Guest Author - Meg Grooms

School:
Students raise their hand and ask permission to use the restroom. Teacher may or may not allow student to visit restroom, making the child ignore a biological urge. This causes embarrassment, discomfort and can lead to future health problems.

Home:
Student realizes he has to visit the bathroom; he excuses himself. When finished he goes right back to the current activity.

School:
Students are given an assigned lunch period which may or may not fit in with the needs of their chemistry. When the student is allowed to eat their lunch they often have 10 minutes of less of actual eating time, time which competes for time visiting with friends. This encourages unhealthy eating habits, forces children go unnaturally long periods of time with no sustenance, causes bodily distress due to fluctuating blood sugar levels and possible emotional outbursts. Food allergic children are shuffled to a remote table away from their friends and seen as outcasts. Children with deadly allergies live in constant fear of children who don’t wash their hands, utensils not properly washed and cafeteria mix-ups.

Home:
Student is allowed a reasonable time to prepare and eat lunch. He eats wholesome food made with love with no worries of spoilage or food allergies. He has time to properly digest the food before hurrying off to the next activity.

School:
Student wakes up early in the morning, most likely when it’s still dark, to prepare for school. He walks to the bus stop in the rain, snow, along a highway, or bikes beside 2 ton vehicles driving 60 miles per hour.

Student arrives at school and unboards the bus. He now has six minutes to pass through metal detectors, find his locker or homeroom, remove his jacket and backpack (if he is allowed to carry a back pack at all), find the books he needs for his morning classes and make sure he isn’t counted as absent.

Student arrives home from school and has a few hours to complete homework, less if the student is involved in sports or has a job. He sees his family long enough to eat dinner and must decide between getting proper sleep or finishing his homework.

Home:
Student wakes when he is fully rested. He showers, dresses and fixes breakfast at his leisure. He takes the time to read the cereal box or morning newspaper while he and his mother talk about the day ahead. Plans are made, dishes are cleaned and the child is able to begin his work.

Child completes his daily work, finishing hours before the school bus brings his neighbors home. He has time to practice his hook shots and trumpet, maybe he participates in sports at the local school. He returns home for dinner and to spend time with his family. He spends the evening watching movies or playing games with his siblings and talking with his parents. He might read before bed. He can set is own bedtime for the most part, or he can at least stay up later than his schooled peers because he is no hurry to wake up tomorrow morning.

School:
Student enters classroom and wastes 5 minutes while the teacher performs a headcount and settles down unruly students. Teacher speaks for 5 minutes, student takes notes. Student doesn’t understand a point and raises hand to ask a question. The teacher chides the student for not paying attention and the student is embarrassed and wishes a moment alone to gather himself and asks to visit the restroom, teacher says no.

Home:
Mom already knows which kids are present. Student seeks knowledge on his own asking his parents for help when he wants it. If this home is more structured the parent provides instruction in a customized manner and the child is encouraged to ask questions. Materials is not spoon-fed.

School:
Student is not considered worthy of socialization if they are not athletic enough, pretty enough, smart enough, stupid enough, if they wear the wrong clothes. Athletes are encouraged to be overly-competitive and harm the smaller, weaker students. The children who don’t learn as easily as others are sent to special rooms away from their peers for more intensive learning.

Home:
Children are supervised at all times to encourage fair play and to avoid conflicts. Children who learn differently are treasured and encouraged to start where they are and work to improve their personal best.

School:
Teachers teach to the test, not for the sake of learning or knowledge. Children are taught how to pass a test and little else.

Home:
Children learn according to their own schedule and those who still have to suffer the tests end up doing far better than those who were taught to pass it.

and finally...

School:
Students learn about their local river system (actually, insert whatever you want here!) from a teacher who stands in front of the room and feeds them information. If they are lucky they will see pictures, maybe visit an internet site and read about the subject in their state-assigned textbook. The really lucky students might have a guest speaker from the county water board.

Home::
Children learn about their local river system by donning a pair of hip-waders, grabbing a bucket and a net and getting right into the middle of the river.

Which scenario do you wish for your children? Lectures or hip-waders? The choice is yours.