Honestly, this has to be one of the most confusing and ambiguous threads I have seen on the site. OP I dont think you have a very strong knowledge of what the current school system is like. Most of the people responding in this thread (deswa1, thief and myself) are going through the school system or have been through it in recent times. Yes, there is somewhat of a "coaching" culture amongst top schools, but I dont think its to the extreme extent which you are making out and it isnt really going to torpedo a non-coached students chances of success.
The fact of the matter is, if you want to succeed in anything, you are going to face significant pressure and that is nearly inescapable. I went to an ordinary high school ranked in the middle of the state and I was under a lot of pressure. But that pressure was coming from within - the school wasnt very pushy, my parents werent pushy and my cohort overall wasnt very competitive.
Also, I think you are placing too much of an emphasis on her secondary education. Yes, secondary education is very important and a high ATAR can open many doors for you, but if you dont do well in the HSC that doesnt mean you are doomed to a menial profession. Once you get to uni, you realise that the HSC isnt the life changing apocalypse people make it out to be. There are many opportunities to move across courses and degrees. Also, things change a lot in uni and high school success doesnt always translate to uni success (a friend of mine got 77 in the HSC, but now he is almost at the top of his degree with a near HD average).
From what you have said, your daughter sounds quite intelligent. Try to have faith that she will find her way. A person who is motivated, has a strong work ethic and the necessary talent will succeed. No "coaching culture" is going to change that.
Very true. I attend a private school and I can tell you now, there are numerous people from my school who succeed way beyond the people who have tuition at my school as reflected in the past HSCs. Mainly, a few of my friends are scholars and I know for a fact that they have never had tuition in their entire life. This is not to say, that they are struggling against the 60 to 70% of students who have tuition, far from it. They continue to maintain consistent grades and needless to say, are close to or already topping my school.
Often at times, I observe my scholar friends very closely and they tell me something that is quite crucial in schools. I learnt that wherever you go, whatever you do, no doubt always requires some form of effort to reach a goal. Some people who do not do tuition instead, compete against the brightest by going in depth on their studies and expanding. By reading books related to the topic in their spare time. By getting involved with excursions and programs that relate to the topic. I've found that's what the majority of scholars do in my school and no doubt, they are performing extremely well, but more importantly, they're getting something out of learning beyond simple rote learning and tuition.
Your thread and questions are very ambiguous as Enoilgam has said. I am treating that your thread title is the question which you want answered. Simply, yes it is possible to be amongst the best without tuition. Is it easy? No, life is not easy and obviously the amount of effort and determination you place in something, will ultimately determine where you stand. For goodness sake, your daughter is in year 8, she is how old? Maybe 12 or 13? Give children like her a break. I for one, cannot judge your methodologies upon your daughter, but I really am saying now, do not worry too much about schooling. I am a half scholar at school and yes, I have Asian parents. What do they tell me when I get a mark of 80? "If you tried your best and worked to your maximum potential, we are happy." Now, I could not wish it any other way. If your daughter is trying her best and she knows she is, there is absolutely no reason to place any pressure upon her.
I understand, that your daughter is a scholar, well done. Do you actually know the characteristics that all scholars in schools should have? They are meant to be well rounded students with intellectual curiosity, a great depth of interest in particular areas and a willingness to contribute to school life in all endeavours. Schools count on scholars to enrich their environment. Rather then making our daughter stress, let her endeavour to pursue her interests, contribute to the school more often and live life because you know, there is definitely more to life then exam results.
