A Russell Sprout Again: An Update

First, I want to say thanks to everyone for your sympathy over my dental ordeal of the past week. It isn’t quite right, but the antibiotics have kicked in and I am almost back to my old self.

Back in February, I did a couple of posts about Lu our youngest and her struggles to fit into a school system that didn’t cater for her advanced needs.

At the time I finished my second post on a quite upbeat note: Lu had finally after a long struggle become content enough with school to take it seriously.

Well all that has changed.

When I got home a couple of weeks ago Lu dropped a bombshell. “Dad, I’m leaving school.”

“You’re… what…?”

“Dad it’s OK.”

“What do you mean It’s OK, you’re sixteen. What about your future? What about university?”

Suddenly I was very afraid. I had dreaded this moment for a long time. Lu has hated and I mean HATED school for almost all of her short life. I’d often been concerned that she would simply drop out as soon as she was legally allowed.

But recently things had seemed much better for her. She wasn’t exactly enjoying school but she had come to tolerate it and see some value in where it was taking her.

“Dad it’s OK.”

“What do you mean, how can it be OK?”

Then a straw to clutch, I decide it is just her sense of humour and she is pulling my leg. “You’re teasing me aren’t you?”

“No Dad, I’m leaving school.”

“But…”

“Dad let me finish.”

So I took a breath and let her finish.

Normally here in Victoria the senior years of high school (called Year 11 and Year 12 although they are actually the 12th and 13th years of school education) are spent doing the Victorian Certificate of Education which is how university places are allotted.

I should say a quick word about the Australian education system. After school age we don’t have a separate college system where you do a bachelors degree before going on to a university to do post-grad. Rather undergraduate degrees and post-graduate studies (like masters and PHD studies) all happen at the same universities.

So normally Lu’s path would be to finish the VCE and go on to enrol at one of the local universities based on her results.

But that is not what she is doing.

Now before you panic on her behalf (like I did), Lu has worked it all out.

Yes, she has left school. But she has harnessed her frustration and sidestepped the last two years of high school.

Here in Oz one thing education does well is open opportunities for people. There has been recognition that the traditional path doesn’t suit everyone.

One of the things that has stemmed out of this is Open University.

Lu has worked out that rather than continuing on at school she can enrol immediately with Open University.

Deb and I have agreed to her plan with a couple of provisos:
she has to do something to keep social contacts going (not content with standing still she has fixed this one already she has gone out and joined a group that are putting on a musical later in the year);
and if it doesn’t work out she will go back to high school next year (somehow I get the feeling that this agreement won’t be needed).


Lu’s plan at this point is to do a semester or two at Open Uni and work hard enough to get top level results then transfer over to Melbourne University as a regular undergrad (because the Open Uni courses are run by recognised Universities she will get credit toward the degree she does there).

There is no cost to us as parents. Ultimately Lu will pay through HECS (an interest free government scheme that will increase her tax slightly when she enters the workforce until the debt is repaid).

Lu has already enrolled in first year Maths, Chemistry and Biology units.
She has begun work on her Bachelor’s degree as I type this post. This very determined young woman has found a solution to her biggest problem. Who are we to stand in her way?

Now on a slightly calmer note a few piccies.

A couple of weeks ago we were driving along a back-road just on sunset.

Out in a paddock I noticed these two ruined grain silos being painted by the rich colours of the evening light.

This first piccie is taken over the grey timbers of an old stock-yard.A close up showing how rich the old bricks and stone looked in the sunset.Then just a minute or two later as the sun dipped below the valley walls they almost blend back into their surroundings.

A Russell Sprout, a Tale of Four Schools part II.

Roll on Junior High School. As parents we did all the usual stuff: talking to teachers; talking to school counsellors; talking to special needs teachers (I don’t know about overseas but here they usually are responsible for planning for kids at both ends of the spectrum). Same stuff different school.

Then we moved interstate (for Deb’s career) and tried it all again. The school Lu went to in Canberra had one of the best reputations in the Territory. For a moment things looked like they might be better, the school seemed to be listening. They put Lu in the advanced maths class and agreed to support her with an IEP.

The problems started again almost immediately. The school took the attitude that Lu needed to ‘prove’ herself in class before they instituted much of the IEP. Lu, already disenchanted, went back to resisting anything they suggested (as I said above she can be her own worst enemy). She also raised a legitimate point: ‘I have proved myself already. I have played an intellectual sport for my State and Country. I always do well in any test. I am not going to play “the good girl” for them in class.’

The school threatened to drop her from the advanced maths class for not completing all her work. Lu responded by pulling her finger out for five minutes and scoring 100% in the next few assessment tasks, then she went back to her usual tricks.
In that second year of Junior High a couple of things made school more bearable for Lu. For the first time she began to make some real friends at school (her best friends before had been in the chess community and she related better to adults than kids in general).

I suspect the other kids had grown up enough for Lu to find them more interesting; and she had also matured in outlook and was more prepared to take people as she found them.

The second glimmer was her second semester science teacher Mr Collins. Mr Collins is a geologist who came late to teaching when he felt the need for a change of pace. For the first time ever Lu had a teacher with whom she ‘clicked’. He recognised what he was dealing with and took the most flexible approach so far. First he provided interesting, different extension work (not simply an extension of what the class were doing) and he gave her space to do it in class. He did insist that she completed her part in groups, but for individual tasks he was happy for Lu to demonstrate she had the concept and then move on to the other material he was providing her.

Year 9 and things went back to almost where they had been. Lu lost Mr Collins (just because he wasn’t teaching Year 9), although he did keep in touch. Fortunately, she still had friends so she wasn’t quite as unhappy at school.

Lu rowing her Uncle Ian, Avon River, UK 2005 (Lu age 11)

By now we had pretty much given up on ever getting what Lu needed at school. We still went in to bat for her at every opportunity, but we didn’t really think things were going to change much.

Deb’s career then brought us here to Victoria. So Lu started at another school. Again we went to see the school staff to explain what Lu needed. To be honest we expected more of the same.

At this new school, like the others, Lu was expected to meet with the staff who were responsible for planning an IEP. As usual she and we went through what her experience with school had been to date.
The response from staff was quite relaxed, ‘OK you are going into Year 10, but why don’t we put you into Year 11 maths and physics and see how it goes.’

There were not the usual warnings about having to perform or she would be dropped back. They did say that she needed to be aware that Year 11 subjects counted to the VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education which decides university placements) and that it would be up to her to decide if things were going OK with that.

Their emphasis was subtly different. Firstly there was no ‘you will have to prove yourself’ statements; this was really helpful because they are a red flag to Lu. Secondly, they were putting the responsibility on her. At other schools the line had always been that if she didn’t meet their requirements THEY would move her. Here it would be her decision.

The result of that different approach has been profound. For the first time at a school (other than with Mr Collins) Lu has felt they trusted what she was saying.

Now it may be that as well being intelligent our girl is growing up. But Year 10 was a breeze (in comparison) for Lu. Again she has made friends, while for the first time she has found the academic component bearable. It is not all plain sailing (she still gets bored), but she makes an effort now. Even with the subjects that are not her favourites she aims to not only complete them but to do well.

Then perhaps the biggest surprise our Lu has ever given us. At the end of term last year Lu said, ‘I think I’ll take a break from chess for a while. I want to be Dux of the school in year 12 so I will have to take it seriously.’

Lu age 2, it was this face that peered over the edge of a chessboard and asked "Can I play too?"

I was gob smacked. I briefly wondered if our daughter had been abducted by aliens. Lu putting school before chess! Inconceivable a few months ago.

I am not being so naïve as to believe Lu’s problems with school are over. She has nearly two years of school to before she completes her VCE at the end of Year 12 (the Oz school year is from February to November).

Finally, Tasha of Heidenkind's Hideaway commented "Just get her into a good uni and she'll do fine. :)" For me these are words of wisdom and I have hung on to an idea like this for some years now.
Fortunately, even if Lu has a meltdown again and gives up on school the her VCE result is by no means the end of the line. One thing the OZ education system does really well is providing alternative paths into Higher Education. Open University and Adult Entry are just two of the options for her down the track (hopefully they won't be needed), in the end it will be up to Lu.

But for the moment at least, things are going well.
The reason for the change? In Lu’s words, ‘They have shown me respect and trust, so I can show them some.’