I have upset friends – no surprise there, when the couple said that they were so relieved to see the news article about “academic slide” and children losing momentum in their hols. I think they should instead be getting bumps bruises and sunburnt or saddle sore, and meeting girls in fields, well the older ones anyway.
Mrs LHA is well used to providing (disapprovingly) work sheets and reading lists for the holiday and “a head start for next year”, and got a stern telling off by me for calling a parent back last week ( in her hols) to answer a question.
Its usually over anxious over achieving parents who react to a rumbling blackberry like a crack addict texted by their dealer. They have failed in the life work balance and are teaching it as a virtue to their sprogs.
While I would prefer to take the parents and leave them in a lit room and text them constantly for 72 hours until they learn where the off button is and go cold turkey, we should do some teaching instead..
Its vital for school kids to learn to divide up their time, focus and not detrimentally mix work and play, keeping dedicated breaks for that, how to form teams and partnerships, and most importantly how to wind up projects, prepare for a break and resumption, and then take the break.
Their parents need to learn that as well.
My father taught me a lesson when I was working non stop and said, in Scots,
“ LHA, lets hae walk to the pub” a 6th Century affair by a river. We walked and passed a graveyard on the way.
“ C’mon, let’s take a wee look. You see all these deed people ? They war awl indispensible too”
Valuable stuff.
And for those that can’t resist it, don’t have the kids glued to a dining table and paper or machines, take them out to the many free museums, places and our historical heritage.
Show them how Arts and Science works in real life,do somehtig like building or painting or making something, how St Pauls was painted and sound goes round in circles, how the South Downs was created by massive forces of plate tectonics and sedimentary erosion and river action, how geometry stops bridges falling down, to first flight, walking on the moon, or how a Nuclear reactor works.
Take them, at their own pace, mix in something they want to do, and give them something to text tweet blog or photoshare about- not complete a work book while you are checking work emails :(
Mrs LHA is well used to providing (disapprovingly) work sheets and reading lists for the holiday and “a head start for next year”, and got a stern telling off by me for calling a parent back last week ( in her hols) to answer a question.
Its usually over anxious over achieving parents who react to a rumbling blackberry like a crack addict texted by their dealer. They have failed in the life work balance and are teaching it as a virtue to their sprogs.
While I would prefer to take the parents and leave them in a lit room and text them constantly for 72 hours until they learn where the off button is and go cold turkey, we should do some teaching instead..
Its vital for school kids to learn to divide up their time, focus and not detrimentally mix work and play, keeping dedicated breaks for that, how to form teams and partnerships, and most importantly how to wind up projects, prepare for a break and resumption, and then take the break.
Their parents need to learn that as well.
My father taught me a lesson when I was working non stop and said, in Scots,
“ LHA, lets hae walk to the pub” a 6th Century affair by a river. We walked and passed a graveyard on the way.
“ C’mon, let’s take a wee look. You see all these deed people ? They war awl indispensible too”
Valuable stuff.
And for those that can’t resist it, don’t have the kids glued to a dining table and paper or machines, take them out to the many free museums, places and our historical heritage.
Show them how Arts and Science works in real life,do somehtig like building or painting or making something, how St Pauls was painted and sound goes round in circles, how the South Downs was created by massive forces of plate tectonics and sedimentary erosion and river action, how geometry stops bridges falling down, to first flight, walking on the moon, or how a Nuclear reactor works.
Take them, at their own pace, mix in something they want to do, and give them something to text tweet blog or photoshare about- not complete a work book while you are checking work emails :(