Thinking Day
I’ve done a lot of that today, and not particularly in relation to the Baden-Powells.
It all started with a letter from the LEA containing a positively glowing report about the visit, it was somewhat akin to what I used to dream about getting on my school reports, you know, lots of things like "Child X is highly motiviated to learn and knows how to achieve sucess" or in this case "Mrs T-bird spoke enthusiastically about Aprilia’s education programme ane was clear about her aims and how to achieve them" Although I did wonder if she was talking about us when she said taht we provide a "Quiet, calm environment" for her to learn in!!!! Huh? was she in our house? Or just in denial about how bad it was??? that got me thinking, obviously she was more than happy so why on earth do I insist on stressing about it? Why am I worried that some weeks we do barely anything (forgetting the weeks when she romps through half a workbook in one go of course!) Why is tehre this stupid niggly feeling that someone is going to come and tell me she’s not performing well enough and will have to go to school?
Then there was the video clip posted up on Making It Up about how education focuses on far too narrow a skill set (to use educational jargon) and how stupid that is. That REALLY made me think about my wobbles with her reading and writing. So i ddn’t even suggest she did any today, instead we did crafts and let her be just as creative as she wanted to be.
She watched Blue Peter curled up on the sofa, snuggly in one hand, thumb of the other hand tucked in her mouth and I got to thinking, what right have I to take away the simple, childlike pleasures and to push her to growing up? I know, her teeth are going to be wonky, but then is that really the end of the world? Is it going to affect her life expectancy or just give her a bit of a wonky smile? and so what if she likes a fluffy toy pressed into her cheek? Is her overt enjoyment of the wonderful tactile sensations of a soft furry toy during the day any worse than me secretly cuddling toys in bed until Duke evicted them when he moved in?
She went off to thinking day this evening so full of excitement, dismissed me at the door (then shouted me back for a cuddle!) and came out 2 hours later absolutely full of herself, full of the exciting things she had done, how she had made friends, how she had been a proper little full of life girl.
I must have doen something very right in a previous life to deserve her.
Maybe the real way to describe what we are doing (bear in mind that at the mo we are flexi, neither one thing or t’other) is customised education. No point pushing something on a day when the victim’s mind is not with you, more beneficial to seize the days when they are fired up. Traditional schools have to deliver one size fits all, so they can’t do that. Blink and you have missed it.
We have gone from a child 15 months ago who had the basics to read, but still couldn’t/wouldn’t, to one who has to be told reminded that she needs to go to stop reading and go to sleep (still haven’t managed to bring myself to outright tell her to stop reading). It happens, they do it in their own time, and the only time we pushed hard was when she was stalled in late summer a year and a half ago, and I knew I was going to be going off working on a contract and didn’t want to go without she actually had her basic skills which would enable her to read in place. Looking back, I think that was probably a waste of effort on my part, and she would have got to where she is now regardless.
Take the praise from the LEA person, well done!
Comment by Tim — February 22, 2007 @ 11:13 pm
No I proof read that, and it still came out as garbage.
Comment by Tim — February 22, 2007 @ 11:14 pm
Or possibly, my love, you even did something in THIS life to deserve her
Comment by Merry — February 23, 2007 @ 9:16 am
Well done Anni and Aprillia but she only wrote what she saw, you ARE doing an excellent job
Oh and I reckon Aprillia is as lucky to have you as you are to have her. 
Comment by Nic — February 23, 2007 @ 9:48 am
fully in agreement with LEA lady [did I write that - faint! I doubt i will be v often!] that you are a wonderful home educator. yep your house is ‘busy’ and perhaps not the place for zen meditation, but it is stuffed full of things to do with A, and is clearly a place where a loving family is. you are the nucleus of that. you deserve her now - she is a product of the love and attention you give her. [except the less than perfect bits - they can be duke’s rofl]
Comment by HelenHaricot — February 23, 2007 @ 2:58 pm
Merry took the words right off of my keyboard.
Comment by jax — February 23, 2007 @ 8:48 pm