How do we educate our children?
I am trying to figure out how best to educate our children to face this life, and it's challenges, head on.
I have watched two relative's go through the whole state schooling system and it hasn't gone well. The first actually managed to get right through school without being able to read. He can read enough to get by, however, moves from one awful low paying job to another. He's a nice kid, but never received what he needed for what, I suspect, must be a learning disability.
Secondly, a child that had more promise than I had seen in my family for a while. She started out in the top stream and I watched the system slowly kill any real desire for success. She has loving parents and a stable home life. She left school last year without any qualifications - was expelled actually. So currently is looking for a job at a clothing shop. She has no drive at the ripe old age of 18!
This saddens me - we're failing our kids big time. Not all - some make it through o.k. but huge numbers don't. These huge factory schools do not produce excellence.
Therefore, I must look elsewhere for my son. So far he has been educated in a Montessori School. I like the Montessori method and he is thriving there. What I like about this style of education is all the children are on individual learning programmes - can work at their own pace which allows them to move ahead quickly in some areas and also be given more time in areas they haven't yet mastered. The class is full of amazing equipment and as each piece is mastered the child move's onto the next. Different ages can work together, the older children teaching the younger one's which cements their own undertanding. I have been instrumental in helping the Unit run, however, this will finish at the end of his primary years.
We have a couple of local private schools which offer the Cambridge International Examinations. They appear to be good schools and when I have toured the schools the students seem very enthusiastic in their work and the environments are well resourced with small classes and specialty teachers. This is preferable to our current state system of NZEA - which in my opinion is a shambles.
There are discussions underway to open another high school similar to a school that also has children on individual learning programmes. I think this style of education is the best on offer in New Zealand at the moment. However, they are struggling due to the 2 serious earthquakes recently.
http://unlimited.school.nz/experience-tenets.htm I'm unsure whether it would be best to go with an established Cambridge school that is receiving good results or participate in starting a school similar to Unlimited that in my mind would continue my son's education in learning how to think - not what to think.
It's a huge job running a primary Montessori Unit I can only imagine the challenges involved in starting a High School of special charactor. The problem being if you are at the beginning you must start small with little resources and your children are the guinea pigs. If it doesn't go well those important years will be wasted, however, should it work the children will be able to think critically and study their chosen subjects in depth.
Propaganda 101..