London Is a Learning Hub for Homeschool Families

CHISWICK, WEST LONDON – “How will you expose your children to various career paths?,” people ask us.

Here’s one way we do it… (More below.)

Learning in London

Greetings from London, our current resting place…

Our children have never been to school.

Instead, Kate taught them to read at home and on the road. And now they can read, they learn by themselves from books, YouTube videos, and lots and lots of homeschool field trips. 

We’re currently in London, where we’ve come to sort out my mother’s estate.

With all its history and culture, London is a feast for a homeschool family like us. So while we’re here, we’re trying to learn as much as we can…

For example, London is the birthplace of the English common law system.

The U.K.’s legal system – also known as judicial precedent or case law – has been adopted by many other countries around the world. That includes some of the freest, most entrepreneurial ones like the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Hong Kong. 

Here we are at the Royal Courts of Justice, London’s central court complex…

A reader, Paul, is a barrister in London. In the U.K.’s legal system, a barrister is a specialist lawyer who is entitled to argue cases in front of a judge or arbitrator in court. Paul wrote to us and offered to show us around. 

In U.K. courts, barristers have to wear silk robes and wigs made of horsehair. Here’s Miles dressing up as a barrister…

The legal system is a fundamental pillar of a free and competitive society.

I’m not sure why, but they never taught me anything about the legal system at school. Guess they didn’t think it was important.

We don’t want to make the same mistake of omission in our children’s education. So, of course, we accepted Paul’s invitation…

Paul explained how the legal system works and what it’s like to be a lawyer. We even got to step into a courtroom and watch proceedings in a prominent local court case happening here in the U.K. (Rooney versus Vardy).

Here’s Penny in the Royal Court museum…

All in all, another great homeschool field trip!

– Tom Dyson

P.S. Our next field trip: the Museum of the Home, to explore the concept and meaning of the word “home”…

Like what you’re reading? Send your thoughts to [email protected].

Kind words for the Dyson family today… and gratitude for the Postcards…

Reader comment: Think your Postcards adventures have grounded people in the world as to what really matters in our lives. Thank you to you and your family, and to you and Kate, for stepping out into the unknown.

Reader comment: I’m thinking, as I read about your family bailing from societal norms, it would nice to take such an adventurous detour in life, especially if you had a mother’s mansion to fall back into.

However, as you must well know, that existence is far from the opportunity of most readers (as well as the general population). If I sound envious, in some respects, admittedly, I am.

I’m way beyond that stage in life but not beyond trying something different. I’ll think about it.

Reader comment: Thank you for a two-year feast of history, geography, and culture! Your Postcards contain an erudite collection of information. You and Kate should write a book based on the family’s adventures around the world. It could well be a best-seller.

Tom’s note: Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We always appreciate your support and encouragement! Please keep writing us at [email protected], and I’ll do my best to answer your questions in future Friday mailbag editions.