Real school? Mean teacher?

A strange conversation took place in my kitchen today. An acquaintance (she cleans house for us bi-weekly) was here today. We usually leave before she come because DS2 freaks out and crys when she arrives, even if she doesn't bring in the vacuum right away. I overheard the following:

Her: Is your mommy a mean teacher?
DS1: No, she's a good teacher.

Huh?

(It might have been "mean teacher or nice teacher" answered with "nice teacher". I kind of did an audio double-take, except it wasn't repeated.)

So while we were in the car, on our way to run errands, I asked DS1 about the conversation with her.
DS1: She asked me if I was going to real school or home school.
Me: What did you say?
DS1: I said home school.
Me: Home school is a real school, too. It just doesn't have lots and lots of kids.

Double huh?

I need to have a talk with this lady. She used to go to our church. We've known her about 3 years. It's nice that she talks directly to DS1 and will have a conversation with him (some adults don't talk TO kids, they talk AT them or act like they're not there). It just dumbfounds me that she'd ask if I were a mean teacher (I actually heard that part clearly) or if he was going to "real" school. Many non-homeschoolers that I know will question me about homeschooling, but this is the first time that I'm aware of that DS1 has been put on the spot. At least I know that he understands that he "goes to homeschool". I guess that's good, right?

Weekend fun - Mazes & Stacking Cups

Both boys did a lot of the mazes in their Kumon books. DS1 even finished his so I searched the 'net for maze generating sites. I found 4 or 5 that seem good and flexible enough to make ones at his level, then progress to harder ones as he is ready.

We also got out the "Speed Stacks" sport stacking cups that DH and I bought at the homeschool convention in June. I will be teaching a class to the co-op in October, so this will give me practice teaching the technique, as well as giving the boys some time to have fun with the cups, either stacking the right way (for racing) or just playing around and having fun with them.

This week in review - Aug 13-17, 2007

Monday started out with both me and DH home with the boys. I had been on a trip and was expected back on Monday, but I drove 11 hours on Sunday to get home early. The "big event" this week has been going to the park on Wednesday and playig in the water instead of "going back to school" as most other kids in the city did that day. I wore my new t-shirt that I got from VistaPrint. It says "Life is Learning, Learning is Life, Everywhere, All the time." Five other homeschool families from our group were there, along with others that I didn't know.

We have also played a lot of games this week: Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, Tic Tac Toe, Toss Across, Uno, Millie and Bailey Kindergarten (software), and Jumpstart Advanced Preschool (software). We have played Smash Hockey, made a tent with the couch cushions, played with the giant floor puzzle number tiles (including DS1 learning to correctly read 4 digit numbers), put together at least a dozen 12-25 piece puzzles and 3 different 100 piece puzzles, and smashed aluminum cans for recycling.

We also went to Genesis for my yoga class, so the boys played with other kids there. We stopped at the grocery store to mail 2 packages afterwards. Also, two neighbor kids came over for about an hour on Monday when their parents needed some kid-free time.

I feel like a rebel

This is how we spent our first day of truancy.
Okay, we're not really truants... even though public school started today, and DS1 is 5, because although it is the norm here to send 5 year olds to kindergarten, the legal age of compulsory school attendance is 7. We don't even have to worry about filing the paperwork to be legal for another year or 2, depending on whether 7 year olds have to start the school year they will turn 7 or start the year they are 7 when school starts.

The Day

Tomorrow public school starts here. DS1 would be going to kindergarten at the Culturals Arts and History magnet school 3 blocks from our house, from 9:00am to 4:10pm. Instead, if we get going in the morning, we are going to a park with interactive sprinklers with some fellow homeschoolers.

For some strange reason, this afternoon I had the urge to check out the local public school website. That's how I know DS1 would have been in full-day K, in 1 of 2 classes at the school. The school's individual website has sections that are quite out of date (newsletters & calendars from spring 2006!). They must have done something different last year, but the links off their main page still point to the old stuff. I know I don't update this blog very often, but at least I'm in the right month!

Why am I nervous? Tomorrow will be no different than today. I got a new t-shirt which says "Life is Learning, Learning is Life, Everywhere, All the time". I think I'll wear it tomorrow. :-)

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