"So what do you do in school?" I asked my little niece who is going to be 5 next month and who has started going to school 3 times a week, for half days.
She looked down at her hands; "We colour." "Really?" I said turning to her mother who said enthusiastically,"Tell Auntie about the Beech leaves you learned about."
Oh you went on a hike?" I asked excited for her. "No.The teacher showed us a picture of the leaf in a book."
My sister and I looked at each other. It's fall outside for goodness sake! And the leaves swirl gracefully, dropped down from tree heights, grazing the pavement and the road; auburn, flashy red, umbra and topaz.
And out on the trails, it's a magical carpet to take you on a wondrous adventure.
The well intentioned teacher and her little book can never provide the authenticity of an outdoor experience of being immersed in the real thing.
I watched my sister's face fall in disappointment. For her, unschooling is not an option.
But I can't help wondering if whatever money she needs to have is really worth leaving a child's imagination/development at the mercy of a system that is not capable of anything more than the superficial experience.
3 comments:
So many times you say what I realise that I am thinking and you say it so well.
Classes are just too large when it comes to educating kids. There is very little chance of engaging kids in the real world with numbers as large as 24 per class!
@Danae-thanks for you uplifting comments!
@Anon- sadly that is true!
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