I loved being homeschooled. I’m glad my parents chose it for me. I’m glad my mother was so patient and put all the time and effort into it that she did. I’m glad my father worked so hard to make money to pay for it.
That said, I fully realize that homeschooling is not a valid choice for every family or every child.
I just wish public school proponants would recognize that public school isn’t for everyone either.
Recently I was asked to assist Rockstar John’s (my friend) kid with a school project. The project involves the school sending me a “stanley” figure (some cut out figure), me writing a story and mailing it back for display at the school.
Which is all fine and dandy but what exactly is the kid getting out of this experience? It doesn’t quite make sense to anyone (homeschool background OR otherwise).
Now, maybe I would understand it if the project was to send it to a penpal… learn about their state (other than yours) and you told them about your state….
That I could see.
But this Stanley thing is just. Weird. And makes me wonder what exactly my friend’s kid is learning in school.
I know that’s not a norm, some schools are better some are worse, but it just blatently points out to me that parents need to be a cross check for their child’s education. Parents and schools should work together to ensure a child is getting the best education possible. This means parents should be aware (as my friend is) about the state of education/comprehension/learning his or her child is receiving.
Of course a great way to do this is with MINDsprinting’s free assement test. It really is a handy tool and the results are detailed, but easy to understand. The test is for Reading and Math comprehension – which really are the foundation for all other subjects. I’ve passed it on to friends of mine who have children (I tried getting Myboyfriend to take it.. but he just kept meowing) and I know they’ve found it useful.
I’m not saying that everyone should board their child up in a one room schoolhouse or that one form of education is better than another. I am just saying that EVERYONE involved in a child’s life should seek to help the child learn and grow to their full potential.
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20/03/2007 at 5:10 pm Permalink
Actually what you are getting is Flat Stanley and it sounds like you were not given enough information. The point of the lesson is to get the students to write letters to a pen pal (covering some basic writing standards required by law), and to engage the students while doing so. The idea is based on a book called Flat Stanley where the main character flattens himself and mails himself all over to see the world. The lesson can include reading, writing, geography, and a variety of other things too. People who get Stanley are supposed to write back and include things about where they are from. I have a friend who does it almost every year and she takes Stanley skiing (provides a picture), includes a brochure or two from the Chamber of Commerce in Boulder, and takes plenty of other pictures and includes tidbits about Colorado for the students. At the school I’m in currently, the 2nd grade class just got a huge framed flag and document from Iraq. It can be a great chance to talk about all sorts of things. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Stanley