....so we didn't remember the alamo....
Well, Term 1 exams are done. All I can say is this was a really good measure of what we like and don't like around here! What I mean is, each child's academic preference really seems to shine in exams like these, which are fairly open-ended. Truthfully, I'm not even quite sure how to grade these exams because they are such a hodge-podge of written answers, performances, and video-taped recitations and oral narrations. If you're familiar with Charlotte Mason-style schooling, you'll know what I mean.
Narration is key to the Mason-style of education. My problem is that, while I myself love to be free to dialogue, explore thoughts and concepts, I want my children to ANSWER TO THE "T" THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! I dislike, dislike, dislike, when they just haven't gotten something that I am sure we discussed thoroughly. At the root of this for me is a feeling of anxiety that I'm not doing an efficient job and that somehow I'm ruining their education. Silly? Well, kind of.
So here's the plain truth...my 6th grader couldn't remember the Alamo to save her life. She gave me a blank stare and said, "Uh, I don't remember reading that." But guess what? She wrote a very enjoyable and knowledgeable paragraph on coral reefs and zooplankton. I actually learned from HER on those topics, since her science is mostly an independent study. And when I asked her what she thought was the most interesting thing she's learned in science this term, she wrote, "I think the most interesting thing about the sea is ocean zonation. My favorite zone is called the "Benthic" zone. "Benthic" comes from the word "Benthos" which are types of animals that live in the Benthic zone, such as the Angler fish. (This is) a huge fish that swims in the dark Benthic zone but has a light attached to its head so he can see."
Ok. She doesn't "Remember the Alamo," but she loves the Angler fish and the Benthic zone of the sea in which he lives. I can live with that. After all, success in education should be measured by what we DO KNOW, not by what we don't.
Narration is key to the Mason-style of education. My problem is that, while I myself love to be free to dialogue, explore thoughts and concepts, I want my children to ANSWER TO THE "T" THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! I dislike, dislike, dislike, when they just haven't gotten something that I am sure we discussed thoroughly. At the root of this for me is a feeling of anxiety that I'm not doing an efficient job and that somehow I'm ruining their education. Silly? Well, kind of.
So here's the plain truth...my 6th grader couldn't remember the Alamo to save her life. She gave me a blank stare and said, "Uh, I don't remember reading that." But guess what? She wrote a very enjoyable and knowledgeable paragraph on coral reefs and zooplankton. I actually learned from HER on those topics, since her science is mostly an independent study. And when I asked her what she thought was the most interesting thing she's learned in science this term, she wrote, "I think the most interesting thing about the sea is ocean zonation. My favorite zone is called the "Benthic" zone. "Benthic" comes from the word "Benthos" which are types of animals that live in the Benthic zone, such as the Angler fish. (This is) a huge fish that swims in the dark Benthic zone but has a light attached to its head so he can see."
Ok. She doesn't "Remember the Alamo," but she loves the Angler fish and the Benthic zone of the sea in which he lives. I can live with that. After all, success in education should be measured by what we DO KNOW, not by what we don't.
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