Homeschooling — Page 10

Last week, we went on a field trip a one-room schoolhouse that was opened in the mid-1800’s.

The kids had loads of fun dressing up, pretending to attend school and even playing games like “hit the hoop with a stick”.

As bucolic as it all looks, I think they got the gist of what life really was like: Getting up at 5am to help with chores, walking 2 miles to school, getting brought out to the “woodshed” by the superintendent if the teacher was mad at you.

Oh, and the privvy:

It’s darrrrrk in there. . .

But, if they have any doubts about what life was like just over a hundred years ago, they just need to look at this class photo:

Phew. I think this was before Smile and say cheese! was invented.

That’s it! I’m calling the school tomorrow!

Where’s that bus? Oh, how I wish I could make it stop. . .

Really? You’re going to fight me for one page of math? It’ll take you 10 minutes! If you were in school. . .

You don’t know how good you have it.

I know a lot of homeschooling parents who have either said, or thought, the above in some way, shape or form when their kids give them a hard time about doing any kind of structured lesson (or even unstructured ones!).

(and if you are one whose child never, ever gives them a hard time, consider yourself lucky. . .and rare)

I think most of what I’m feeling when I say or think the above can be summed up in the last statement: You don’t know how good you have it.

And here is where I start to think that maybe kids who have been IN school before can appreciate homeschooling more:

Maybe the child who has had to get up at 7am, day after day, to scarf down breakfast, throw on clothes, brush-comb-wash, and run to the bus appreciates eating a slow breakfast and doing the first day’s lesson in PJ’s.

Maybe the child who has had to sit through long, boring instruction on a topic they mastered months before appreciates skipping forward a few pages when the lessons are too easy.

And, conversely, maybe the child who was confused and struggling but didn’t get the attention they needed in a classroom of 20-30 kids appreciates being able to spend as long as necessary on a topic, until it is mastered.

Maybe the child who gazed longingly out the classroom window on a gorgeous afternoon appreciates being done with his work at noon and having the rest of the day to explore, see friends or do nothing at all.

Maybe the child who was bullied and teased appreciates being in a safer environment, with kids who don’t seem to care if he’s a little different from the norm.

My oldest, in 4th grade, seems to “get it” more, mainly because her school friends will tell her how “lucky” she is. But, my middle child, who has never gone to school, will moan and groan over a few minutes of grammar or spelling or math, and it drives me batty.

Don’t they know how good they have it?

——————————-

Edited to add: Okay. . .due to the rather angry direction these comments have taken, I’d like to clarify a few things: I am not anti-public school or anti-private school. My oldest says she wants to go to high school and, when we reach that point, she will most likely do just that. If I thought one of my kids would be better suited to life in a school setting, I’d seriously consider it.

That said, to call homeschool kids “weird” is ignorant and closed minded. And, not all public school kids go on to deal drugs (though I think Tracey was trying to make a point, not paint every kid with the same brush).

And really? We’re all doing the best we can with the choices we’ve made. So play nice.

The good ol’ days may have sucked

Wordless Wednesday: How to teach really confusing history

Is it easier to homeschool kids who have been to school?

Welcome!

Looking for something?

Isn’t that special?

I think he’s pretty great

Post Archive