End of the School Year

We tend to homeschool year 'round ... except in February, when days are short and sunlight is in short supply and it seems that the only way to get through life is to play piano and to pop comedies into the VCR. Around Holy Week and shortly thereafter comes a busy time where not a lot of schoolwork is accomplished. But usually we spiff up the action a bit in summer. So the whole "end of the school year" thing is something that we observe from the outside, as the rest of the world begins looking forward to summer vacation.

Visiting with some friends at the wedding, somehow the topic of textbooks came up. I am the schlock of the group. I am the one of those relaxed homeschoolers, and I do not teach my children Latin. Most of the others in this conversation are Real Teachers. And in a perverse sort of way, Saturday's conversation brought me much comfort.

When I was scoping out church on Thursday morning, measuring how large Loehe Hall is, counting how many chairs were available for the dinner guests, etc., I walked past one classroom where the TV was on. It didn't look like anything remotely educational. In fact, it looked like one of those movies that my husband would let the kids see that I would inwardly chafe over. Seems the teacher had to have his grades turned in by lunchtime Friday. Huh? Friday? Already? But they have school next week.

Well, Friday afternoon was the school picnic. Monday is a holiday -- no school. Tuesday is the all-school fieldtrip. Wednesday evening is graduation, and they'll spend all day getting ready for the service and party. Thursday is supposed to be a day of "real school" but much of it will be cleaning out desks and organizing and picking up the room, and Friday is a half-day.

In other words, they ain't doing diddly of "real school" all week.

If a Real Teacher can do it, I don't have to feel so guilty for squeezing in only an hour or so of school a day for the last few weeks as we've been getting ready for the wedding. Usually talking to Real Teachers intimidates me and sends me spiralling into the woes of inadequacy. But this time was a boost!