A Month Later

Just returned from the homeschooling cooperative.  Since I didn't sign up to teach a class, they signed me up for set up and assistant to the teacher in the Drama and Improv class.  I was very impressed with these homeschooled teenagers.

We played a game where we had to sit in a circle and pass my watch around.  Each person who had the watch turned the the person next to him/her and tried an exercise that's supposed to help you focus, connect and develop a sense of communitywithin the group.  It went something like this:
You: "I have a watch."
He/Her:  "A what?"
You: "A watch."
He/Her: "A what?"
You: "A watch."
He/Her: "Oh, a watch."
Then you pass it on until it goes around the circle.  To make the game a little more complicated, we added a phone and a library card to the mix.  It was fun and not always so easy. These kids were confident, bright, creative and not the least concerned about any judgement.   It was refreshing.

After the game, we tried improv.  I was blown away.  They were so good!  Not afraid to stand in front of their peers and act out a scene.  I had to do it, too.  The only words I was allowed to say were:  "What do you think I'm doing?"   My partner, a 13 year old (I think) could only say:  "What are you doing?"   I managed not to make a fool of myself and actually turned the thing into an emotional scene.  Amazing what you can do with two sentences repeated over and over again.

After the classes ended, Zoe wanted to play outside at the playground.  We stayed for about half an hour and again, I was amazed at the difference in the attitudes of all these homeschooled children.  Although they're clearly individuals with very different personalities, they share a common theme:  Self Assurance.   There was a boy dressed like Charlie Chaplin, a girl in a safari outfit, another one in a Adams Family theme.  No matter the age, the playground was a like a humming with happy, free thinking, friendly kids.   Not the scene I'm used to seeing at public schools.

Zoe made a friend today, too.  A girl named Grace.   Zoe left the playground beaming.  So did her homeschooling mother. :)