[email protected]

In a message dated 5/9/2003 6:19:27 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:

> Unfortunately for
> the teaching profession, the actual good results of homeschoolers, show
> that the level of education on the part of the parents, is less
> important than love, compassion, interest, commitment and time-spent
> together.

My son Julian was in school through the third grade. He never adored it
(mostly homework), but in Kindergarten and first grade he was pretty happy.

In Kindergarten he had this teacher named Claire (I always thought it was a
good sign when the teachers invited parents to call them by their first
names....I wish it applied to the kids too, but I don't think they were
allowed to.), who was always very careful about how every aspect of the class
went, paying close attention to each child. It was remarkable.

In first grade he had Jane, who was even more in tune with the kids. She
would greet each one every morning and say goodbye with a hug, call them
darlings, remember to ask each kid every day something about home that she
remembered....and none of it was in a gushy sick-sweet way. She just loved
them. (One of the interesting things we noticed about this class is that the
children were remarkably kind to one another. Apparently if it's clear that
the teacher really believes you're all special and valuable, the other kids
do, too.)

When he got to second grade, he had a perfectly okay person as a
teacher...but from the very first, it was clear that she was just his
teacher; she didn't LOVE him. That was hard for Julian (and us). By third
grade, he had a couple of teachers who were new, and some of the time I
wasn't even sure they LIKED him. And that was the end of that.

I wish all kids who need to be in school for whatever reason got to have
people like Claire and Jane.

Kathryn


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