The Autumn Term

Two weeks have passed since Son No 1 started his new academic year. This first term is called the Autumn Term, as the school follows the British calendar. Son No 1 eased back into his school routine effortlessly. He is taking the same subjects, many of his teachers remain the same and he is now used to the way the school is run.

There have been some movement of students in his class - some of his classmates have moved to another school, others have been transferred to another class. But I supposed the important thing to Son No 1 is that his group of close friends have remained intact.

Ethan, Ian, Kevin and Thomas all come from similar upper middle-class background and I have, on separate occasions, met up with all their mothers. Generally, the boys are well-behaved (at least in front of their mothers), are competitive in class (in a good way) and enjoy strong family support. I am glad that Son No 1 has found this group of friends. After all, friends made in school can last a lifetime.

This year, Son No 1 will be studying some interesting topics. I glanced through some of his textbooks - for history, he will be studying British History from the period mid 1500 to 1800. That means he will be learning about people like King Henry VIII, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth 1. Those were colourful characters living in tumultous times and oh, so interesting! I have a good mind to borrow his textbook and read. The sad thing, on the other hand, is that he will not be exposed much to Asian history.

For Literature, he will be doing As You Like It this year. Last year, he did The Merchant Of Venice and I thought that was quite a good introduction to Shakespeare. For Math, they have started on Indices and for Science, they are exploring the Digestive System.

I will be adopting a hands-off approach this year as far as his studies are concerned. He should be old enough to learn to manage things by himself. Nevertheless, I like to find out what they are studying in school and how the teachers teach the topics. I then try to supplement his learning in an informal setting, like in the car on our way home. Well, you just can't take the teacher out of me :)

Son No 1 has just got his blue belt in taekwando. He was graded during the holidays. Now that he is more advanced, I can see that he looks forward to his TKD training every week. This year, he is also taking up another sport besides tennis. Badminton is his choice and no surprise there, judging from the badminton fever across the nation that was sparked by Lee Chong Wei's silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.

All in all, I must say it has been a good start to a new year.