I asked my kids some questions yesterday to get a feel for their perspective on their academic education.
Me: Do you feel like you are learning anything new or interesting in school? If so, then what?
Rayna: Not very much
Ian: No much. Just art is OK.
Me: What would you like to learn about?
Rayna: How to make butter
Ian: How atoms form
Me: Name 3 things you'd like to be when you grow up and tell me why you think each job is cool.
Ian: An inventor. You get to make stuff. A lego designer. You get to create new lego sets. An obedient man so I don't get kicked out of my job.
Rayna: An artist because you get to paint. A dancer because you get to dance. A mother because you get to have babies.
This little survey sparked some really good conversation and I learned a lot from my kids. Ian sure had a lot to say about how he wished his education could be. So much that I didn't have time to get the same depth from Rayna. I'll have to ask her some more questions when she gets home from school today.
5 comments:
I probably aks my kids every day what they learned at school. 10 times out of 10 they say "nothing". So then I probe them and 9.99 times out of 10 they still can't think of a single thing they have learned. I know they are learning SOME things or else they wouldn't be smarter than their mom in math but....it's a bit disturbing.
I just got home from picking Saylor up and her response today to the requisite, "What did you do today?" was, "We were learning about research, and the book I was studying was about these really hairy dogs, so my research question was, 'Why do these dogs have so much hair?'. I was impressed and happy to get some solid info for once.
So fun to see you Saturday! Can't wait for the next one!
Their perspective is so interesting. I have had a week of teacher visits and game plans with a child who is not sure how to stick to task at school. It is breaking my heart.
I used to ask David and Daniel about school. I'd ask them about their favorite part, and they'd answer, "Lunch." "What else?" "Recess." "Well, what about when you were with your teacher in your classroom?" "There was a kid today who had a birthday, and he brought cupcakes, and those were really good!" So, it was food and running around outside. I never knew what they learned at school.
Sonnet is going to a Catholic preschool. She learned how to bless herself. (Where you dip your finger in the water and touch your forehead, heart, and shoulders.)
You are such a good mom to ask such detailed questions. It is funny that kids don't regurgitate much of what they learn. I think they don't even realize they are learning when the learning is made fun. Education IS important and it is important for us as mothers to ask questions and make sure the public schools are offering more than just recess, lunch and cupcakes. Don't ya think?
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