Education beyond academics...

I guess you could say that there are really two separate camps when it comes to how families treat the schooling process. There are those who simply fall in line, go because "they have to" and it's a good way to get the kids out and under anothers care for a while. Then there are those who feel that school is an important step in a child's rearing, and should be an all-encompassing part of that process to include not only the basic academics, but also instill a sense of self and of community.

I guess you could say that we fall into that second group. Unfortunately, I don't think as many can be counted in that group as one would hope.

Because, you see, I said that school should be a PART of a child's life. Sure, it's a big part - between transportation and the school day, they are gone for 8+ hours a day. Yet when they get home, there's still learning to be done.

"How was your day?"

"What did you do?"

"How did you do on that math quiz?" (aha - first you have to know that there WAS a math quiz!)

"Did anything funny happen during lunch/study hall/on the bus?"

"How is your friend - still sick?"

"Do you need any help with your homework?"

The questions could go on and on and on...especially when you have a talker! And if you don't, there's still no reason not to ask. Even if they don't want to answer right away, it always feels good to know that someone cared enough TO ask. How is that learning? It teaches compassion. That is something that isn't taught in a class at school. It isn't even taught in a single "lesson." It is learned throughout life, and must continue -- "use it or lose it," if you will.

When Boy got home from school yesterday, before he even had a chance to jump on the Wii and zone out to Sonic or jam out on his guitar, I put on Adventures From the Book of Virtues. At first, being the 12yo that he is, he rolled his eyes and just looked at me, as if to say "Mom, I am too old for these baby cartoons." But would you know, that within just a couple minutes, he was drawn in, anxious to see just why it mattered that Annie had used lower quality products when making weathervanes to sell for a school fundraiser - a lesson in integrity.

I really don't know where I was going with all of this. I have a cold, my head is clogged, and my train of thought has jumped its track. Hopefully the episode I found of the Book of Virtues continues to work, so sit back and enjoy -- and take part in their life education.

Here I am....

With Michael in Canada right now for work and my borderline insanity creeping upon me, I figured I would probably do best to start blogging. If nothing else, I get to ramble on and on, and not worry.

I came to realize the other night that we dealing with a full moon. Didn't really have to look at the night sky to know this -- Boy's attitude and actions speak louder than anything else. Literally. Yes, he is Bipolar and ADHD and has some position in the Autistic Spectrum. But driving Mom insane when Dad is gone shouldn't be in those descriptions. And, to be quite honest, it's only minimally those. Girl has no diagnoses, and she's been quite the handful, too. You would think that, after having a dad that did 13 years in the Navy, they would know what to do and how to act whenever he leaves. I guess this is where the term Navy BRAT comes from. Trust me, it has nothing to do with how they are RAISED by the parents! It's just got to be an ingrained stress release in dealing with a parent that left. I don't know ... but if anyone knows how to fix it, I'm all ears!

We are actually considering putting Boy into a Christian school. I've thought about this before, but the prices at the schools I've seen have always been waaaay out of our reach. He is a very spiritually-based person. He wants to be a pastor when he grows up, and is constantly asking us questions about what type of schooling is involved in attaining that goal, working at keeping his grades up now, and so on. But, with his diagnoses, he is also very impressionable - he will act like the majority of what he is around. So, if you can take a moment, imagine a school full of 12-14yo boys that are being raised in a generalized society where discipline is "taboo" by the politically correct, you can sort of get a sense of how difficult it is for him to maintain the life he wants. He tries, he really does. We've had him in counseling before, here is what always plagues him...
We've been doing the rounds with doctors of one sort or the other since Boy was 3yo - he knows what to say, when to say it, and who to say it to, and comes out of it all after a few months as "graduated." But unfortunately, he leaves those sessions, only to go back to school and see how everyone else acts - only he doesn't understand the "limits" and the "off-switches" that most people use without thinking. He'll say or do whatever, just to have the acceptance, only to never fully realize that people are using him. He sees the best in people....they see a gullible kid.

This is still something of a thought, but it's gaining more and more strength in our minds. To have him in a smaller, more intimate setting, in a school where not only academics are considered strong, but so is behavior and morals......just seems like a better fit for him as he is getting older.

I best be getting off for now.....Boy just can't seem to quit jumping or thumping or doing whatever rather than go to bed (he was sent up 1.5hrs ago).

Until again.....