As I write this, I'm listening to Brendan play a steady, groovin' beat on his drums upstairs. He had his first drum exam last week, and thinks he passed.
In England, they keep track of how accomplished you are by the grade you've acheived. Brendan has been taking drum lessons for a little over a year and has hopefully passed Grade 1 with the Rock School. His tutor just recieved the best teacher in England award for 2006. Brendan loves drum lessons, and even though his grade won't mean anything when we move back to America, I think it's good for him to be in a few high-stress situations. He doesn't get much at school. They don't have grades per se. They are placed on a scale of achievement in Maths, English, and Science. And they take a national standards tests every year, but the results only really count in years 2 and 6. So this year will be a big year for him, if we're still here in May.
Children move to secondary school in year 7 (6th grade). They don't have middle schools anymore. It's a big deal here, because you have to apply for a position in the schools of your choice. We went to three secondary school open evenings in October to see what they were like. I was most impressed with Northampton School for Boys. It's like university for children. But there's stiff competition for getting in. I had to fill out a questionaire on why our son would benefit form single-sex education, why this school was a good fit for him, etc... and jump through all the hoops to get things in by certain deadlines. They specialize in Music, Technology and Sport, and their facility it top-notch. I wouldn't mind staying another year if Brendan got accepted, just to give him a chance to see what school could be like. His friend Tom was accepted last year, and it took a long while for him to learn to organize and balance the extra homework and extra-curricular activities.
Brendan also has one of the lead roles in the Christmas play this year. He is a wise man named Roll. He and Ben and a girl from his year 6 class take the lead parts. He's SO excited. He's already learned his lines off by heart and he sings the songs in the shower and everywhere else. I have to make sure the video camera is charged and working for this one.
Bill's calling. I'll talk about him next time.
