ORDER ONLY: Home schooling

[alt_molly]

Arthur and I sent all the boys to the little village school to learn their sums and letters in the years before they attended Hogwarts. But we've become increasingly dissatisfied with it. Ever since their dear teacher Mrs Bigglesby disappeared two years ago and the Ministry replaced her with that insufferable Mr Gimlet, the parchments and lesson plans that Ginny has brought home have grown more and more alarming. Precious little about multiplication tables, thank you very much, but plenty of lectures on the 'natural inferiority of the impure.'

Rather than continuing to expose her to such despicable drivel, we pulled her out and we are home schooling her this year. I worried that this might prompt some unwanted attention and perhaps even trouble, and indeed, we did receive a visit from a ministry representative. But Arthur did quite a good job of conveying the impression to him that I was simply an overly-doting mother hen wanting to fuss over her last chick still left at home for the final year before she leaves for Hogwarts. (There's more than a grain of truth in that, I have to admit.)

I also hit upon the happy notion of suggesting to Xenophilius Lovegood that I tutor Luna along with Ginny. Xenophilius was a bit relieved, I think, because he doesn't quite know what to do with her, and the village school was an even worse fit for her. Poor motherless child, she is such a daydreamer, but she and Ginny seem quite happy together, and Ginny's glad to have the company, now that the house seems so empty. It helps keep her from missing Ron quite so keenly.

I've been appalled, however, in working with them in this first week, finding all the gaps in their education and unearthing all the dreadful ideas that they innocently absorbed from their school last year. Minerva, I'm sure you know about it more than most--if we don't find a way to throw off the yoke of this monstrous regime soon, we may lose a whole generation. How can children grow up learning how to treat each other decently, if they are fed poison from the point that they just begin to ask questions?

Received an owl from Percy delivering a letter giving his version of how the first week went, including the twins' prank. It is a bit difficult to know how to read it. He offered that he had apologised to Ron, but it didn't even seem to occur to him that he hadn't apologised to the one person he really insulted, the child who works in the library. I'll write back and try to float that thought and see how he responds. It may give us more of a hint about his state of mind.

Comments

[alt_mcgonagall]

If only you could see the notions of grammar that children come to us with, particularly the ones that are not very bright! It would make you shudder. Far be it from me to criticise a person for the occasional lapse; Merlin knows I make them myself, and frequently. But constant, I say constant errors - well, it is village schools to blame and no mistake. Harry Marvolo, now, and other students who've benefited from private tutoring: they've got the basics ground into them, as it should be. It's a pity that those tutors aren't the ones they assign out, where they could do more good. Only, of course, nary a higher-up actually wishes to see the masses educated - rather the opposite!