Montego Bay, St James – “Hallelujah!” Ten year-old Winston Chue exclaimed on learning that he had earned a distinction in the Caribbean Examination Council’s General Proficiency Spanish Examination last year.

His expression reflected relief, happiness and, most of all, his deep faith in the Almighty. It wasn’t that he hadn’t expected to get a grade one, what with an Intelligence Quotient of 150 and a very exacting personal tutor who was instrumental in securing permission for him to do the exam, which is not normally open to children under the age of 14.

But moments before going into the exam, he had received the upsetting news that his cousin, Rayne Russell, had crashed into a truck along the Ironshore main road at the intersection of Coral Gardens Avenue, so it would have been understandable if he had turned in a less than distinctive performance.

That the young Chue was able to excel notwithstanding, is illustrative of the sturdy coping skills that his father, Winston Chue Snr, had feared he would not acquire outside of the traditional school system.

“I wanted his mother to send him to regular school so that he could socialise and pick up certain street smarts,” Chue Snr told the Sunday Observer.

But his wife Nicole wouldn’t hear of it.

“Every year we have the same argument. big argument. but I school them here,” she said, indicating a compact container on the premises of her husband’s trucking business. Despite the difference of opinion, however, Winston Chue Snr is fiercely devoted to giving his wife what she needs – the financial love is how Winston Chue Jr describes it – to home school her other two children, Jean Luc and Jean Françoise (JF for short) as well.

It’s more than financial love, though.

For although he pretends to make a great fuss about holding his ground with regard to the schooling method he thinks is better, Winston Chue Snr is very proud of his family. And although much of each day finds him in sweat-soaked shirts and greasy denims actively involved in the business, he makes time to play with them.

After play-time, however, Nicole, who also assists in the business, takes over. Armed with a wealth of literature gleaned from the Christian-based A Beka curriculum, she sets about the task of facilitating her children’s intellectual development.

The greatest sacrifice in this regard is the amount of time and effort she has to put into observing how the children learn and then structuring the lessons around their interests. At one point during his earlier years, it was dinosaurs for Winston. At another it was flight, inspired by the film Wings. Of course, reading is an integral part of the process and Nicole swears by the phonics system.

“Winston was reading at four-and-a-half years old and between the ages of six and nine he really taught himself,” Nicole said.

Today, he has several personal tutors who understand that he learns in three major ways, namely seeing, touching and hearing.

“It’s very important,” said Nicole. “I think that every child should be tested to see how they learn and then be appropriately placed so that they can learn.”

The results of interest and heavy investment that she pours into the process are evident in the toothy smiles and unaffected manners of the children. Charming. Disarmingly polite. Outspoken. Eager to learn, teach and share their environment with visitors.

“This is where I work. it’s smelly,” says Winston Chue Jnr apologetically as he opens up the container confidently to conduct the grand tour.

The small office, which is sectioned off from the rest of the container, is lined with stacks of book-filled soda crates which have been creatively arranged to form library shelves.

The slight mustiness of the office vanishes as everyone gets engrossed in the intellectual fare.

A huge television which facilitates much of the learning – the films with subtitles in various languages are particularly effective, Nicole has discovered – is couched on the other side of the container.

Outside in the yard it’s a beehive of activity with workmen and equipment that Nicole thinks is messy, but Winston Chue Snr knows it’s necessary to fund the children’s development.

This summer, Winston Chue Jr will learn much about the business: how to change spark plugs and tyres, but his first and greatest love, (apart from Juici beef patties) is Mathematics, the logic of which he finds irresistible.

“I love Mathematics. I love the logic,” he says excitedly.

He also loves music – anything with a religious theme – and reading his favourite book, Earagon, a fantasy novel by Christopher Paolini.

His greatest fear is of depths and his greatest wish is for a more Godly society.

“I wish that everyone would abide by God’s rules, because I see how much that has done for my family,” he says.