Ever since my daughter heard the words “home schooled,” she’s locked in on the idea with laser-like focus. Well, more like a narrow focus as she pushes the whole “schooling” to the side and instead stares longingly at the “home” portion.
Whenever I must rouse her from sleep, or “encourage” her to be a bit quicker getting dressed or eating or grooming in the morning, I hear her plea, “If only I were home schooled.” At night as she delays bedtime and frets about it being yet another “school night,” she again will utter, “If only I were home schooled.”
It’s not that she doesn’t like her teachers—she adores them. She has plenty of friends at school too. It’s the sheer drudgery of waking at a specific time, and sitting in class, and well, having to learn on the clock that she abhors. She has this whole “home school” fantasy going on her head that as her mom/teacher, I’ll
- Let her sleep as late as she wants
- Let her do her work whenever she wants
- Play stuffed animals or Barbies with her whenever she wants
I’ve tried to explain to her that home schooling involves text books and work books and grade-specific curricula and, worst of all, ME becoming her teacher. And I did not become a teacher for a reason. I have very little patience. She should know that from those times I’ve struggled to help her with her homework. Often I don’t “get” how she doesn’t get it. (I now understand how all those tech folks have felt dealing with me and my computer problems over the years.) And as she gets older, I fear I won’t “get” it either.
Still, she has this fantasy.
I’ve told her recess would consist of her and the dogs. And lunch would be just the two of us, staring at each other as we ate our ham and cheese. There’d be no music class with fancy instruments or dancing with partners. No climbing wall during PE.
So far, she’s not being swayed. She has a dream.
And so do I. Peace and quiet every day, beginning at 7:25 am and lasting till nearly 3.
oh you make me laugh!
My daughter wishes she could say the same…
Seriously, hilarious! Made me revisit why I do not want to home school either. Though the dream of BEING home schooled — that lives on. : )
Oh, there are days (like today) when the thought of not having to get the kiddos up and ready for bus is tempting… but then I quickly think PAST the bus departure time and collect my senses.
I read “Information anxiety 2”. Richard Wurman says: “We can’t remember what it was like not to read, to walk or to know the names of objects. To some extent, we all fall victim to this when we explain something to another, because once we know something, we can’t remember what it was like not to know it.” He recommends us to try to remember what it was like not to know something before teaching it to another person. Well, sometimes I follow that, but when I see how different the process with my kids is, I become even more confused!
Ah- that sounds exactly like my daughter and me with her math. I explain and explain and I don’t understand why she doesn’t understand. So I have to think of myself with the computer, and then I can at least empathize with her, if not explain the math well… (and yes, they have a whole new “process” and vocabulary for math these days. Every generation they have to change it. Annoying!)