Home education diary, April-June 2006
May 6th
Tim took his Grade 5 music theory exam today. It's the first written exam he's ever taken, but he didn't seem to find it too traumatic. He's not a music theorist like Daniel is, but he had to take Grade 5 theory in order to take practical/instrumental exams at higher levels, and it also counts as an 'elective' option for his coursework.
May 31st
Tim caught a flu bug in the middle of the month, which kept him at home and mostly sleeping for a few days, but when he recovered he managed to complete a couple more tests for his NCSC coursework. He really wants to get finished with it all - he's not going to take the third level as he's had enough of ACE for now. He is currently investigating the various options for doing some kind of degree course by correspondence.
9th June
Tim has about eight workbooks left in his NCSC course, and is racing through them, completing several each week. So he should be done before the end of June, which is his aim. He has a piano exam to take in a couple of weeks, which counts as one of his electives, and is also going to do the Alpha Omega art elective; he plans to do it all in a week once he's finished the academic workbook 'pages'.
In the Autumn he's decided that he's going to start a theology degree by correspondence, one which we've had highly recommended to us by several people. There are internet tutorials, and each year counts as something - the first year leads to a higher education certificate, the second to a diploma, and the third year to a full degree. A friend here who studied theology a few years ago may give advice too.
He wants to stay here for the first two years of the degree, most likely, so he can do grade 8 piano and possibly grade 5 singing next spring. He really wants those qualifications as well as he's still very keen on music. But he recognises that there are many more opportunities for jobs, choirs, etc in the UK, so is currently thinking of doing the last year of his degree course in the UK, possibly staying with my mother in Birmingham.
Then - always our forward planner! - he is considering doing a PGCE (post-graduate certificate of education) year, so that he can teach for a while. He's considering going into the Anglican ministry at some point, but apparently one has to be at least 25 for that and preferably to have done some other work first, hence teaching seems like a good option - he's always considered that, even though he's now not very keen on the idea of schools!
30th June
It's been a busy month for Tim - he took his singing exam, and his piano exam. He tried to get to the end of his NCSC work but got rather burned out; all that's left to do is some 'literature' - reading and comprehension - and some science so-called 'lab tests', which actually mean watching some DVDs and answering questions. I don't know if he will get time to finish these during the summer since we'll be taken up with our house move and settling in over the next months, but his theology course doesn't actually start until October.
He's been working on the art for his final elective, too, and also took part in a couple of concerts. It's a rather sobering thought that I have almost come to the end of my days as a home educating mother.
(Lots of detail about our life during this past month can be found on the June pages of my Cyprus blog)
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