I have to admit that I am an early riser most days unless it is the third night shift for Frank and I haven't slept for what feels like a month because Dustin decides to stay up until all hours of the night. My kids however would prefer to sleep in, it doesn't matter if they go to bed at 7 pm or 1 am they like to sleep in. Which brings me to the whole waking up early on school days thing, Cheyenne is well SLOW every school day for many reasons including
- she thinks they play too much at school
- she says she has nothing to look forward to in class
- she never feels like she has learned anything academic at the end of the day
and she's only in the first grade. She isn't a genius by any means but she also isn't the trouble maker at school and we've talked with her teacher and principal with failing results. Seriously they made all these promises and we saw NOTHING in return, I am sad to say that seems to be the trend with public schools lately they don't acknowledge individuals and teach to lower standard in the classrooms. I know teachers are busy and they have a lot of work and I am the first one to say they need more support but when you have a child who LOVES learning, seriously her favorite past time is doing workbooks at home, what are you teaching them if they never feel fulfilled at the end of the day?
Maybe I just need to be less strict at home and not give the kids any structure or do fun learning activities with them to make school seem more appealing. Cheyenne has been doing multiplication tables for a year now – which they don't even learn until the third grade – and she loves doing it for fun! Now that is a life long learner if I have ever seen one. As for the homework she is sent home from school I've to had to resort to taping it up on the wall in the bathroom so she'll do it every day.
Off track again….
Today they had bike to breakfast at the school where we drop the kids off at the middle school and with the assistance of our volunteer fire department and a police escort students along with their teachers and parents bike to the elementary school. The bike trip takes about an hour in total and the elementary students get breakfast as their reward once they arrive at the school. In preparation for geting up early and biking Cheyenne has been waking up promptly at 6:30 am, which is an hour before I usually have to drag her out of bed, and quickly gets ready in anticipation of Friday which she says is “finally something to look forward to at school”. Her words not mine at all, I think kids should be kids and play as much as they can before the real world hits and they become responsible for taking care of themselves. And this isn't just because it is the end of the year it has been a constant battle since the beginning of school.
I have asked numerous times as a parent who has the ability to locate resources, create new worksheets, or just help the teacher out with prep work what I can do to help. The answer is always disappointing and I have been told by the principal that the school can provide the information necessary to homeschool. SAD is all I can say as a parent who wants to help as I'm sure my daughter isn't the only one feeling this way. As a parent I have to wonder what can we do to help the overworked teachers create the environment that enriches all minds and not just teaching to a low standard.
Not wanting to leave this on a sad note I have noticed a lot of improvements in Cheyenne this year including her reading improvement and responsibility. Her teacher is amazing in allowing the students to help out in the classroom and teaching them to be responsible. The teacher gives students a new job every week which can range from passing out handouts to turning off the lights when they leave a room, they are sent home reading books every night that we record, as well as student responsibility for their own belongings.
Well I hope I didn't bore anyone I just wanted to share in hopes that I'm not the only frustrated one out there!