Comments on: A Level traumas with Mercers College http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2008/10/a-level-traumas-with-mercers-college/ The cruising log of the good ship Mollymawk Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:12:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: David and Sandy http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2008/10/a-level-traumas-with-mercers-college/comment-page-1/#comment-6501 David and Sandy Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:44:12 +0000 http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/?p=477#comment-6501 Hi Guys, dropped into your website to see how life is going for you. What a situation with Mercer, eh? Is he still in business or have they put his head on a pike on London Bridge? We are in Torrevieja on our way back to Almerimar having spent the winter in Rome and the summer along the Riviera. We are heading into your Mar Menor today, for me to dive with the hookah and do the anodes, and clean and check. Don't fancy diving in Almerimar :0 We got your books, thank you. Sandy has read them both and thoroughly enjoyed them but (as is usual for me) I haven't got round to reading them yet. Will do soon. All the best to you all and hoping that your colander WiFi is still working well, David and Sandy Hi Guys, dropped into your website to see how life is going for you. What a situation with Mercer, eh? Is he still in business or have they put his head on a pike on London Bridge? We are in Torrevieja on our way back to Almerimar having spent the winter in Rome and the summer along the Riviera. We are heading into your Mar Menor today, for me to dive with the hookah and do the anodes, and clean and check. Don’t fancy diving in Almerimar :0 We got your books, thank you. Sandy has read them both and thoroughly enjoyed them but (as is usual for me) I haven’t got round to reading them yet. Will do soon. All the best to you all and hoping that your colander WiFi is still working well, David and Sandy

]]> By: Jill http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2008/10/a-level-traumas-with-mercers-college/comment-page-1/#comment-987 Jill Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:14:44 +0000 http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/?p=477#comment-987 Hey, Clive, I should also have mentioned the fact that you CAN still prove, or improve your mental muscle, should you really want to do so. The courses provided by the NEC are not specifically directed at kids. Indeed, I think I am right in saying that most of the students using this, and other Distance Learning Colleges are adults. Updating the previous report: It became obvious that Mercers were never going to come up with the promised, long-awaited Classics course, for Xoë, and so we have invested in an NEC Classics course. Madam X says that it is "brilliant". Meanwhile, Caesar's new maths and physics teacher is proving excellent too - so now all the lad has to do is knuckle down... Jill Hey, Clive, I should also have mentioned the fact that you CAN still prove, or improve your mental muscle, should you really want to do so.
The courses provided by the NEC are not specifically directed at kids. Indeed, I think I am right in saying that most of the students using this, and other Distance Learning Colleges are adults.

Updating the previous report:
It became obvious that Mercers were never going to come up with the promised, long-awaited Classics course, for Xoë, and so we have invested in an NEC Classics course. Madam X says that it is “brilliant”.

Meanwhile, Caesar’s new maths and physics teacher is proving excellent too – so now all the lad has to do is knuckle down…

Jill

]]> By: Jill http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2008/10/a-level-traumas-with-mercers-college/comment-page-1/#comment-849 Jill Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:07:18 +0000 http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/?p=477#comment-849 You're right in a way, Clive. Nick is a mechanic - but he has never done any formal training, and he doesn't have any bits of paper to prove that he is a mechanic. As he always says, when people ask him for proof of his competence, "If I can fix your engine then I'm a mechanic." (And when they talk to him like that he also doubles their bill. :) ) We never intended that the kids should get themselves (and us) so bogged down with qualifications. It seemed to us that, having been home-schooled, they needed to do some small thing to prove their competence - both to the world and to themselves (which is far more important, of course) - and so we encouraged them to take 5 GCSEs each. Without that "proof" we would have continued to suffer from the accusation that we had failed to give our children the advantage of a proper schooling. Well, we / the kids scotched that idea - but from there things have snow-balled. Xoë has set her heart on academia, and on a place at university; she just LOVES studying. One might almost say that she lives to study. Caesar is less enthusiastic about the exam thing, and his favourite pastime is tweaking this website... but he is also enjoying his studies. The kids have never been taught to view academic success as a goal - on the contrary - and they were under no compulsion from us or from anybody else to take on this burden. It was their choice. It is hard work, for all of us, but in a few months time it will all be over... until Rox decides to tread the same road... Jill You’re right in a way, Clive.
Nick is a mechanic – but he has never done any formal training, and he doesn’t have any bits of paper to prove that he is a mechanic. As he always says, when people ask him for proof of his competence, “If I can fix your engine then I’m a mechanic.” (And when they talk to him like that he also doubles their bill. :) )

We never intended that the kids should get themselves (and us) so bogged down with qualifications. It seemed to us that, having been home-schooled, they needed to do some small thing to prove their competence – both to the world and to themselves (which is far more important, of course) – and so we encouraged them to take 5 GCSEs each. Without that “proof” we would have continued to suffer from the accusation that we had failed to give our children the advantage of a proper schooling.
Well, we / the kids scotched that idea – but from there things have snow-balled.

Xoë has set her heart on academia, and on a place at university; she just LOVES studying. One might almost say that she lives to study.
Caesar is less enthusiastic about the exam thing, and his favourite pastime is tweaking this website… but he is also enjoying his studies.
The kids have never been taught to view academic success as a goal – on the contrary – and they were under no compulsion from us or from anybody else to take on this burden. It was their choice. It is hard work, for all of us, but in a few months time it will all be over… until Rox decides to tread the same road…

Jill

]]> By: Clive http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2008/10/a-level-traumas-with-mercers-college/comment-page-1/#comment-847 Clive Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:37:37 +0000 http://www.yachtmollymawk.com/?p=477#comment-847 Hi Guys, Wow! Not sure what to say apart from the amazing crew of the mollymawk are studying stuff that I never had a chance to even look at. Maybe I would have failed, maybe not, who knows? I live my life now worried that I don't have a certificate for this or an exam result for that in a world of paper. But, surely this situation you and I are in is a product of a world that thinks a piece of paper is more important than a lifetime of experience or proven practical ability. Lots of love from Grazalema Hi Guys,

Wow!

Not sure what to say apart from the amazing crew of the mollymawk are studying stuff that I never had a chance to even look at. Maybe I would have failed, maybe not, who knows?

I live my life now worried that I don’t have a certificate for this or an exam result for that in a world of paper. But, surely this situation you and I are in is a product of a world that thinks a piece of paper is more important than a lifetime of experience or proven practical ability.

Lots of love from Grazalema

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