This is a thread for random wonderful things at your alternative school.
Such as: The jumping corner
If you've been through kindergarten, you know a large part of it is learning to sit and listen. In alternative schools we have a reputation for sitting as little as possible, but you do need to be able to have a meeting, read a story, or give field trip instructions. In my child's kindergarten class several years ago there was a little alcove created by some bookshelves for "getting your jumps out."
I like this idea for lots of reasons. For one thing, it recognizes that sitting still is not the goal, it just helps everybody to listen undistracted. For another, it is much more effective than the standard elementary tactic of taking recess away from the rowdies. Most of all, it teaches the kids how to manage their energy, to recognize when they need to take a break so they can come back and focus. As an example, my kid, at 8 or 9, was able to spend entire evenings playing cards with her grandparents by taking self-imposed "cartwheel breaks" when she needed them.
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This is really a comment by my daughter, as she completed her tenure at an elementary alternative school. During the last week of class, which was celebration after field trip after picnic, I said something like "well, it's all fun and games now, not really like school anymore." And she replied, sort of confidentially, conspiratorially: "but Mom, it's always like that."
ReplyDeleteWhich proves to me that learning can be fun. This kid, and her classmates, are as competent as any of their peers as they move on to middle school. Maybe more so. I remember when I was first looking at alternative schools, one of the things I asked (being a skeptic at that point) was "how do they do in middle school?" and the answer was that the middle school teachers liked them because they would willingly participate; they were "engaged."
Oh, I forgot to say that I also thought it was kind of funny how she said it - like she knew school wasn't supposed to be fun, and it was a great little secret. (Well honey, not anymore!)
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