The Mill Stone....
Last night we have a brief and relatively civilised conversation about B's further schooling - where she'll go when she's completed primary school.
This conversation was prompted by a newsletter sent to us by the school promoting an open day at which there will be a presentation from grammar school potential destinations.
Secondary schooling is still more than three years away and I haven't lost hope of getting out of this non-functioning English system and into a good school back home, but then ... back when she started school I couldn't imagine she and I would still be here, now.
There's nothing wrong with a contingency plan.
The fat bastard and I happen to be in agreement that B is being let down by the school, the curriculum and by individual teachers/teaching assistants. I try to accentuate the positive, and can recognise certain improvements in the four years B's been at the school but overall the quality and quantity of education remain unsatisfactory.
The obvious solution for us is to decamp to a country with a better system, and particularly one where I could afford to place her in the sort of school I (and her father) benefited from and within which her particular needs will be met.
I mentioned this last night.
He didn't say no.
He just said that France would be a better alternative.
So that's it. We're going to live happily ever after in Provence (or somewhere else in France - given his fixation with the Great War he'd probably prefer a desolate battleground).
How can you hope to hold a rational discussion with some one who as a reflex reaction against an alternative to the current misery offers up a neutral third country solution with which none of us have any connection, quite out of the blue and with no preamble.
The cute thing is that he can speak so blithely of the three of us doing this. Like I'd move and take him with me!
Does he want to live in France? Where in France? What would he do there? What might I do there? How would B benefit from the transition to a different culture/language etc etc? How would he benefit? How would I benefit. What drawbacks are there?
I fulminated in silence until he went off to the pub, then drafted something which I'm finally posting now.
The fact is no possible argument however cogent and persuasive could convince him of something he doesn't want to do. And he doesn't want to do anything ... or rather he wants to do nothing. The inertia in his soul is something positive. He actually likes going nowhere.
Arrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
PS If the above seems odd that's because I'm being woken at about 4:45 by the sun through my heavy lined curtains... I've worked an 11 hour shift, on my feet all that time. And now I'm posting yesterday evening's draft after a glass or two of wine.
This conversation was prompted by a newsletter sent to us by the school promoting an open day at which there will be a presentation from grammar school potential destinations.
Secondary schooling is still more than three years away and I haven't lost hope of getting out of this non-functioning English system and into a good school back home, but then ... back when she started school I couldn't imagine she and I would still be here, now.
There's nothing wrong with a contingency plan.
The fat bastard and I happen to be in agreement that B is being let down by the school, the curriculum and by individual teachers/teaching assistants. I try to accentuate the positive, and can recognise certain improvements in the four years B's been at the school but overall the quality and quantity of education remain unsatisfactory.
The obvious solution for us is to decamp to a country with a better system, and particularly one where I could afford to place her in the sort of school I (and her father) benefited from and within which her particular needs will be met.
I mentioned this last night.
He didn't say no.
He just said that France would be a better alternative.
So that's it. We're going to live happily ever after in Provence (or somewhere else in France - given his fixation with the Great War he'd probably prefer a desolate battleground).
How can you hope to hold a rational discussion with some one who as a reflex reaction against an alternative to the current misery offers up a neutral third country solution with which none of us have any connection, quite out of the blue and with no preamble.
The cute thing is that he can speak so blithely of the three of us doing this. Like I'd move and take him with me!
Does he want to live in France? Where in France? What would he do there? What might I do there? How would B benefit from the transition to a different culture/language etc etc? How would he benefit? How would I benefit. What drawbacks are there?
I fulminated in silence until he went off to the pub, then drafted something which I'm finally posting now.
The fact is no possible argument however cogent and persuasive could convince him of something he doesn't want to do. And he doesn't want to do anything ... or rather he wants to do nothing. The inertia in his soul is something positive. He actually likes going nowhere.
Arrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
PS If the above seems odd that's because I'm being woken at about 4:45 by the sun through my heavy lined curtains... I've worked an 11 hour shift, on my feet all that time. And now I'm posting yesterday evening's draft after a glass or two of wine.
posted by Enyo @ 9:37 am
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