Wizarding elementary education

[jodel at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 42771

bboy_m writes;

>>So in terms of functioning at Horwards, Ron's education may be adequate, 
but I suspect he would be completely under educated by normal muggle school 
standards. Certainly, lacking basic muggle European history, basic science, 
geography, social studies, etc...<<

I'm pretty sure that wizards are taught geography, although their version may 
be a bit skewed. The same would probably go for a number of other subjects. 
In fact they might even get a good deal of British or world history in 
primary school in order to give them a context to compare with their later 
courses in history of Magic. It isn't likely that this follows Muggle history 
much beyond the point at which the WW secluded itself, however. Which was 
late 17th century. 

The impression given from the books and confirmed by Rowling's interviews is 
that magical abilities develop at different speeds for different individuals. 
Which is why magical education is not begun until the age of 11, by which 
time it is clear to all as to who is a wizard and who is not. I suspect that 
some of the children who develop early and are educated at home may be fitted 
for wands and already doing supervised magical training anything up to a year 
or more bvefore they actually start Hogwarts. (Which would explain how Snape 
could have already have had that impresive arsenal of curses to draw upon as 
a mere first year.) 

As to where wizarding children are educated, if they are not home schooled 
(which one assumes that the children of wealthy pureblood families probably 
are) or sent to Muggle schools (any child of mixed blood and a few plebian 
purebloods who live in Muggle towns), my own theory -- which is probably not 
unique -- is that there are a half dozen or a dozen or so small private 
wizarding primary schools scattered around Great Britan and that the children 
travel to them over the Floo network. 

-JOdel