Hannah started school last week. It’s been a bit of an adjustment: new schedule, new subjects, new and creative ways to procrastinate (speaking for both of us here). She’s been homeschooled all of her life, but there are still things that I am discovering as each new school year rolls around.
{1} Get to bed early. Getting to bed early means that you can wake up early, make your coffee early and drink it very slowly. Some people really do hit the ground with their brains running. You are not one of those people.
{2} Always have a dictionary on-hand. Always. You never know what new or unusual word you’re going to be called on to define.
{3} For that matter, keep yourself apprised of any and all new developments in the field of technology, biology, physics, and geopolitics. Last week’s Geography lesson turned into a discussion of peak oil and alternative energy, and you have to admit that you were more than a little in over your head.
{4} Time spent playing with cats can be quantified as animal behavioral sciences, and observing the goldfish is a part of her Marine Biology curriculum. Definitely.
{5} Pop cultural references make great teaching tools. “Remember when Mulder went to Antarctica to rescue Scully from the alien space ship? Those numbers he had on that piece of paper were coordinates – degrees of latitude and longitude – so that he could use a GPS to pinpoint the exact location.”
{6} Doesn’t matter if you’re 6, 16 or almost 26…you will melt down when you are hungry. Breakfast is important, snacks equally so (and does next year’s culinary class mean she’ll be the one cooking lunch every day?)
{7} Learning together can be fun. And funny. Don’t ever take for granted those times when you’re laughing to tears over some silly mispronunciation or misunderstanding. Like it or not, this is the stuff she’ll really remember.
{8} When necessary, don’t hesitate to just put the books aside and TALK. Japanese can wait. Those moments can’t.
