Schooling at Sea

© Penelope Kerr 2001-2004

Cruising Plans

There is no need to postpone plans of cruising until your children have finished school. Nor does the decision to take children cruising disadvantage them educationally. We in Australia are fortunate to have high quality, accessible distance education systems available in each State and Territory. This enables school students to continue their education and to fit straight back when they return.

Background

For years we had dreamed of sailing to the Solomon Islands. After flying there six years ago, it was obvious that the best way to visit was by boat so we began to prepare our Swarbrick S111 and the potential crew for the trip. With five of our six children finished school and David retired, 2002 was the year to go. Our youngest child William was in Year 9, the third year of Secondary school. We took the opportunity of a non- exam year to enrol him instead for distance education for six months (two full school terms).

The trip

David, wife Penny, daughter Bernadette (for the first three months) and William travelled up the East Coast of Australia and spent a month in the Louisiade Archipelago, an island chain to the South East of Papua New Guinea. After a month we moved on to the Solomon Islands where we spent over two months cruising the Western Province and Choiseul. During this time we sailed by day only and usually stayed for a few days in anchorages when we reached them. On our return trip we planned to sail direct to Coffs Harbour, but after being dismasted in the Coral Sea we were forced to divert to Gladstone, where the boat was repaired. As William was due back at his normal school, he came home and missed the final few hundred miles.

Distance Education

We started enquiries through William's school over a year before our proposed departure. They provided the contact details for the NSW Education Department's Karabar Distance Education Centre (DEC ) in Queanbeyan. Similar facilities are available in other States (see box).This contact established how the process was organized and clarified details such as subject choices. However, no formal enrolment was required until the beginning of the school Term prior to our departure. Will was able to continue all his subjects, though we soon realised that he would have to leave his beloved tuba behind and instead take a trumpet for his Music elective. An 11-metre sailing boat is not big enough for four people and a tuba as well!

Distance Education schooling meets the needs of a variety of situations including residence in isolated places, illness, overseas postings and travel either in Australia or overseas. One Karabar student is a gymnast who won several medals at the Commonwealth Games.

We allowed eight weeks to complete the enrolment process, and were pleased that we had not left it any later. After obtaining the forms from Karabar, the teachers at William's current school needed to be involved, to indicate what topics he had already completed during the current year and to establish expected standards. This demanded significant input from the teachers so took some time to complete and a degree of follow- up.

Once all these forms were in, we were able to send documents and fees to Karabar. We received an information folder and video which answered many questions about the Distance Education Process. It was clear that the supervisor, (Penny) would have a very active role. She must ensure that all work was completed and posted, check new material as it was received, encourage and motivate, and liaise between student and school. She did not, however, need to be involved in the teaching process. The lessons were self- explanatory. Any difficulties were addressed directly between teacher and student. In our case, this was usually done by Sailmail.

William's new teachers now started to plan his topics and to pack up lessons for the first eight weeks of his enrolment. Three weeks later, this material was ready and could be posted out but we were encouraged to visit the school to collect it so that the student and the supervisor could meet some of the staff and could have a better feel for the school. William and Penny travelled to Queanbeyan and found the trip useful. A tour of the Office opened our eyes to the complexity of dealing with distance students. Our visit made later contact with teachers, and administrative staff much more personal.

The Process

Each week, a student must complete a "Title Page," that is, a set amount of work in each subject. The Title Page for each subject is in a different colour for easy identification and a week's material is packed in a zip- lock bag. There is written work to be returned each week and there is often an audio tape- for example, for Music Performance, or Japanese pronunciation. All material needed for each lesson is provided by the school. This includes audio tapes, background material and stimulus sheets.

Because the students are from such diverse backgrounds, the lessons have variety and flexibility and each student is addressed as an individual in a way that is rarely possible in a school classroom. Standards are very high and are maintained by frequent contact between school and student.

We took a dictionary and an atlas. There is some research; access to the internet or to a library would have helped a great deal, but William had to do without. If we were away for longer, we would need to establish some way of allowing more adequate research. A couple of exercises should have included TV or video material, but we were able to use alternative input.

When the Title Pages come back each week to Karabar they are marked and returned with comments. At this time new work is posted, well ahead of time. At time of enrolment we provided a detailed itinerary with addresses for mail. We discovered that it was best to bring deadline dates forward in case the mail is held up or there is an earlier departure than planned. We had one parcel chasing us from Mackay to Cairns after a quick run up the Coast.

On an 11-metre boat with four people on board, organisation and storage of all this paper and the audio tapes presented problems of volume. At any time we would have at least eight weeks' written material in eight subjects, needing to be waterproof but accessible. There were also approximately 20 audio tapes. We built shelves which accommodated the current audio tapes, then stored the others in vacuum- seal bags. Material for the current and the next week was kept in a briefcase in the main cabin, returned and future work stored in garbage bags in the lockers under William's bunk.

William generally used the table in the main cabin as his desk though he liked to retire to his own cabin for a semblance of privacy when he was recording tapes. Timing was important here too. He had to avoid radio skeds, weather forecasts and idle chatter from parents. Of course there were sometimes much better places to study, more scenic than the normal classroom.

We tried to give William more space when he did exams. As a result he sat for exams and quizzes in some very unusual settings: a barbeque table at a resort; a similar table outside a yacht club bar (fortunately after hours); a Bishop's office and the sewing classroom of a girl's Technical High school.

The Challenges

We had vaguely thought that the load would be lighter than at school, because it seemed to us that time spent in a classroom is less than 100% productive, with movement between classes, marking rolls, discipline of students and so on. The first week changed our mind. William needed to apply himself very solidly for the full time allocated to each subject. There were no short cuts, as the work had to be done and submitted on time. We were impressed at the variety of approaches the teachers used to convey the material, so it kept William interested throughout. He sometimes had to work every day and most nights but did make time for diving, snorkelling and exploring.

Often we found that what he was studying was reinforced by our experiences. In history he was learning about Kanakas while we sailed the Queensland Coast. In Science he studied volcanoes and fossils while we went walking to an active volcano and explored beaches littered with fossils. We gave Will a morning off to visit a school devoted to rural training and this later became the subject of a Geography assignment.

The main problem was making time to study. When we were sailing every day or overnight, school work was possible on calm days but once the winds and the sea rose William could not really read or write as he would be seasick in no time. Sometimes he tried, but the result was not very legible. There were often distractions including catching the evening meal.

When we were at anchor life became very busy, so William had to be extremely motivated. At one village we left him studying and were travelling in our rubber boat to go on shore when the Chief arrived in a dugout canoe with two large young men. He had heard that William would be on the yacht alone and was bringing two "minders" to look after him. We decided that Will would get more done alone so we declined the generous offer.

The most difficult time for high quality output was when we were dismasted at the end of the trip. We became used to the rolling motion of the boat, and William, very keen to get finished as the end of Term was near, tried his best, but the books just would not stay still on the table!

Sending Title Pages off to Karabar regularly was quite a challenge. We rarely saw a Post Office. Only one town we visited in the Solomons and two in the Louisiades have postal facilities, so there were often delays in posting. This is where the email system really became valuable. We could keep teachers informed about Will's progress and William could also ask questions and get replies quickly. We could have submitted electronically if our system had the capacity to handle long email attachments (a facility which became available as our trip was ending).

The mailing process could become quite expensive. Postage is free within Australia but overseas the bills can mount up. We paid SI$80 for one parcel which contained four weeks' work. Fortunately this converted to A$20 because of the favorable exchange rate. We would not like to be posting from Britain or the USA!

Benefits

William has certainly benefitted from his time away, both in terms of the experience he had as a traveller, and the responsibility he took for his own learning. When he returned to his "old" school after the trip, he settled straight back into school life and found himself well placed academically. We were most impressed by the support of the staff and in particular the individual, positive and thoughtful input from his teachers. We were pleased also to have William with us, enjoying his company (and trumpet playing) and always grateful for an extra pair of hands.

Our discussions with cruising parents from other Australian States suggest that the process is similar and the quality consistent with the high standards we experienced. Distance Education is certainly an effective option for travelling students.

Australia's Distance Education Centres

In all Australian States and Territories Distance Education is available to both Primary and Secondary students unable to access a normal school. These schools are conducted by the State or Territory's Department of Education, though ACT students are served by nearby Karabar DEC in Queanbeyan. In most States there are several Centres, catering for different needs or for different geographical areas.

Parents considering enrolling a child could approach their current school (whether Government or non- Government) or contact their local Department of Education as a first step.

Information about each DEC is available on the internet. Web pages are listed below. The website http://www.edna.edu.au lists DECs throughout Australia with addresses and brief descriptions for each.

New South Wales: http://www.oten.edu.au

Northern Territory: http://www.ntoec.nt.edu.au

Queensland: http://education.qld.gov.au

South Australia: http://oac.schools.sa.edu.au

Tasmania: http://www.distance.tased.edu.au

Victoria: http://www.distance.vic.edu.au

Western Australia: http://www.side.wa.edu.au

Author Box:

Penny and David Kerr have six children, with one still at school. They started sailing Herons, then Sharpies together in the early 1960s. Penny has worked in Adult Education for a number of years but is now in retirement with David so they have been able to extend their cruising experiences.

Illustrations (slides unless indicated):

1. "There is plenty of detailed information available for the Supervisor and student."

2. (A-D, choose one. A is our preference). "Some of the materials which help the teacher to operate remotely."

3. "We used our vacuum sealer to make water resistant storage for the many audio tapes."

4. PHOTOGRAPH. "The classroom environment is very flexible!"

5. "Practical learning on Vella Lavella in the Solomons. Our guide cracked open this Sulphur from an active volcanic area."

6. "Hard at work on the saloon table."

7. "William examines a WWII very early Japanese radar antenna in the Shortland Islands- an interesting history lesson."