Conversations about schooling

Had a hugely interesting conversation with a fellow mum at martial arts yesterday.

We discovered we're from the same part of the world, love writing and blogging, are interested in NLP and education, and are very mindful of what school we pick for our children's education. I was fascinated by her story of how she rang her ideal school everyday over an 18-month period before her son was finally granted a place. Definitely a lesson in "ask and you shall receive".

A few hours before that, I was chatting with my friend A whose boys attend the same martial arts class as me on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I told her I was so impressed that her 12 yo is reading the NY Times Book Review and that he was able to have an intelligent conversation with me about it while we practised our kyondosa. Her four boys - all homeschooled - are well read and well-mannered. The 12- and 14-yos have already decided what university degrees they're going to study.

There was a new boy on the mat, a 13 yo who is also homeschooled. He too gave me the impression of being well-mannered, articulate and socially intelligent. There's something about homeschooling that I must investigate further.

This morning, a Chinese mum at school came up to say hello. I kind of knew what direction the conversation would take because of previous encounters. It is always about how schools in the southeast are superior to those in our area (the western suburbs), and how little academic challenge our school offers. Her Grade 3 child is taking scholarship exams (I didn't know one could take them so early) and attending special tuition classes for scholarship aspirants. She wanted my view on our school and the school my child used to attend.

The funniest thing was: at the end of the conversation, she remarked that she needs to learn from me because I convey the impression of being a very positive person. I told her that it's something I learned and anyone can learn to focus on the good things in life, the things that make us happy. Given my limited Mandarin vocab, I'm not sure how well that came across though.