Into the deep end...schooling in Antwerp?
08.10.2007 - 27.06.2008
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"We don't think this is the right school for your children! Their learning delays are too great and we don't have the resources to teach them!".
There was no talk of alternatives, our boys were essentially being shown the door just six weeks after their arrival.
Lute and I were in shock, where was the caring Steiner community and system we had rejoiced in for the last six years in Australia. A system which we thought was internationally constant and based on a philosophy that allowed children to learn at there own pace, accommodating learning delays and rejoicing in diversity. It clearly wasn't here in this school and "disgusting" were the words Lute spat out as we left our last meeting. We weren't upset at the situation, it was really just the way it was handled.
Of course, as they nearly always do, things have turned out fine. We found the Wereldreiziger (World Traveller) http://www.sbq.be/, a school dedicated to educating children from wherever they come. The boys were placed in a Grade 5 class containing kids from Nepal, Morocco, Turkey, Poland, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Russia, Thailand, Phillipines. (see below);
It wasn't easy in the beginning as the boys didn't speak any Flemish and the concrete playground was a big change. Sometimes I felt real bad when I left them in the mornings however, they settled in within 3 months. Yesterday, we received their end of year reports which show that they both have made enormous advances in their mathematics and they are now speaking conversational “Flemglish” that, gulp, will soon overtake mine! Victor was noted for his compassion and Max for his signs of leadership. I am really proud of them.
Posted by Estebaan 25.06.2008 00:07 Archived in Belgium Tagged family_travel
