http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/katharinebirbalsingh/100090645/chris-martin-and-gwyneth-paltrow-pay-60k-for-a-private-childrens-tutor-meanwhile-in-the-real-world/
Why?
The Telegraph article suggests that celebrity parents find our educational system 'restrictive' and indeed it is. Our mathematics curriculum is structured in a way that even if a pupil understand the concept of multiplication at age six- and many do- they will still have to sit through a handful of lessons each year teaching multiplication. Assessment for learning is supposed to remove this wasted time, but in practice I bet there are classes in each school containing bored children who are sat there thinking "I already know this!"
Private schools such as the one I teach in are better equipped to handle this situation. I write my own curriculum, and having under fifteen pupils in my class allows me to work far more intensively with each child, ensuring they grasp concepts quickly and can apply them appropriately. I presume celebrities sometimes choose to avoid private education due to security issues, but the Martin/Paltrow children issue indicate something that is beyond security or personal choice.
Let me tell you a bit about yourself. You're on this blog as you want to ensure your children grow up with every advantage. You are willing to commit time and money and to make sacrifices to achieve your aims for them, and your deepest worry would be that any of your children end up unemployed and unable to find work. You'd like your children to become well rounded individuals who don't struggle with money and who marry well, finding partners of an equal or higher social status. The Martin/Paltrows want this too. Celebrity kids can be bratty, demotivated, party animals, unemployed, or absolutely normal and well-adjusted. Which would you want?
So, to the heart of my post. The specifications of the vacancy- to teach multiple languages, sailing and tennis- are really interesting. Your children learn the basic subjects in school and probably have some sort of extra-curricular hobby (gymnastics, music lessons, karate) to balance out their experience of being children. But would it be worth teaching them sailing, tennis, Latin?
I believe that without £60,000 a year for an advanced tutor, there are a number of 'advantage giving' things we can do for our children. Giving our children a balanced world view is key to their future development, and as such I believe that they should learn about:
Countries of the World
The history of business
Famous scientists, mathematicians, and writers
Roles in the media
Starting a company
Notable artists
Architects and famous buildings
Classic drama and comedy
(i'll add more as they come to me)
One of the things I want to spend the next five years doing is to create an online sequence of lessons for children presenting these additional learning points. I'll use them in school, use them with my children, and hopefully make some advertising revenue- perhaps even achieve a book deal based on my structured planning. As always, I am putting the time in as I want to change education for the better; but this time, I also want to offer our select bunch of Power Parents a real way to add value to preexisting education.
Essentially, I want to become your £60,000 a year home tutor for free. So stick with me, bookmark my blog, and the next few years will revolutionise the lives of your children. We have ten, fifteen years to ensure our children find their ways into amazing careers and happy adult lives, and it all starts here, with this offer to you.
Note:
Since writing this article i've researched the Martin/Paltrows further. Chris Martin graduated from University College London with a first in Greek and Latin. Their desire to produce children who are erudite, educated, and enlightened will surely come from the fact that he knows his success and career has come about from his excellent education. He clearly thinks that his knowledge of Greek and Latin is central to his world view. Indeed/ he's right. Getting his children into UCL would be a great end to their education, as UCL has produced the following alumni:
All of Coldplay
Alexander Graham Bell
Gustav Holst
Christopher Nolan
Mahatma Ghandi
Junichiro Koizumi (Japanese PM 2001-2006)
Fantastic use of your fortune Chris and Gwyneth!
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