Posted in My Homeschool FAQs
Night before last we had a terrible lightening storm. This is a very rare event here. We usually get 4 1/2 inches of rain per year and we got 3 inches in one night! Needless to say all three of my kids were huddled in "the big bed" trembling. (Not to mention the dog and 2 cats! LOL) It was pretty crowded and we all ended up staying awake pretty much all night and then falling asleep all together at about 6:00 a.m. When I got up at 10:30 a.m. I went to look outside and see if we had any damage from the storm. There were a couple high school kids loitering in front of my house and I realized it was the 1st day of school! (We live near a High School.) I couldn't help but wonder how all these poor kids were functioning at school since I knew they had weathered out the same storm we did! They had to be exhausted. My kids were still sound asleep upstairs in the bed together.I think this story shows the stark contrast between traditional and home education. Home education is gentle. It meets the need of the students. My kids needed sleep a whole lot more than any book learning at the moment. I cannot even imagine how stressed out we all would have been all night if I had known I had to get them all up and ready for the first day of school with that storm raging! These kids in front of my house were probably showing up at school about the time we fell asleep! (High School starts at 6:45 a.m. here Can you even imagine??? Oh, and I am not even going to blog about the fact that we all know these kids were NOT suppose to be in front of my house out 10:30 in the morning...they should have been in class! LOL) Let's face it, do you think any of those kids are really at their optimal learning potential at 6:45 a.m.? From what I have been told the start time has do with being able to use the same buses for High School, Middle School and Grade School. It is not becasue of any concern over how well the kids function that early in the day! (High School starts at 6:45, Middle School 7:45 and Grade school 8:45. Then they all get out an hour apart also. This somehow makes it easier for the buses to run and less buses are therefore needed. Therefore saving money.) When you are organizing school for thousands of kids at one time the individual child just cannot be the priority. Things like learning styles, sleep patterns, personalities, etc. all become irrelevant. You either fit in with the system or you don't. I know there are a lot of well meaning people in the school systems, but this is just the way the system works. I know for many kids the system works just fine. I think of my oldest son though and know this kind of situation would have been a nightmare for him. He is a very bright, very intense kid. He needs a lot of sleep and a lot of grace from the people around him to get through the day! LOL If he would have started school today after the night we had he would have been a big ole' crank pot! He would have made a bad first impression on his teacher and all his classmates. He probably would have become annoyed with all of them and decided to write them all off for the year! Now, don't get me wrong he's a great kid, but having the advantage of having a teacher who knows exactly how much sleep he got last night and how much grace needs to be extended to him is crucial to his learning! I know that sat some point he will have to go out in to "real" world where he is not catered to. Through homeschooling we have been able to work with him as he matures and gets to a point where he is ready to enter the "real" world successfully. (And it has been quite a process!)
So as you prod through your school days Mom remember this! You can offer something to your children that no other school can. Continuity. You can relate to what they are going through moment by moment because you are are there moment by moment! For some kids this is not as important as others, but imagine how wonderful learning can be if it is not only customized to your interests and abilities but to your special needs at well! And then it is delivered with love, grace, joy and concern for your individual well being & growth!
HAPPY NOT BACK TO SCHOOL DAY!!!!
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Posted by Linda S
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