Progress on homeschooling: Singapore.

Yesterday, we met the vice-Principal of Ainan's school, to have a chat about our request to homeschool.

As regular readers will know, we have come to the conclusion that Ainan would be best educated at home - for then the pace and subject matter could better meet his needs.

The VP spoke quietly, smiled frequently and tried to be helpful. He introduced us to the enormity of the administrative task that faced us. For us to stand a chance of being allowed to homeschool, we must submit a detailed plan of everything that would be taught, on a month by month basis, in every subject, for the entire period that we intend to homeschool. If you think about it, that is quite a significant presentation, given the number of subjects, the timescale, and the detailed planning required for each.

There were also requirements to be met in all areas: maths, science, languages, aesthetics and "national education". We are to make it clear that all areas will be met, to their satisfaction.

We would also have to include details of ourselves, as parents and home-teachers - in terms of our own educational background and what we could bring to the homeschooling situation.

So, our proposal would ostensibly be judged on two main issues: the detailed curriculum plan - and the substance, or otherwise, of our own educational background.

It will take some time to get all of this information together in a presentable fashion - and then we would have to wait, while they deliberated. I don't imagine that this is going to be a rapid procedure. Then again there is the little matter that I haven't managed to get a reply, from the "Compulsory Education Unit" (the Government department in charge of homeschooling permission) in seven months, of writing, other than: "We will revert to you shortly".

I will, however, sit down to write a detailed proposal. It may take weeks - but, in Singapore, permission for homeschooling is no trivial matter. It must, it seems, be worked at. So, work at it, I shall.

Here's hoping.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged seven years and nine months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and two months, and Tiarnan, nineteen months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)