Readin', Writin' an' 'Rithmatic

Wind back the clock, if you will, to your high school years.  Okay, some of us have to wind a long way and wrack our middle aged minds to get there, but for a moment transport yourself to those long ago, golden days.  I am able to say that because my high school memories are happy ones despite it being five years in an all girls boarding school.

In my last post I mentioned that I had studied Logic!  Premises and conclusions etc. etc. and while this is a source of some hilarity to my better other half I actually believe some of these early "Clear Thinking" methods have served me quite well in later life.  For many years I loved  Logic Puzzles as well but alas, the brain does grow rusty and I find them much more difficult these days.  Sudoku, which I also love,  are solved in much the same way.

Can you remember the subjects you chose in Year Eleven and Twelve?
I'm thinking  English, Maths (Social Maths aka Vegie Maths :-)., Economics, Biology, Home Economics, Logic, RE.  As you can see from the random choices I had no idea what I was going to do when I grew up and just took a stab at general things.  I feel now, over thirty years later that each of these subjects has been useful to me in adult life.

I always imagined I would do teaching and got into the Uni here, but by the end of those five secondary years I was very "over" studying.  I thought I would take a year or two off and maybe  go back to the books at some later time.  Of course, once one has a job, an income and a social life, it is hard to take up that challenge.  So although I mooted it almost every year, encouraged by my various bosses, I never did return to study.

I began my working career in a job I absolutely loved!  I was the Kindergarten Assistant in Biloela for two years.  Not only have I always loved children and been interested in their development and education, but I was blessed to work with a marvelous teacher who informed and encouraged this in me.  I left that job only because of my loneliness for young people of my own age and interests in what was a little bit of a rough country town in those days.

Moving to Rockhampton I almost immediately scored a job in the area of one of my other great loves....books!  I was Library Assistant at the Girls Grammar School for five years.  These were great years.  These were firstly the years of very hectic social life of which I eventually grew weary but also the time in which I learned of my desperate need of a Saviour and by His providence, came to know the Lord.

I have of course been "teaching" for over twenty years!  Again, I think all of the learning I did in high school has in some way benefitted me and my children in our home schooling venture.
Just this week I surprised myself by rattling off  "Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species." when it came up in the boys work.   Such clunking of the old grey matter! But it did get me thinking of the ways in which my school subject choices have  been useful in real life.

You will notice that I did not do History, Ancient or Modern.  While I love History now I am not sorry I didn't study it at school as it is an area that I have loved to learn about in my years of home schooling.  A good general knowledge is so beneficial.  I have always marvelled at my father's fabulous general knowledge being a lad who left school at year seven, didn't have TV till he was in his 50s and has never used a computer.  His one downfall in Trivial Pursuit or TV quiz shows - Arts and Entertainment.  Wouldn't know one movie from another!


So...  What subjects did you choose and were they beneficial for later study, work or home making? Did you go on to University and what did you study?  Were your high school subjects prerequisite for the course you undertook or did you have a complete change of interest?

And on another note, something I have also been pondering with all the home school neglect articles and posts in the past week, What level of education is needed to teach ones children at home?   Do you think this is a factor? Would you disqualify someone who say, left school at Year 10? 12?

Just to finish off another post with a lot of meandering thoughts and get your eyes and brains working.  See if you can pick me out of this Year 9 schoolphotograph.

Remember your creator in the days of your youth.