Tra-la-laaaa!
12/16/09
12/9/09
"report cards"? no thanks
If there's one thing people should know about homeschoolers, it's that no two families are alike. Like-minded, sure. But part of the motivation for conducting school at home is that every kid is different! Part of the mindset of public school is to provide a platform for comparison and ranking, thus the testing, grading, and report cards, all in the name of "performance." Well, in our case, performing well on tests just isn't worth the trauma it causes our family. Once we pulled Adon out of public school, we swore we wouldn't let testing, grading, and report cards run (or ruin!) our lives.
However, we are cognizant of the need to show other people what the kids are capable of, both for entry into college (if and when that happens), and future possible employment. The kids are currently taking karate, and the school will give them gold stars to sew on their gis if they have a "good report card." So, what does that mean for us?
As a graphic designer and artist, I have spent years working on my portfolio. At my level, that's all that really matters. The question of my capability hinges less on how well I did in school and more on what I have actually produced as a designer and an artist. Scholars and academics work on their curriculum vitae for the same reason.
So, since we don't give grades and don't want to start, I am going to produce portfolios that have a semester's worth of activities, from all the traditional schoolwork that they do in their workbooks, to their list of books read, to field trips, whatever art they produce, individual projects, areas of interest, and whatever else I can point to to show the work that has gone into enriching their lives. I figure their portfolios can grow and evolve like my portfolio does, showcasing in detail the achievements that matter most right now, and consolidating and summarizing the stuff that starts to seem old and irrelevant, but still carries weight.
I am also going to ask the boys to work on it with me, since that is part of our goal as well -- to work together with the boys to provide the experience that is going to mean the most to them. I haven't run the idea by them yet, but it seems like at the very least they will be interested in coming up with ideas for things they want included in their portfolios, the things they are proud of accomplishing and want to show off.
I am open to suggestions! Please let me know if you have any ideas that will enhance our success.
However, we are cognizant of the need to show other people what the kids are capable of, both for entry into college (if and when that happens), and future possible employment. The kids are currently taking karate, and the school will give them gold stars to sew on their gis if they have a "good report card." So, what does that mean for us?
As a graphic designer and artist, I have spent years working on my portfolio. At my level, that's all that really matters. The question of my capability hinges less on how well I did in school and more on what I have actually produced as a designer and an artist. Scholars and academics work on their curriculum vitae for the same reason.
So, since we don't give grades and don't want to start, I am going to produce portfolios that have a semester's worth of activities, from all the traditional schoolwork that they do in their workbooks, to their list of books read, to field trips, whatever art they produce, individual projects, areas of interest, and whatever else I can point to to show the work that has gone into enriching their lives. I figure their portfolios can grow and evolve like my portfolio does, showcasing in detail the achievements that matter most right now, and consolidating and summarizing the stuff that starts to seem old and irrelevant, but still carries weight.
I am also going to ask the boys to work on it with me, since that is part of our goal as well -- to work together with the boys to provide the experience that is going to mean the most to them. I haven't run the idea by them yet, but it seems like at the very least they will be interested in coming up with ideas for things they want included in their portfolios, the things they are proud of accomplishing and want to show off.
I am open to suggestions! Please let me know if you have any ideas that will enhance our success.
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