I've been neglecting this blog.
I've been trying to be a better Mom/Teacher/Wife.
Maintaining the house, doing the annual taxes, cleaning closets for upcoming Spring, conducting more hands-on lessons (volcanoes, jawbreaker model of the earths' core, etc.), trying to get our Son to get his cap and gown ordered for COLLEGE graduation (the order deadline was over two weeks ago), but yet, I am feeling defeated.
A few days ago, two people made the same passing comment (it wasn't really a question when it was posed): Is Sarah going to Father Marquette? Father Marquette is a K-8 private school that our Son went to. It was fabulous. It "fit" him. It fits a lot of students. So, is Sarah going there? No. Sarah had hearing problems for the first few years of her life, which resulted in her having a delayed onset of speech. She was involved in 'special education' in our public school district for a short time, but thanks to the non-learned/ignorant staff, we encountered a living nightmare. Will our Daughter ever go back to the public school system? Oh, hell no. I have no trust/faith in what 'they' teach. Will Sarah ever go to Father Marquette? I LOVE Father Marquette - but WHY do we need to send her to a school?
The people who keep asking me if Sarah is going to be enrolled are the same people I keep asking if they want to see what we are doing for school. It is so much easier to scoff at what you do not know - so why bother learning what we are doing? The unknown is just downright scary to some people. I know that our schooling doesn't look like the typical school -- sorry, we're learning in a way that is making school something that Sarah WANTS to do. Someone remarked (after hearing Sarah ASK for school), "Wow - I wish my kids asked for school - they hate it!." I WANT Sarah to love learning, to keep reaching for more and more answers. What is she missing in the traditional brick and mortar building that she is not getting at home. You guessed it: classmates. But, classmate interaction is reserved only for recess... but she's missing watching others interact with the teacher. Really? PLEASE give me a reason as to why I should abandon a program that Sarah is flourishing in just because it doesn't reflect the way that YOU learned.
Do I have second thoughts about teaching Sarah? You're damn right I do. I question it every day. But, you know what? When I taught at the university, or the G.E.D. program (for drop-outs), or in the E.S.L. program, or middle school religion, or even a second grade classroom, I second-guessed myself EVERY DAY. I am a teacher. I was trained to be a teacher. What I do may seem like a game. I have FUN doing what I do. I try to make sure that my students have fun, too. Learning can be fun. Why does it have to be a chore? ENGAGE your student - make the lesson go beyond the norm. Is Sarah learning? YES. Does she have off days? Heck, yes. So do I! Everyone does. Does that mean we throw in the towel? What other teacher is able to take the time to make sure that each lesson is learned? What other teacher is able to know when something is wrong/not understood? How many others could slow down a lesson or speed it up depending upon the student?
I am so angry right now.
I am a teacher.
I have several letters after my name that attest to the fact that I am a teacher.
I have published/presented research on education.
And you want me to send my Daughter to someone who is not as learned/invested in her?
Learn what we do.
Come to our classroom and have some fun -- you will learn a lot more than you ever thought was possible.
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