[HPforGrownups] Re: Not quite Hogwarts but...

[ABoyko at starchoice.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 6249

My father was in the Canadian Armed Forces, and from 1977-79, we were
stationed in Moscow, in what was the USSR.

I went to the local Anglo-American school, conducted in English and run by
the British and Americans. (We also shared the building with the Japanese
and Swedish schools).  The school had teachers up to Grade 9. There was a
guided studies programme for teens taking correspondence courses for Grades
10-12, or they went to boarding schools or stayed in their home country with
relatives. I was in Grades 6-7 and hated the school. I was quite the
outcast. If the HP books had been around at that time, I would have
identified with Neville the most.

I desparately wanted to go to boarding school! I hated living in Moscow, and
the family situation was quite dysfunctional, shall we say.

The school library had a strong British influence, and I remember wistfully
reading a lot of novels set in boarding schools. Some of my classmates had
older siblings who got to go to boarding school in Switzerland or England.
Oh, how I would have loved that! I agree with Joywitch that there is the
appeal of kids living away from their families. I am sure I would have
thrived better at a boarding school or if I'd stayed in Canada with my
relatives. Problem was, nobody asked me what I wanted. I may have brought up
the subject of boarding school once, but it wasn't an option.

Angela

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Joywitch  [SMTP:joym999 at aol.com]
> Sent:	Thursday, November 30, 2000 3:09 PM
> To:	HPforGrownups at egroups.com
> Subject:	[HPforGrownups] Re: Not quite Hogwarts but...
> 
> So, what do we think about boarding schools, people?  Personally, I 
> am fascinated by them, and part of the appeal of the HP books to me 
> is the same as the appeal that Tom Browns Schools Day and other books 
> about English boarding schools have always had for me.  I think it is 
> the idea of kids living (sort of) on their own that has always made 
> those books fascinating to me.  On the other hand, I would never want 
> to go to any of those schools or send my kids to them.  It is a nice 
> fantasy but I think children are better of when they are part of a 
> supportive, close family, especially in their teenage years.  Then 
> again, if a kid has a crappy, dysfunctional family they might be 
> better off at a boarding school.  And I have acquaintances who live 
> in a small town who sent their younger daughter to boarding school, 
> at her request, because the academic opportunities at the local 
> schools were very limited.  (or maybe she is a witch...hmmmmm)
> 
> --Joywitch
> 
> 
> 
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