Spirit Schooling in the Mainstream Private School
A few months have passed and we are still utilizing our homeschool experiences within the mainstream structure of a Classical private school. This was brought home to roost this week as our blizzard conditions had school closed for 3 days. But the up side is that my daughter attends a school which had digital learning days, so no extra days are added to her school's calendar. She switched back into home school habits with an ease I did not expect. And we both enjoyed the process.
The benefits of attending a structured school are many. Dealing with teachers who have trouble engaging students who are not cheerful for no reason or ask too many questions or are wanting face-to-face time is a trial in this digital age. I have found myself walking into school before the school day ends just to find many teachers and engage them in a personal face-to-face conversation about the issues which frankly Do Not translate through an emotionless e-mail. That has helped in some circumstances, and perhaps failed in at least one. These educators seem genuinely shocked and surprised that I want to have a conversation about how I perceive my daughter's experiences with her in the room. (When did education become about only the student-teacher relationship? So many of the fellow parents say they just leave it up to the student to figure it out and do well or fail. How I am supposed to support the classroom and out of school learning if I have no idea what the objectives and goals are? A syllabus is not a clear indication of the environment for information.)
Let me be clear- I hold my daughter to a very high standard of doing, completing, and presenting her Own work. She gets No Help from me. Yet, If I do not understand what is expected of her I can in no way be anything but a paying spectator. I inform her teachers and coaches that I have been her teacher, I hold my own extensive education in the highest regards, and I am most likely harder on her in many ways if she is slacking or disrespectful. Yet, I want her to climb mountains and clear hurdles within the best of her own abilities- not mine.
I am typing quickly and all of my spelling may not be perfect. But my intentions are good.
My daughter is a high school Sophomore and has learned to join in activities which were previously difficult for her. The social trials of unnecessary gossip and lack of continued support from classmates has led her to find a group of friends who understand her lack of enthusiasm for such things. But trials happen weekly. She is a trooper and I continually remind her that high school can be a safe place to navigate difficult authority and peer relationships. So important to know that these lessons are just as critical as the lessons she takes tests for.
She is passing all of these tests- difficult means problem solving and life skills for the tough World of this century.
This Semester I made an informed decision that the lack of a Study Hall for her to work on classwork and homework is something from which she could benefit. The Vice Principal was accommodating as I informed him we had spoken to her school about in October. So she will take on online class to make up a 1/2 PE credit.
Study Hall was an important time in my at prep school as the student realized their own personal needs.
We dropped one honors class so the pressure was reduced and she could enjoy her favorite subject. This as So Difficult because students are pressured to be in AP and Honors classes. I want my student to be in love with learning- Not a slave to pressure. Life is long- and there is plenty of pressure throughout adulthood.
My daughter has been told that all A grades mean she is not being challenged. She has also been told that taking a step for enjoying High School means finding her own path. That means A's and B's and the occasional C or C+. I want her to fall in love with History, Literature, Science, and Theology and Ethics so she will have the tools to discover this huge World and her amazing Spirit.
She still needs to give her teachers (I call them Professors) what they want, but she must also navigate the teachers who do not mesh with her Stoic personality.
So- Here we are. A 2 day week followed by a 3 day weekend. I feel as if she has been given the gift to feel uncomfortable, find her way through it, and then reinvent herself as often as she needs.
My daughter once expressed the desire to go to two Ive League schools as she reentered the mainstream school system. Now she says she doesn't want to live under pressure but love living her life so she can make a difference in her World.
We still squabble over things moms and 16 year old daughters fuss about, but I am proud of the mountains she encounters, the ones she summits, and especially the mountains she leaves for others to climb.
Spirit Schooling continues- with along with learning and competing in Sailing and Crew!
What a journey we are having!
Peace Through Practice!!!
