Today I looked at some curriculum workbooks. And then I looked at some more. And then I made the mistake of comparing their content with my children's current ability. So there I am asking other home edders 'So what age is year 5?' 'Is this really Key Stage 3?!'
As a hardened long-term home edder I should be immune to these moments of doubt. So here I am faced with it. I duck as the tsunami of 'my children will never be able to do THAT' threatens to overcome me, and cling to my copy of John Holt, which I hope will keep me afloat long enough to reach the island of home ed confidence again.
But one good raft amidst the Tsunami. Ds2 came up to me yesterday and said you spell 'Tsunami with a T first, don't you?'.
I said 'yes, but I dont' know why.'
He said 'It's because it's a japanese word mummy.'
'Oh.' I say, realising sometimes that even as an adult I am learning all the time. Mostly from my children.
4 comments:
I like those moments! How on earth did he know that?? He must have just picked it up as he was going along. Easy peasy....
Sometimes I lay in bed at nights in a cold sweat worrying about what they're "not" doing. Then I remember how much I don't remember about what I did at school, and calm down a bit.
Today when we were out we saw a primary school class (looked about 8 or 9) out with their teacher. They were evidently doing a project on signs. Just THINK what your kids are missing out on !! ;-D
Key stage 2 is years 3-6 (7-11 years old) and key stage 3 is years 7-9 (11-14 years old), so don't worry about the books you were looking at. Also, it's worth remembering that only about the top 20% of each given age-group will ever reach the top level of each key stage anyway, so don't be thinking that all kids know all the stuff given as the 'ideal' for each key stage.
Liz: thanks, that's reassuring.
Globe: I don't know where my children learn a lot of their information, but they do amaze me all the time. I just need to have faith that what they know is JUST as worthy as what goes on in school, if not more so.
Carol:Yes, the fear of screwing it up for my kids is never far away, but I do try to keep it at arms' length otherwise that fear starts directing everything we do. And
I know from experience that that's a disaster!
It's difficult when you are a product of the education system, not to hold up the standards of the system as some kind of measuring rule. But as they say, the pig doesn't get any fatter by weighing it {g}.
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