ! Or, better yet "An Explanantion of Cricket".
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Fencing
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[Hits Since 08/22/99 15:00 GMT -- {or, English Style, 22/08/99}]
Dad
and son have actually played this, and it is fun.
