Here’s the thing…some thoughts on learning without being in school
Many parents are understandably concerned about the continuing job action and schools not being open yet. Parents, many of them friends of mine, have been calling me lately to let me know that they are having their child do math drills and spelling tests in preparation for school starting. Some are doing their own version of book reports and science research. The kids are miserable for the most part. The parents are stressed. And it is creating tension at home. Some of my friends expected me to tell them to keep up the good work. Instead, here’s what I have been telling my friends…
Please stop! Don’t worry. It’s going to be OK.
Real learning is about being curious, passionate, questioning, and thinking critically. You don’t need a certain number of days in a classroom to be a learner. Any facts and figures anyone requires can be Googled. This is an opportunity to ignite your child’s passion for true learning. What do they love? What are they interested in? Take them out into nature. Teach them about something you love. Fly fishing. Quilting. Gardening. Music. Mechanics. Cooking. What is your passion?
Learn something together! I asked my friend if he liked doing “drill and kill” math times tables after a long day of work. He said not really, nor does his child, but he doesn’t want her getting behind.
Here’s the thing…
Math flash cards and times table drills and spelling lists are just exercises in short term memory. Those of us with good short term memories got the gold stars when we were in school. Those of us without good short term memories did not. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be concerned that school is not in session. I’m saying there is little we can do about it, so let’s embrace the opportunity to learn in a different way. Let’s not make our kids hate school before they even get back through the doors.
One of the most powerful things you can do for your child’s education is to model being a lifelong learner. Talk about what interests you. Talk about how you learn new things. LEARN SOMETHING NEW TOGETHER. Learn a few phrases of Italian. Learn to cook a perfect soufflé. Learn to paddle board. Fix your own lawn mower. What can you learn together? What can you learn on your own that genuinely puts you out of your comfort zone, and demonstrates the perseverance and positive attitude that we expect kids to have toward learning? Learning something new is uncomfortable. Every time. You get that knot in your stomach. Your heart rate elevates. You feel frustration. In order to learn something new you have to push through and struggle and get to the “YES!”
Many of my friends say they are tired of their older kids being glued to technology all day while they are at work. So leave your kids with a challenge that must be completed by the time you get home. And let them use technology if they want. Who can build a spaghetti bridge that holds the heaviest weight? Who can create a simple machine that eliminates or reduces the work load for an undesirable chore (raking the lawn, taking out garbage, picking up laundry)? Recognition for a job well done (bragging rights) and the choice of the next days’ challenge are sufficient “prizes” for such challenges. (More to come on my thoughts about rewards and awards another time…) Involve other parents. You come up with one challenge, they come up with the next, etc.
Use this as a chance to connect with and care about your own community, neighbourhood and neighbours. How can your kids contribute? How can they demonstrate caring? Picking up litter? Helping seniors harvest their gardens or prepare for winter? Volunteering at the food bank?
Learning should be fun. (Not kidding) It should be interesting. It needs to be rewarding in and of itself. Take this time to foster your child as a learner. We will cover the curriculum once school is back in session. I promise.
Don’t worry. It’s going to be ok.
Looking forward to meeting you all in person soon.
Stacy
Well said Stacy. I hope this reassures a lot of parents. Love the blog!
Stacy!
Love love love your blog! Thank you for releasing this huge weight off my shoulders! I have been worrying and buying or printing off work sheets/books for the kids to do, can’t let them be behind before the start! I will not worry so much! We will enjoy the time we still have off and anxiously await to start Grade 4 and Grade 1!
Can’t wait to see you!! Its been a LONG time….
Sara (Canning) Hynes!! 🙂
As a student, you were my favourite teacher. As a mother, I know why! Written wonderfully. I couldn’t agree more. Thank you 🙂
Great Blog. This is so important not just for the students who are not able to be in school right now in BC but for all students in regard to ‘homework’. Learning at home should be authentic, relevant and engaging. It should be the bigger higher level thinking activities and not rote learning. And most important it should be fun for everyone. So if you are giving your child ‘busy’ work you should stop and evaluate the purpose of this work.
However, there are students who do require a more direct approach for some of the preliminary learning. Students who struggle with working memory for example need to practice and be exposed to the material much more in order to retain and be able to retrieve this information and build these skills. But even when taking a more direct and focused approach to learning it must be relevant and somewhat engaging to the child or they will be completely turned off of learning and ‘schoolwork’. These learners who may struggle more with parts of their learning need to have activities that they can achieve well so they can see themselves as learners and see their growth. Their confidence as ‘learners’ is imperative to move forward.
One of my favorite authors and educational researchers is Phillip Schlechty who has written many books on student engagement. One being ’10 Critical Qualities of Student Work’. Really good practical information on the importance of certain qualities we must have in work we give students. Here are a couple of links to some PDF files from his site.
http://www.schlechtycenter.org/system/tool_attachment/4046/original/sc_pdf_engagement.pdf?1272415798
https://www.siprep.org/uploaded/ProfessionalDevelopment/Readings/10CriticalQualiStudentWork.pdf
Thank you for the blog. I am a teacher, but have allowed my 6 and 12 year old two weeks off because it would be a battle for me to force them to do drills, etc. This is an unfortunate situation, but I am confident that teachers across BC will do their utmost to get kids caught up! Welcome to McKim – I hope you have a wonderful year and I look forward to meeting you!
What a great intro to yourself and your beliefs. I too agree that the teachers will take over our children’s education and weed out what is not important and fill the time they have with what is important. Another thing we have done is bring our son to our place of employment and put him to work doing some odd jobs. I know a lot of people can not do this but what a great experience if you can find a day or two or an afternoon to show your kids what you do at work. The doing work at home has been a huge debate between a lot of parents so this is a whole approach to what we as parents can do with this extra time. My son is however very upset that Jerry can not cross the picket line to get on the ice with his students. He thinks this is just unjust and cruel punishment. With a chat he understands that we have to support and stand by the teachers for something positive to come out of a bad situation. This will be a time in our children’s education that they will not forget. Thank you for your blog. We look forward to meeting you in the near future. Marlow Family
Thanks so much Stacy for your comments. Its so nice to get some feedback from school and to know that our kids education is still meaningful.
Thanks for the thoughts about learning. It calms the working mothers mind!
Thanks for introducing yourself to us, even this way. Look forward to meeting you soon, and appreciate very much your words of wisdom. I feel much better about the lack of discipline we have had regarding “school time” at home.
Thank you for this blog, I think it’s a great way to keep us parents in the loop!