Thursday, February 01, 2007

PJ's and homeschooling

We've recently gotten some interesting comments on an old post. Nicole brought up the following point in her recent comment. I want to thank Nicole for the respectful way she made her comments and for signing her name.

So, here's the comment:

I understand what you're saying Henry, but I'm not in full agreement. I think it is possible..even in a 'sub-optimal school' for a parent to aid their child and be involved enought to make the most of what is offered and even extending and improving upon their educational experience in the home before/after school/weekends/summers.. etc... It depends on the student's personal experience, the parental involvement as far as pushing for higher level classes..honorary or advanced placement involvement..taking advantage of other educational venues..etc. I personally find sub-optimal to represent this proud proclamation by so many h/s moms of "I school my kids in my PJs!" Come on..is that really what's best for the kids? Your family sounds like there is some element of structure..but there is something that deeply disturbs me about moms/dads proudly educating their kids in their PJs..in the long run, how does that teach kids to get up and get out to join society and reality?


It is funny that I'm sitting here in my pj's beginning this response. It is around 8:30 am and all my children are in their pj's too. My two oldest daughters are sitting at the kitchen table writing letters to their cousins. My 10 year old daughter just finished her letter and walked in to the office to ask if she could do Latin now. She recited her Latin vocabulary and asked me to quiz her. Next, I suggested that she practice with the audio.

My six year old walks in and asks to do Latin too. The two younger children begin to quarrel. My ten year old doesn't want to let the six year old listen to her Latin lesson. Since Henry is now out of the shower, the argument stops while the ten year old goes to take a shower and get dressed.

The six year old, still in pj's wanders off and begins to practice the piano. It will be my 12 year old's turn in the shower next, then the six year old. I hope there is hot water left when it's finally my turn.

So, why are we in our pajamas?

Today we purposely had a slow start. Last night the children didn't get to bed until about 9:30 pm (which is late for our family). We attended a Music, Art, Dance and Drama festival. My oldest daugher performed a piano solo and a clarinet solo.

Because we believe that sleep is an intregal part of learning, we told the kids last night to sleep in the next morning. If they were tied to a school schedule, they would be going on a about two hours less sleep today.

We started school work in pj's because they were ready to learn but hadn't yet gotten dressed as a result of sleeping in. Our schedule (or lack there of) is designed to maximize learning. Interrupting a child in the middle of writing a letter to get dressed doesn't serve the child. I'm very pleased that my daughter began writing a letter in the middle of breakfast.

We are focused on learning, not conforming to someone else's schedule. We do know how to arrive at places, on time, properly dressed. We simply choose to make schedules that serve our needs.


However, most of the time, we do get dressed first.



---------------------------
Related Tags: learning, school, pj, homeschool, public school, schedule

6 comments:

Charity said...

That was a cute story.

I personally hate to HS in PJs because I don't want anyone who happens to come to the door and sees us in our Pjs to think we are not schooling the kids. We also value sleep, though, and are almost always still in our PJs when the PS is starting each day at 8:10.

I had a comment about this part of her comment, "I think it is possible..even in a 'sub-optimal school' for a parent to aid their child and be involved enought to make the most of what is offered and even extending and improving upon their educational experience in the home before/after school/weekends/summers.. etc.."

My kids went to a great school before we started homeschooling (not sub-optimal). The problem was not the school, it was school itself. I was supplementing their education at home, but that only made it worse. The problem was boredom and an inability for young, energetic boys to sit still all day.

Janine Cate said...

I agree. Even a "good school" can't meet the developmental needs of every child.

Alastriona, The Cats and Dogs said...

We often start school in our pj's. After all I don't see the point in wasting valuable learning time while waiting to get dressed. And since I like to have HOT water I tend to wait awhile after Hubby and Eldest (who have work and college to get to) have vacated the shower. Eldest doesn't leave a drop of semi-warm water after he gets out of the shower. And I have no intention of interrupting a lesson just to get dressed. When I have to be somewhere I tend to get up at 4AM, so I can get the shower first.

BTW we all trooped outside in our pj's last year to watch the meteor shower at some ungodly hour.

ChristineMM said...

This is a hilarous topic and one that is relevant in our home/homeschool.

To look decent I need to wash my hair in the morning. I have not found a good routine yet that leads from my waking to being showered and dressed and feeding myself and kids then smoothly going into homeschooling. We get sidetracked when we stop for me to shower and get dressed. And I need my sleep so I refuse to get up earlier than the kids in order to shower and look great upon their waking.

My kids function best and most efficiently if we move right from breakfast to doing homeschooling. If we stop for me to shower, they get sidetracked with playing with toys or whatever else.

This has resulted in me, for years, doing the morning HSing in my PJs.

Since my kids shower at night and wake up clean *and* with great hair I usually do make *them* get dressed (as it takes just a couple of minutes and doesn't involve a shower).

My kids have learned a ton with me with messed up hair and wearing PJs. Believe it or not they don't judge me on my looks and are not bothered in any way, let alone with lessened learning by my messed up hair (permed curly hair is plain unruly until washed). (I DO brush my teeth upon waking!) And I am not a baseball cap wearing person so I'm not the type of mom like some of my friends who throw on clothes and a baseball cap on mussed up hair and proclaim that is good enough.

What has worked for us is to do morning lessons with me in PJs, eat lunch, then me shower, then continue with our day, whether that is stuff done at home or going out for classes and activities, appointments and errands.

Of course on days with morning appointments I shower first and get dressed then we do our 'outside class'.

You know there is a lot involved with homeschooling our children and what I wear while doing it is really not something I overthink or analyze. I use my mental energy on so many other things!!

Anonymous said...

I actually have a saying that "you know you have had a great day if you are still in your PJ's at the end of the day"
BY this I mean, that you have been so busy and engaged with life (work, learning, exploring) that you never found the time to get dressed!

This is like the dirty kids / clean kids debate.
Dirty kids can be seen as a bad thing - parents not on top of thing enough to keep them tidy. But it can also mean that the kids have REALLY been having fun and exploring!
Conversely clean kids can mean that they have to be careful all the time and can't run and play as much as they should.
There is a time and place for everything - PJs at home and pressed slacks at the concert.

L

Christine said...

We sometimes homeschool in PJ's. It really depends on how quickly we get moving in the morning. I am a migraine suferer, so I may roll out of bed just int ime to have coffee while the children begin their lessons. Some days, their first lesson may be a Veggie tale video while they have breakfast and I shower. With the extreme cold we have had the last few days, I have insisted they get dressed. It is simply too cold in our house right now, even with the heat set at 69, to sit around in PJ's.
Thanks for a great post!