What Do I Want?

I want a perfect school. Preferably one that I can take the kids to in the morning and pick them up at lunchtime. That way they will get to have school, I'll get some time and we will have most of the day together. No homework unless absolutely needed--in case they don't understand something and need more practice.

A school where they read good books--not parts of books and not readers. But actual good books. Ones that I would select. And once they are finished with the book, the kids would narrate back to the teacher what they read. That way they would learn how to discuss and learn from others. One where printing is actually taught, not to be picked up by osmosis. Because osmosis only really works in science. A school that teaches how to write as fluidly as they teach narration. If you read good books and require kids to narrate, their writing will reflect that. Their spelling will too, for the most part. But if spelling does need to be taught as it's own subject, it won't be with little lists, but again by reading good books and absorbing how language works. Grammar would be taught early, but not in a manner that the kids circle all of the verbs, but by using the whole body and things around them. I want Language Arts to be taught as something that they use all of the time, not just in class.

Math would not be taught using guessing. There is one right answer in math and if you aren't right, you are wrong. It sounds harsh, but I'd rather my doctor be someone who actually knows the right answer instead of one who is told to guess for it. I'm probably crazy like that.

Science would start with nature studies and how the world works. Not with textbooks and by reading about experiments, but by getting outside and being part of the world.

Social Studies would be banned. Kids would learn history instead of about firemen and mayors. Geography would be a major part of their history lessons. The past would be taught using stories about the people who came before them. The children would learn that where things happened is just as important as what happened and why.

Art and music would be integral to the lessons. The children would have time to get up and move and play.

There's more to my perfect school, but let me end there for now.