On expectations, and Yellow Stripes

The boys thoroughly enjoy soccer, swimming and hiking all summer long, but we haven't traditionally done as good a job of finding ways to stay active in the winter months.  After all, in my mind the best part of winter is the whole fireside-book-tea-and warm blanket scene.

This past fall, William and Charlie decided that karate might be interesting, and they both joined a club that meets in town.They have been loving it, and now that I have gotten more accustomed to watching them sparring, I am enjoying it, too.  Their Sensei is great woman that they both hated after the first night, and have loved ever since.  She is strict, holds high expectations of them, and doesn't tolerate any silliness for the kids (or the parents either, for that matter).

 She has reinforced to me how great a disservice we do to children by assuming that they are incapable.  Of course children are, well, children.  They have had only limited years of life experience, may not be clear on the social expectations of different situations, and have less experience in managing their energy and impulses than most adults.  But not knowing what is expected is a completely different spot to be in than not being able to comply.  The first few classes with Sensei, the boys were hesitant, a bit confused, and sore from the extra push ups that she hands out when the kids miss step.  Rather than being turned off by the experience, though, they both noticeably focused their attention on figuring things out.  They were all eyes and ears, watching and listening to Sensei and the other students until they picked up on the expectations regarding their behavior that were clear, although not clearly spoken.

By not stopping the class and explaining things to the 'new kids', Sensei communicated to them her faith in their ability to figure things out on their own.  Her approach shifted the focus from confidence in her abilities as a teacher, to their abilities as students.  It is a subtle shift, but one that came across loud and clear to the boys.  They both approach their karate practice and their involvement in class with a whole different level of respect and maturity than I have seen in other clubs or classes.  It shows up in everything that they do there, from helping out the  new, new kids, to the respect and deference that they offer Sensei and the more advanced students.  Most importantly, it shows up in themselves - in the confident way that they hold themselves, and the attentive way that they take direction and practice their new stances and moves.  The bar was set high, they reached it, and they know it.

Two very proud new yellow-stripe belts.

Farm Camp

This past week, both boys have been spending their days 'playing farmer' at Everdale, a local organic farm / education centre / CSA.  For kids who are not used to other people directing so much of their time, they both came home with nothing but good things to day about their time at Farm Camp.

Brushing the donkeys was definitely a favorite for William.

Charlie loved the sheep,

And they both loved the maze.

They also gathered eggs, made ice cream, picked beets, ground flour that ended up as pizza crust, did crafts, and planted peas. 

And the verdict is...they both want to go back next year.

Soccer Season (Here's to great coaches!)

We are not a terribly sports-oriented family (more into activities like hiking, swimming, kayaking...) but I do think it is important for the boys to be part of some team sports once in a while.  They both enjoy soccer, and look forward to it each summer.

This year, they both have great coaches (which makes all the difference in the world).  A few weeks ago, I was struck by how lucky they are.  As you know, when the coaches are all volunteers, you get what you get and try to be happy about it.

On the night in question, Charlie's team was rather unattended, with only 5 little ones showing up.  It was crazy-hot at almost 40 degrees (which likely accounts for so many missing players) and they were playing the most competitive team in the league, which in itself is frustrating, given that this is a recreational league for 6 and 7 year old boys.

Here are our little ones, exhausted and hot because they didn't even have enough players to make a full shift let along have any subs.  The coach of the other team, who were scoring so much that we lost count (I think the final score was something like 18 - 0 for the other guys) was ridiculously competitive, and had the sportsmanship skills of one of those crazy-drunk-idiotic hockey parents that you see on YouTube.  With every goal (all 18!!!)  he paused the game, called his players into the centre of the field, and let out a horrendously loud "YEAH RED!!  WE ARE THE BEST!!!!!"

Out little blue team was struggling just to stay upright, let alone score.

SO, here is what I want to say about our coach.  William (the coach, not the son) is in his early to mid twenties.  He doesn't have any kids.  He was the last volunteer coach to join, and did so only because there were more kids registered than could play unless the league found another coach, and he didn't want any of them to miss out.  He works hard all day, then hangs out on the soccer pitch cheering on a group of unskilled 6 and 7 year old boys as they kick the ball around.

And while the other coach was boasting around like a rooster and making everyone feel bad, Will was cheering on our non-scoring kids like they were true champions.  He was high-fiving everyone in turn, and offering sincere congratulations on good plays and gentle pointers on how they could improve.  He checked in with all of the kids, often, to make sure they were drinking enough and not getting too tired.  He called water breaks so that they didn't get overheated, and told jokes to keep their spirits up.  He connected with each child by name, pointed out to them when they did something they had not been able to do before, and made sure to praise them for their sportsmanship as well as they skill.  Charlie left that game full of great things to talk about: how he was getting better at passing, how good snack was, how much fun it was, what he wanted to practice before the next week.  He never even mentioned the final score.

THAT, ladies and gentleman, is a coach.

More Real Teachers - The Coast Guard Auxiliary

I love meeting real teachers. Some of them are also 'official teachers' working for a school board somewhere, but more often they are not. Instead,they are people who work at jobs that they love and are excited about, and they want to share that excitement about their topic with others. (I think, as an aside, that I will add Real Teachers to the Labels list at the side and below - check out some of the great people that we have met in the past).

The gentlemen below were part of the National Coast Guard Auxiliary and man a rescue ship that travels throughout most of Lake Ontario. When they saw us ogling their boat, they were kind enough to welcome us aboard. They took us on a tour, pointing out all of their equipment - radios, GPS systems and other navigational tools, lots of first aid equipment, life rafts, and lots more. They demonstrated for us, with Williams help, how the rescue cage works to bring someone on board up from the water. They showed the boys all of the little cubby holes throughout the ship,and shared with us some of their adventures. Many hours later, I heard the boys chatting to each other about what a great job it would be to work for the Coast Guard...

Bug University

We have been exploring butterflies this summer as on ongoing 'project', and today we visited our favourite butterfly conservatory, the Naturium just outside of Kitchener, Ontario. The Naturium is actually part of a garden centre...over the past few years they have built a greenhouse that hosts butterflies from Costa Rica throughout the summer months, and also an educational centre where William and Charlie attended Bug University. Bug University is a wonderful (free!) program taught by a fabulous retired police officer, John Powers, who has spent all of his life studying butterflies and insects. He has a huge collections of butterflies and butterfly paraphernalia, much of which is on display at the Naturium. The kids spend 2 hours with Mr. Powers learning about and exploring butterflies through talks, movies, photos, and visiting the butterfly conservatory and gardens. This is another wonderful opportunity to learn about something from someone who is passionate about the subject, rather than just paid to teach it. The grand finally, of course, was coming home with a monarch caterpillar to watch its metamorphosis first-hand. Mr. Powers even found us a monarch egg, so that we will be able to see the whole life cycle right on our kitchen table ( pictures to come in about 40 days!!).

For anyone else out there interested in butterflies, the Naturium also hosts Butterfly Days on the weekends of September 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27, 2009 from 11am - 4pm. During Butterfly Days, families can come to the Naturium to take part in different activities including tagging and releasing monarch butterflies. I imagine that Mr. Powers will be on hand as well to answer any questions, and to share his love of butterflies.

Teachers

A good friend of mine once commented about homeschooling that she felt that children needed more people than their mothers as teachers in their lives. I couldn't agree more. One of the things that I love about homeschooling is the time and opportunity to make use of all of the wonderful teachers who are around. I am using the term 'teacher' in a very broad (and perhaps a more discriminating ?) way than most. I am not talking about someone who has gone to university for any number of years, has the certificate on the wall, and the regular pay cheque for their time. I am talking about people who are passionate about a subject, who are immersed in it, steeped in it, and radiate a love for it, and who what to share their love with others. Just as kids learn most when they are excited about something, they also learn better when their teacher is enthusiastic. The kind of teacher that I am referring to and the traditional kind who work in schools are not mutually exclusive. I know many wonderful teachers who work in the public and private school system who genuinely love what they do, and go out of their way to share their excitement with the children in their charge. May of them even mamage to bring some of their own interests and passions into the classroom to share, in spite of the rigid curriculum guidelines set out for them. I think, though, that it is not easily done - not through fault of the teachers, but rather as a function of the system that they are working in.

Our neighbors across the street know that we are homeschooling our children. One thing about being known as a homeschooling family is that teachers, the real kind, emerge from the wood work to share what they know. This wonderful woman first came over to introduce herself to us last fall. She had seen us around, and knew that our approach to education did not require the kids to be in bed by 7:30 at night. This piece was essential - she is an astronomer, and the stars are most often not out before 'bedtime'. This woman absolutely radiates a love of astronomy. It is a hobby of hers, not a paid profession, but you can see that it is a key part of her life, and of her identity. She has taken over a year (and a great deal of money) to build her own high powered telescope, and on clear nights she sets it up in the back yard. She invited the boys to come over to check it out!!!

This woman is not a teacher in the traditional sense. But boy, does she love to look at the stars!!! Last night William saw the Owl cluster, the Orion nebula, two spiral galaxies (one of which is enveloping the other) and Saturn, including its rings - very cool!!!!! This is the kind of learning that is fun - not forced pages in a work book. This is the kind of learning that is exciting for the student and for the teacher, and it is the kind of education that I would hope will continue to be a part of all of our lives.