I’ve been playing teacher for 2 kids for the first time in my life. I’m absolutely floored at how little work they are actually doing in class during the day.
I’m talking 3 dittos and read this pamphlet for a young one. 1 hour of actual work across 5 subjects for a 1st grader. This is private school as well.
I’ve decided it’s not enough and put our iPads to good use with Khan Academy for a kindergarten and the 1st grader has taken to finding out about all 45 Presidents and why China and communists are evil. I did nothing to encourage either interest. She’s just in disbelief that a government would let their people get sick and make schools close around the world by not making people stay home.
It’s funny how kids connect things like that; we’re all home, they can’t play with their friends and they think communism is now evil because they lied and made everyone sick.
I think that’s one of things about homeschooling that doesn’t get talked about enough. In the government schools, a lot of time is wasted — attendance, changing classrooms, getting settled multiple times, announcements, recess, gym, lots of other stuff, including behavior problems.
If you homeschool, and focus on the actual schoolwork, it can be done in much less time. Then the family can do “non-school” activates — like gardening, cooking, museums, nature hikes, etc. More education but disguised as fun.
Government schools are just a bad idea.
Sounds like you taught them well. When I was in 1st grade the Iron Curtain was starting to fall.
YOU are brilliant! Congratulations on educating your children. No wonder the powers that be do not want kids to be schooled at home. They will learn too much.
I ws talking to my sixth-grade grandson last week, who is doing on-line lessons during the closure. I asked if he was ready to go back and he said no - at school they have to sit in each class for an hour, but he can do the lessons on-line in 20 minutes.