In a recent post, ALice writes:

>Homeschooling, when done by those who prepare, is definately beneficial to
>kids.  However, as a former teacher, (public schools, special ed), I also
>had
>many home schooled children placed in my learning disabilities classroom
>because while their intelligence was normal or above, their achievement was
>either below the level that would be expected or they had big gaps in their
>knowledge.


I think the issue is certainly complex. Some of my home schooling friends
take a Waldorf approach, and don't do any formal "teaching" until their kids
are 7 or older.  Some do a totally "unschoolers" approach, and follow their
children's lead.  Whatever the child shows an interest in learning, the
parent follows with support materials...
On the other hand, my older son's 4th grade teacher tells me that her entire
class is below grade level, and this group had been publically schooled
since the get go.....


I did want to update the list as to what transpired after my original
"nightmare" post.  I apologize, Lorenzo, if this is off topic, but after
being a member of this Paleo tribe for over a year, I think we are all
connected to each other's well being, beyond the scope of just food talk.
Didn't someone with much more eloquence than myself say, "Man does not live
by bread alone..."

I met with the Principal of my son's kindergarten, and she suggested that I
might benefit from a session with the school's Mental Health coordinator,
because both my son and I were experiencing separation anxiety above and
beyond the "normal range" of most kids going off to kindergarten.  I agreed
to the meeting, because I thought it might give me a good chuckle to see
where it would lead, but said that I didn't view myself as mentally ill,
just because I didn't want to force my son back into a classroom that was
run like a cadet training class for West Point. Also, because of my  recent
illness (Hodgkin's), what normal kid wouldn't have trouble distinguishing
between a hospital building that separates him from his mom, and a school
building!!!!!  I could have waxed poetically about the similarities between
a hospital  and  school environment, but didn't think using images  like
"anesthestizing the youth of America" and "drugging our children with bad
food and Ritalin" would have been productive at this juncture.

I also told them that I resented having my son be told by every person  in
authority at this school :  "Son, we all have jobs to do.  Mom has a job at
home, and your job is to go to school.  When our jobs are done, we can join
each other at the end of the afternoon."  I told the principal that I wasn't
a Calvinist, and that since when did learning in kindergarten take on such a
materialistic approach?  Not until they were willing to give my son a salary
at the end of each week should they tell him that being in school was his
job."  Was it here that they suggested the Mental Health Nurse?  HMMMMMM?
Probably wrote "troublemaker" in my file, with a CAPTIAL T........

If only I had the gift of being a filmaker, I think the documentation of
this entire fiasco would have been incredibly entertaining in a sort of
"black comedy" genre.

To make a long story short, we switched my son into the best kindergarten
teacher in the entire county.  She was the teacher I had formally (in
writing) requested last year, before my son was even in school!  I was
denied this teacher originally, because, as it was explained to me by same
principal:  "If we based student placement on parent requests, all of our
kids would be with the teacher you want.  In fact, parent request is the
very last thing we take into account when we decide where to place a
student. "   This made me feel very reassured as a taxpayer and the person
who knows my son better than anyone, I CAN ASSURE YOU!!! It also doesn't say
much for the rest of her kindergarten staff....

So, we will give it one more try in the new class.  So far, my son tells me
he thinks this class and teacher are much better, and seems much happier to
go to school.  As I am writing this, I am laughing, because he is home
today!!!

Oh well, life is not a straight line by any means....

Thank you to all the members of this list who responded to my original post
both on the digest and privately. Your concern and support and advice are
very touching, and reaffirms that we are about much more than a group who
eats paleo... (wink).

Cheers,

Judy Genova, cavegirl


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