Reading and schools

Luddite Lass wrote a lovely post about reading and education that really inspired me.

We are very passionate about reading and expanding the minds of our little ones.  DH has a general knowledge that blows my mind on a regular basis.  He knows about everything from Greek Gods to Mathematics.  He never forgets a name or a story line.  I refuse point blank to play knowledge board games against him!

Looking at his parents, and specifically his father, I know where this thirst for knowledge comes from and I am so very grateful!  he was a ‘laatlammetjie’, so he spent many holidays with his parents with only books as companions.

Lately we have been spending a lot of time thinking about school options for our 3 children and we debate it a lot at home. 

Should we put them in mainstream in a very nice primary school in our area?

Should we put them in the Montessori primary school, just to continue where they are now?

Should we eat bread for 12 years and put them in a private school? 

Do we put them in Afrikaans or English schools?  (Our home language is Afrikaans)

Do we send them away to boarding schools when they are bigger to make sure they get a really good education? (HELL NO)

We all want the best for our children and most of us will never be able to afford posh schools, but I also do think that so much of what our children learn comes from us and the example that we set.

Now I’m going to dash home and hide all my Nora Roberts novels…

21 thoughts on “Reading and schools”

  1. haha I so hear you on the “eat bread” issue – school fees are no flipping joke!
    Honestly, as a teacher, I say the following:
    1. Find a school where numbers are kept to under 30 per class.
    2. Find somewhere they are happy. If your kids THRIVE in a public school – the teachers have EXACTLY the same education as the private school ones, are sometimes can be more motivated and creative, as they teach for the love of it. Of course, if they hate it, find a school that makes them happy. They will be there, 90% of the next 15 yrs [roughly adding in Gr00 to Gr12]…so it needs to be somewhere they like!

    Hahaha @Nora Roberts novels 😛 Enjoy those on the sly 😉

  2. So glad you liked the post. Reading and education are issues close to my heart. We’re going the “eat bread” route because there are no decent co-ed public schools in our area. And you don’t need to hide the Nora Roberts just yet. The important thing is that our children see us reading and when they are young it doesn’t matter much what we are reading. That is only an issue later 😉

  3. Lovely post, Tania! Your DH sounds amazing – like my kinda guy. My friends always teased me for saying I prefer brains over brawn – but I cannot be with someone who’s lekker to look at and has not much between the ears. Also going the bread (if we’re feeling flush) route.

  4. OMW I love Nora Roberts too.
    Schools are a big decision,but at the end of the day it’s what your kids make of school….I did both government and private school,can’t say one was better than the other.

  5. chuckle at Nora Roberts

    You know I’ve got Tash in a mainstream school – former model C so is run mostly on fees. Standard of education is high, as are the fees. But it’s the best mainstream one around. Also agree with Caz re number of kids per class. Think that makes a huge difference

  6. We went through the same things with my son a few years ago, and I could not be happier about our decision to put him in the school down the road. We have decided to eat bread when he goes to High School and send him to a Private School where they get International Qualification. As for boarding school – F NO! Just keep Daniel away from Spud…..

  7. Private schools are not always the best option – the school that can give your child the best education, with small enough classes so no-one gets lost is in my opinion top of the choices list!

  8. Daniel will not set foot in Spud, don’t worry 🙂
    Will you be there on Sat? Want to pick your brain about the High school..

  9. LOL, good point. There’s always 4/5 books on our bedside tables so they can’t really miss it!

  10. Jess is at a very good public school, class sizes have never been larger than 30 and the teachers are truly dedicated to teaching. There are wonderful resources for the children and the financial side of things is extremely well run. The fees are expensive R8,700 this year but this is the most expensive that I could afford and know that she is getting a great education. It is a duel medium school with the Afrikaans population being larger than the English side and I have to admit that the Afrikaans side sometimes is given more attention. I will live with that for the sake of my little girl’s happiness and she is indeed happy at this school. xx

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