Goodbyes

She has finally officially decided to leave and told everyone, and in went the deregistration letter. Apparently there is a waiting list for The Kid's place at the school, so there will be no going back now. To my slight annoyance, her main class teacher has kept up a campaign to change her mind, saying that if she leaves school she'll fall behind (she never did before), she won't be able to take exams (true that it's more awkward, but there's more flexibility over what to take, when and how), that she'll never get into college without having been to high school (I think she will, if she's determined). Sigh. Well, The Kid has expressed an interest in starting some more formal study after she leaves school, so I hope that will help reassure her that her teacher is mistaken.

Her other teacher (who is also the head) has not pestered her so much, saying simply that it would be a real pity for her to leave now when she is doing so well. He reminds me of those people who never leave a job until it becomes intolerable. Is it impossible to do well in one setting, and yet aspire to something even better?

I remember once a few years ago, when The Kid got chatting to another girl in the library. The girl did not quite believe that home education was possible, and came to me for confirmation. Sure enough, I said, The Kid did not go to school. The two went off to the other side of the room to continue their conversation. Her mother (possibly the last adult in England to be unaware that home education is legal) was surprised and interested, and chatted with me at some length. She declared that it sounded like great fun, and she wished she could do it, but of course it wouldn't be fair on her daughter, who loved school so much. "Well, she might like home education even better," I said. "You could ask her."

She called her daughter over. "Would you rather learn at home with mummy instead of going to school?" The girl took this as an offer, rather than a theoretical question. "YES!!!" she said. "You mean I DON'T HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL any more?? Can we start NOW?" Her mother looked alarmed: "But you like school. And what about friends? Who will you play with?"

The girl pointed at my daughter: "Her! And her friends. She says she has lots, and they get to go skating and swimming and over to each others' houses on school days. School was okay, but not going to school would be ten times better!" Looking dazed, the mother soon left, but not before I had pressed some information about the local home ed group - and our phone number - into her hand. I never heard of her again, so I suppose she found some other reason against home education.