School's Open House

Cheyenne (and Elliott, technically) had open house at their school tonight. Since we've decided not to send Elliott to Kindergarten this year, we took the opportunity to pick up his rest blanket and the projects he had done. His teacher says the other kids ask about him and are missing him, but she understands our decision, and hopes to have him again next year!

Cheyenne's teacher seems like a nice enough person, but I found myself having to bite my tongue over a couple of the curriculum items she mentioned in her presentation. I don't think it's her personally, just the curriculum at the school. One thing she mentioned is that "research shows kids who aren't able to spell well also aren't able to read well. So we really emphasize spelling." That bothered me right off, because that doesn't necessarily mean that learning how to spell a lot of words will make you a better reader. I know lots of excellent readers who need help spelling their name sometimes. And maybe it just means they haven't learned to read OR spell at this point!

Anyway, I had an excellent blog post all planned out in my mind that touched on several educational theories that I believe in, and the futility of teaching skills in isolation, and my current pros/cons list for homeschooling, and interesting articles I have read... but by the time I cleaned the supper dishes we had left on the table when we fled (late!) to the school, and did the dishes and settled the kids down in bed... all I can think about is going to sleep!

This is why mothers don't start many revolutions.

On the plus side, we got talking to some of our neighbors, and they are picking up their son every day and offered to grab Cheyenne every day, too. She'll be home a full hour earlier! So she can get an earlier start on the "homework" with which I have grave philosophical differences. Grrrr...

And now I go to bed.