What is school like, for your kids?

I tell parents of young kids to make the most of them before they go to school – because school ruins kids. They change. When I first had my kids, 30 something years ago, (that DOES make me feel old!), I experienced their transformation, from happy, curious, mischievous little individuals, eager to learn, who, by the end of the first year, had developed a nastiness and resentfulness that completely changed the atmosphere in our household.

For 10 years I had only seen the other side of it – as a teacher. Now I saw both sides.

I knew it was an effect of their schooling because it would take (at least) the first five days of holidays for them to begin to use their imagination again, to “play”, either on their own or together, to be able to have a conversation with them that didn’t involve belittling or putting the other person down.

They turned back into enthusiastic, happy kids, not “students” who had to be told what the next activity was and how to do it. They made things, made mistakes and made decisions (like when to go to the ‘loo’ and when to eat!). Not being forced to keep them at school until the end of Year 12 was our bonus!

This post from author Peter Gray rang so true – I just had to share it with you.