For Writers

Found a carnival for all those readers and writers out there!

 

Summer Links

Although lists of this sort abound on the web, I thought I would give our list of sites -- for those of you who simply can't think of what to do this summer

http://childparenting.about.com/library/docs/nhomelearningplan.htm -- An 8 week plan

http://www.lapl.org/kidspath/books/index.html -- LA Public Library Great Books Page -- with lists by grade

A Summer Plan

     So here it is -- a puzzlement: What to do to entertain three boys, ages almost five, six and eight? My answer: work through The Dangerous Book for Boys. When the book first came out, I spoke with my youngest brother about it. He laughed and said that he'd seen the book and that he and our older sib had done pretty much everything in the book at one time or another plus a few extras. There is some wonderful material in the book. In addition we are going to recreate the idea expressed in Paddle-to-the-Sea . The boys and I will create a small wooden boat and set it adrift. 9Once it is built, I will upload pictures for folks to see.)  We will include on it an address where people who find it can notify us... it will be interesting to see what happens!

 

      Meanwhile I am going to begin posting our 'DFB' lesson plans. Anyone who wishs to join us in this event is more than welcome to do so. Off to start the day. Have a wonderful one!

Poetry

     It has always been my contention that what we read shapes the way we write: when one reads something well written, one picks up and echos the rhythm of that author's pen. The same might be said for poor writing. Here is a shining example of the phenomena: A poem, written by a not quite five year old shortly after listening to a selection of William Blake's poetry:

 

That fearful symmetry

That no eye could spot

The colors of the darkness, he

could not be seen

by the brightest moon.

The deadly death of his prey

He squeezed it TIGHT!

As lightening could... destroy a tree.

 

The deadly lion as his prey

That deadly lion spelled

The cast of his magic,

blasted the creature.

 

The snake of poison early grasps

the thin air.

 

By Xander, Age almost 5

Born July 20, 2004 (Birthday and age added at author’s request)

 

     The implications are clear. When you are preparing to write, select an author whose style you admire and wish to emulate. Immerse yourself in that author's works. When you emerge, write and write and write some more. Eventually, as you write more and more, you will begin to find your own voice but for the novice writer, this exercise -- of immersion followed by writing -- works well.

 

     There is another reason to immerse yourself in fine writing -- one can learn proper grammar almost painlessly by so doing. Truly. Again, select an author whose work reflects a true grasp of the language in which you wish to write and read, read, read. It is true that as authors become more skilled, they move away from a slavish devotion to proper grammar. The difference between the good writer and the bad (in this case) is simply that the good writer makes his grammar 'mistakes' knowingly and for effect, an effect that can only be achieved if the rest of the work is properly written. The bad writer ignores all the rules and writes as if he/she had developed a nasty illness of the pen.

 

     For those who wish to write and hope someday to be published, I have several suggestions: There is a wonderful program called Written and Illustrated by: A Revolutionary Two-Brain Approach for Teaching Students How to Write and Illustrate Amazing Books (See my links for the Contest website). People such as Dav Pilkey (The New Captain Underpants Collection (Books 1-5) and Stacey Chbosky (Who Owns the Sun?) have gotten their start this way. I am hoping that I can get both sons involved this year:> For others, there is the program called 'National Novel Writing Month' (Again, see my links for this). I became aware of this latter program while reading 'My life+Insanity' -- a blog by a homeschooled student, Galadrial. (See Friends). The program sounds like a very good one -- designed to get people up and writing, rather than just talking about doing so.

 

     Which reminds me: Last night my eldest read one of our favorite authors, Cynthia Rylant. The book? Mr. Putter & Tabby Write the Book These are young reader's books but delightful even for an adult. In this story, the erstwhile hero sets out to write a novel -- and spends more time eating and sleeping than he does writing! Oh how familiar that is.

 

     It was Maya Angelou (The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou) who once commented that she had discovered the key to overcoming writer's block: She had a room, bare of anything, with just a typewriter and a ream of paper. She would set her timer and stay in that room at the typewriter writing until the timer went off. She did that everyday without fail. And while a good deal of what she wrote, she eventually threw away, she said she never suffered from writer's block. She knew she had to write so write she did. Writer's block, in her estimation, was simply laziness and fear. Write, write, write and you will not suffer from the block.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

The free bird leaps
on the back of the win
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and is tune is heard
on the distant hillfor the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
an the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

Maya Angelou

 

Adieu for now.

 

Wakings

The Waking by Theodore Roethke

I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go.

We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.

Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.

This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Ah, good advice: Take Life slowly, savouring the moments. Not something we do when we are young. Then life is a carnival -- you want to see all of it, DO all of it before the time runs out and you have to go home. I know that that was my view of life, especially as a teenager. I felt this bone deep need to go and see and do NOW! And I did go, see and do quite a lot, enough to know that there were places (and people) to which I would return again and again.

And now, I am a mother -- not something I ever truly imagined -- and I want to take Life slow. I watch as my sons grow too fast, much too fast. Every day there is a change -- small to some but immense to me. I look and remember the first moments and though I wouldn't change the present for the past, there are times when I miss parts of the past -- the way my eldest born could smile with delight over the simple act of catching (finally!) a cheerio and conveying it to his mouth. Oh the joy  Or the way my youngest moved himself from spot to spot, not by crawling as so many children do but by bouncing along on his bottom. He reduced watchers to tears of laughter on more than one occasion and smiled as he did so. He still reduces people to tears and distraction, always by being himself in all his glory.

Why is time as it is? Have you ever noticed how, when you want time to fly, it drags but when you want to freeze it, it melts away? There are many discussions about time -- especially about the physics of time. There is even a website dedicated to the discussion of the possibilities of time travel -- something that I tend to think would be a BAD idea... my science fiction reading background combined with my training as an historian makes me think that 'mucking about' with the past or future would be dangerous. And people wouldn't be able to resist 'fixing' things, had they the oppurtunity. But I do admit, there are moments that I wish I could hold onto, relive when I wished. And as I watch my boys grow, oh so quickly, those moments seem to happen more and more often.

Perhaps it is also an awareness of myself growing older. Though there are many moments when I feel like my frustrated 16 year old self (On the morning of my birthday, I asked my dad why, on this momentous day, did I NOT feel any different? He just looked at me and asked 'Why should you?') there are times when I wonder where time went.  How could I not have noticed its passing? Truthfully, the Buddhists have something important when they speak of Mindfulness and of being in the Present moment. Grin. I am reminded of the passage in "Kung Fu Panda" -- 'The past is over, the future is yet to be. All we have is now and that is why it is called 'The Present'" A good point and one I try hard to remember.

My sons apparently have no problem with being 'in the moment.' I expect that that is true of all children. Though occasionally they discuss the future (as when my eldest thinks about what he wants to be... a lego designer, an oceanographer, a mad scientist) or the past (there was a little girl who BIT me when I was two and in preschool' the older brother tells the younger in an attempt to explain why homeschooling is better) most of their days and times are spent firmly in the now. My four almost five year old rescues earthworms, fearing that they might drown in the watering of the yard while my eldest carefully sets up bird feeders and bug zoos so that he can observe life up close. Their delight in the present moment wakes me to its joys and so, for a brief time, I am back in childhood when mud was fun and earthworms a wonder. What a gift...

But this is all horribly philosophical and not very helpful, I expect. We have been trying to follow Charlotte Mason's reccommendation as to Nature study but have wandered a bit off the path and in those wanderings, we have come across a fascinating book:How to Make a Miniature Zoo . This, of course, immediately caught our attention and I have, perhaps foolishly, promised that once we are moved, we will work on it. The boys, of course, are ready to start collecting NOW.

Actually, if anyone is interested in such things, Vinson Brown's other books:

How to Make a Home Nature Museum COMMON EDIBLE And USEFUL PLANTS Of The WEST. Edited by Vinson Brown. Investigating Nature Through Outdoor Projects (to name just a few!) are wonderful. And then, of course, there are always the books by Gerald Durrell:My Family and Other Animals A Zoo in My Luggage Birds, Beasts, and Relatives Menagerie Manor The Aye-Aye and I: A Rescue Journey to Save One of the World's Most Intriguing Creatures from Extinction (there are more...) are all wonderful. Indeed, it was through a film version of Durrell's My Family & Other Animals [VHS] that my sons first came to be interested in the idea of being naturalists. Now children are, by their nature, naturalists so the idea wasn't a strange one to them. What intrigued them, I think, is the idea that ADULTS actually did this for a living. LOL. Wait until they discover all the other crazy things that adults do!

Update on the issue of Charter versus homeschools

Here are a few links for those of you interested in reading more on the topic of Charter schools:

 

Essay: Why will I not sign the 'I stand for Homeschooling' pledge? (interesting perspective and well worth reading)

A to Z: Umbrella schools, Virtual schools, Charter Schools (If you like lots of links, this is a great site)

Charter schools versus Homeschools (The debate -- live and in person)

The California case

The Charter School Challenge (This is a book and not one predisposed to Charter schools...)

Cyber and Home School Charter Schools

Court Rules that Virtual charter schools can receive public funds

SED Charter School Reports (Interesting government survey indicating that while students in Charter schools SHOULD out perform students in their home district, this is not the case.)

I will add more links as I find them

A reminder of how things are

Some people see things as they are and say "Why." I dream things that never were and say "Why not." -George Bernard Shaw

 

      I have been feeling very fragmented lately -- we are in the painful process of packing up one house, to prepare it for sale while looking around for another home. It has been a fraught experience, especially since, in addition to really bad allergies, I now have not two but THREE little boys to shepard about!

 

      But life -- and children -- have a gift for reminding one of how things are. And my sons have a way of thinking the impossible and then articulating it as if it were obvious.

 

     An example of this is a conversation I had with my youngest the other day. We were driving to the grocery store when, from the back of the car, a reflective voice asked 'Mommy, Does our President Obama believe that all people should be free?' As I was battling loony drivers at that moment, you can imagine what my inner response was (LOL) but outloud I said 'I think so.' The voice continued 'Then he should abolish the law!' (And yes, he used the word 'abolish') 'The law' I asked, 'Which Law?' 'All of them' he responded promptly, 'because they keep people from being free to do as they want.' Awck. A budding anarchist!

 

      When my mother heard this, she laughed and laughed and then asked why I hadn't explained about the limitations on the President's powers. I told her, 'The LAST thing that I want to do is discuss supreme executive power with this child!' He is, after all, the little boy who, while we were watching Barack Obama's acceptance speech -- became disgusted because no one was paying him any attention. In frustration he yelled out 'I DON'T LIKE PRESIDENTS! THEY ARE NOTHING BUT A LOT OF CONFUSED NOISE!' I gave my tearful child a hug and laughed a bit only to hear him inform his brother a short time later that 'when I grow up, I am going to be President. No one else is doing the job!'

    

     And jobs are very much in the boys' minds these days.  Both boys live Shaw's creed: they dream and wonder 'why not'? Daily, it seems, they conceive of new and different ways to make money. Some are fairly pedestrian: lemonade stands, mowing lawns but quite a few are extravagent wonders -- opening a restaurant where you 'make your own' pizza and desserts, becoming professional shell collectors. Some are future oriented: They want to grow up to be archeologists, paleoentologists, astronauts. Others are humorous: My eldest stated, with a wicked gleam in his eyes, that he wanted to grow up to be like his father. Then, as his father began to puff up with pleasure, he dropped the other boot, 'A MAD SCIENTIST!' I had to giggle at that one because Tom has, in fact, been labed 'our pet Mad Scientist' by his co-workers.

 

      The one area in which Shaw's creed is immediately evident is in the world of art and story telling. Both boys are gifted (in my modest opinion) with artistic talent. Here are few examples of Xander's 'creatures' -- He even has one composition: "Man Walking Dog' hanging in the Church gallery. Jason also has a couple of works there -- from his 'Captain Wavy Cape' comic series

      This, by the way, has been another idea for generating revenue: Jason has been thinking of starting a community wide newspaper, going door to door to collect stories from neighbors, writing them up and publishing them -- and in this newspaper, of course, there would be comic strips... He has also thought about publishing a book of the valiant captain's adventures.

 

     While I am thinking about it, I thought I would include a few links for blank comix templates -- in case anyone had a use for such things:>

 Printable Blank Comic Pages

Blank Comic Book Pages

      And here is a nice site for using comix in the classroom:

comis in the classroom

Uh oh... time to go. The adventurers awake! 

Charter Schools versus Homeschools

     It is very odd. Parents who know that I homeschool my sons keep making suggestions about how I could teach their children as well...  The most recent variation of this was when our realtor said 'Oh yes, and there will be a clause in the contract that will say that you will provide schooling to our children on your property!' She was joking, I know, but then she and the other realtor with whom she works began to discuss it in more serious terms. The other realtor commenting 'I would be ALL over that!' I pointed out, gently, that if I were to teach other peoples' children as well as my own, I would no longer be 'homeschooling.' They smiled happily at me and said 'So you can set up a charter school!' (A footnote here: One of the ladies has since decided that she will start homeschooling at least one of her children. She is still hoping that I will open a school but has decided to take the bull by the horns in the meantime.)

 

     Charter schools seem to be the new buzz. It is not that they are new in the country. Indeed, I believe I am correct when I state that parents who want to 'home school' their children in the state of California have to set up such schools -- and that one of the issues relating to that situation is whether the 'teachers' in the schools need to be 'certified.'  Then this morning, I woke up and, while reading the education news, saw the following article, 'Charter Style Schools catching on across the world' : Charter Schools Across the World

 

      The news is not all good, however. In Great Britain the new review of education advocates stricter government supervision of homeschooling: Home Education Clampdown -- an infringement of Civil Liberties. There are those who argue that this is a reflection of the UN Rights of the Child document which President Obama is working to support (see: Homeschooling in Great Britain and its affect on the U.S.)  In truth, I admire President Obama, believe him to be a good and concern individual and so, in this I disagree strongly with many of the attitudes expressed by Spunky. I do, however, share her concerns about regulation. Regulation can be necessary but broad sweeping legislation almost always causes more problems than it solves. Regulation of homeschool is often proposed as a way to protect against child abuse yet I am not convinced that children attending public schools -- which are regulated -- are any better off. It was not in a homeschool that Columbine happened. It was not home schooled children who attempted to poison their teacher (see: Girls, 12, allegedly poison teacher). Abuse of and by children is popular with the press -- and anything that adds to controversy is just so much more grist for the mill. I do not, however, believe that throwing money OR regulations at the situation improves it. Better education and more support networks might help. Regulations, however, tend to catch the honest and well intentioned more often than the true wrong do-er. It will be interesting to see how the British react to this report.

 

     So in the end -- will I open a school? No. I would be inclined to go back to school myself and get myself a law degree as well as a doctorate in education (since an education degree is required for certification) before I stepped onto that slippery slope. At the moment it is enough for me to try to pull together a coherent curriculum for this fall while packing/cleaning/selling and moving a home... Who said I didn't practice moderation

So finally we talk Shakespeare

     You might think that it was obvious, from the name of this blog, what my children and I study: Shakespeare... And we do, believe it or not. To this point, however, I have not really written much on the topic and suddenly, today, in the midst of the insanity that is our life, I realized this. Hold onto your seats and get ready to ride

  

      How did this begin? Most people would not think of teaching/introducing children my sons' ages to the Bard -- or would they? To my surprise, there are a goodly number of picture books out there for children -- and, of course, there are the recordings by Jim Weiss Shakespeare for Children and the book  by E. Nesbit Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare. The latter can be found at a wonderful site called 'Project Gutenberg' (see links). There is also a site called 'The Free Library' which has an entire section devoted to the works of Shakespeare. For us, though, it was the public library that provided the materials for the most part. There we found The Boy, The Bear, The Baron, The Bard (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards)) This is a wonderful picture book along the lines of 'Sector 7' Sector 7 (Caldecott Honor Book) . Somewhat similar, though with more worlds, was the poem picture book which, in Rhyme, listed many of Shakespeare's better know plays. Bravo, Mr. William Shakespeare! This last book has inspired my eight year old to start searching out the story of King Lear (LOL).

    

     But in truth, our entry into the world of Shakespeare was a backwards one and did not begin with a search for classical literature. Quite simply, it began with a search for humor.

   

     Homeschooling, as those who do it know, can seem overwhelming and exhausting. So much to cover and so little time in which to do so. And when the parent was herself publically schooled, the 'how to get there' seems impossible. We had been battling the burn out blues when I made a decision: one of life's greatests gifts is the gift of laughter so we would start a 'humor curriculum'. We would study humor -- we would read funny books, watch funny films, ask funny questions. We would do MadLibs for grammar practice and use math manipulatives to create funny images. (Indeed, in the subject of math, I discovered that there are quite a few 'funny' books to be read -- the Sir Cumference books Sir Cumference and the First Round Table (A Math Adventure) , Penrose the Mathematical Cat, The Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat and 'The Grapes of Math' Grapes Of Math (bkshelf) (Scholastic Bookshelf) sping immediately to mind). As you can imagine, this 'curriculum' was an instant hit. Who wouldn't enjoy a program of study that allowed one to watch Lucille Ball and Red Skelton? And, of course, these comics led us to the study of Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, and the Little Tramp. And that led to a discussion of Physical Humor (Pratfalls etc) versus verbal humor... which in turn led us to... 'Much Ado about Nothing.' Much Ado About Nothing. Thus was born my sons' passion for Shakespeare. Having watched Benedict and Beatrice battle wits, they wanted more. The film led to books, books to film, and all to discussion.

    

     But that was not all. No, now, having seen Shakespeare, having heard and read his works, my sons are determined to by playwrights and poets -- and both have asked that l locate a theatre company that trains children! Gawk! I had already been planning to enroll them in gymnastics -- my eldest son's prediliction for pratfalls and my youngest's determination to walk in high places makes that a priority... Now, though, they want theatre training! My mother, a theatre afficianado of old, just laughs. She is not surprised, I fear. And I guess that I am not either -- I am just trying to figure out time and money! I did suggest, and had the suggestion rousingly supported, that the boys could ask for help paying for lessons as birthday and christmas gifts. (It occured to me that such gifts, while very much appreciated, would not take up additional space in my house!) The final challenge then is the time... and yet, how can I deny such excitement and delight? Surely that is one of the gifts of homeschooling -- being able to follow the rabbit trail of dreams?

Education and concerns

Always, always, homeschoolers are concerned with their rights to educate their children. At the moment, the major concern amongst many in that community is the idea, set forth by the government, that there be something called a 'National Standard' for education. Here is a presentation by President Obama on just this subject:

Taking on Education from White House on Vimeo.

Conversations with Little Boys

"The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself."
-- Edward Bulwer-Lytton

 

     There are times when all I can do is smile: When a little boy designates himself as 'The Earthworm Rescue Squad' and carries off all the little creatures to the compost area so that they can 'Make the world a better place' or when, at a School district surplus sale, a 4.5 year old finds an ENORMOUS Geography textbook and half drags/half carries it to me saying 'I want this book. It has maps. I want you to show me how to read this book!'  These are the moments that make homeschooling worth it.  These are those precious, never to be recaptured experiences that I selfishly want for myself and not for some nameless, faceless other who, burdened with dozens of children, does not fully appreciate the wonder of the individual.

 

     Yes, we went to a Surplus sale yesterday. We ended up with two big boxes of books -- not something that we needed since we are in the process of packing up our house but nonetheless, a worthwhile investment since, for 1$ per book we got texts that usually retail for 25$ and up.  My sons had a field day. Maps, Books, Games and even -- HA -- a test tube rack. They were also the ones who, looking at the load that their mother was packing, decided that we should leave. In the words of my eldest 'Mom, if you can't carry anymore, maybe we should stop -- before the car can't carry anymore!'  The haul included that HUGE geography text -- my 4.5 year old HAD to have it. He was enamoured of the maps and the illustrations and quite firmly stated his intention to learn to read it. I was agreeable as I am firmly of the conviction that we learn to read when we are motivated to do so, and the best motivation is insatiable curiousity.  So we stood in line to buy our tons of books and an older lady behind me said 'How many of you here are Homeschoolers?' The woman in front of me raised her hand as did a number of folks around the room and I laughed 'I guess you could say 'a lot of us!'' She just shook her head.

 

     We had fun and as we were lugging the load back to the car, J. said to me -- 'Thanks for bringing us, Mom. I liked that.'  His younger brother, arms wrapped firmly about his precious book, nodded and said 'Me too!' The hardest part of the whole trip was getting them strapped into their seats since they both wanted to read...

 

     Having spent the morning immersed in books (we stopped at the library on our way home from the sale and the boys found a few more friends with whom to converse), we spent the bulk of the day outside, me on my knees, digging up sod and planting tulip bulbs, the boys in their underwear running through the sprinkler and hunting up bugs for their bug zoo.  At one point, noticing how hot and muddy I was becoming, the boys went and found some styrafoam which they filled with water and rose petals. They then came out and got me and brought me back to my 'own personal washing up station.' Smiling, they indicated their makeshift sinks and told me, 'You can use that to wash up -- the water is cool and it smells nice.' Hmmm... I do love the creativity of their souls.

The road to Home school

     How do people come to homeschooling? Some plan it in advance -- perhaps they were homeschooled themselves, perhaps they live in an area where the educational offerings are poor to non-existent. In our case, though, we fell into it...

    

     Sadly I suspect that our story is all too common. When our eldest turned five, it was time for Kindergarten. He was excited. The bus, the school, new kids and lots to learn -- what wasn't exciting? That excitement lasted only a short time. Within a few months, he was crying and begging to stay home. At first we thought it was the bus -- although in theory the bus driver maintains order on the bus, according to my son, the older kids often took over seats from the littler ones and when it came time to get off the bus, the older kids shoved to the front so as to get off first. The solution seemed simple enough: I drove him to school. His little brother, though thrilled to be going to the school was less thrilled when we had to leave without his BaBa. And his BaBa was soon expressing similar sentiments.

    

     Then came the 'day of the stick'. BaBa had found a lovely stick and he wanted to show it to his class. I told him that, with his teacher's permission, he could do so but that he would not be able to play with it. He was okay with that and went off happy. It didn't last. The teacher did not want him to have the stick and attempted to remove it from his hand. He told me, in tears, 'she didn't even ask me. She just tried to take it!' He immediately hid under a chair -- his normal response to perceived aggression. The teacher, new to teaching kindergarten, called for help and he was removed as a 'trouble maker.'  That is quite a label to fix to a five year old.

     

     Baba's fear and dislike of school increased day by day. Most of his problems seemed to relate to his sense of fairness -- the school was neither fair nor rational. It instituted rules and no one bothered to explain the rational to the children, They were simply expected to obey. Many of the rules were supremely unfair -- children were to walk in straight lines between classes not talking. Lunch was brief and again, no talking with other children was allowed. Once classwork was done, the student was to sit quietly until the teacher was able to come and give the student something else to do. Again, no talking with students was allowed. So much for the 'socialization' of the public schools.

    

     The 'no talking' rule got Baba in big trouble. As explained to us by his teacher, when he finished his work, he would go and 'chat' with the other students. These students, presumably, had not finished their work and Baba was, to the teacher's understanding, distracting them. My husband said 'So, what do you do when he is bored?' And the teacher's response? 'Oh, he is never BORED! He can always find something to do.' I am not sure whether she was saying that there were many 'good' choices of activities for him or whether she was saying that he always found materials to work with. In either case, however, it was quite clear that his 'choices' did not match her desires.  My instinctive response was 'he is just now five years old in a classroom FILLED with other children. If he has completed his work and you are ignoring him, how is he to know what you want him to do?' I have worked enough jobs to know that even adults sometimes have difficulty knowing 'what next' is on their boss's schedule -- unless the boss is VERY clear about it.

    

     And then came the parent/teacher conference. We were quite surprised, my husband and I, to find not only the teacher there but the principal and the vice principal as well. The entire process started off with an accusatory tone. The principal repeatedly referred to 'nipping problems in the bud' and never once spoke of our son by his name. The teacher expressed concern because his drawings were not representational... I asked 'OH! SO you are a trained art therapist?' 'No' she admitted. "Does he know what his drawings represent?" 'Oh yes' she replied, 'And he tells the same story about them every time.'  I said 'If you tell him that you want a picture that YOU will recognize, he will draw it for you.' She looked surprised. Apparently such a thing had never occured to her before. The principal, still on her roll about 'potential problems' turned to the VP and asked 'You've been in the classroom more than I. What is your perception of this child.' (Note, she did not speak of him by name.) The VP, looking distinctly uncomfortable, replied 'He is a normal boy. Nothing particularly bad or different, just a boy.' This was obviously NOT what the Principal had wanted to hear because she brushed it off and returned to the attack about 'problems.' By the time we left, I was shaking mad and close to tears. As we walked to the car, my husband looked at me and I at him. 'Homeschool' we both said simultaneously.

    

     I learned later that this particular principal has a reputation for micro-managing her school -- I was not the first, nor am I likely to be the last, parent who has pulled her child/children from the school and either started homeschooling or sent them to private schools. And though a part of me worries for the children left there, I am just glad that my husband was on board with the homeschool solution.  Though we have days when everything seems a challenge, for the most part, both boys are happier and they are learning so fast that I have to run to keep up:>

    

     Is home schooling the right solution for everyone? No, probably not. There is an enormous amount of work involved, a lot of commitment for the parent. And you must really like your children.. but for those who do and who value learning as a thing of joy, homeschooling offers many rewards.