do your kids have books about school?

[Fairy4tmama]

I was rearranging my liabrary today and came across a number of books that are school oriented from back in my classroom days. there not generaly speaking the type that are aimed at selling kids on school just feature it as a main part of the plot. I am not sure how I feel about this since the boys will not be attending school? What are your libraries like? Do your kids have books about school?

[UnschoolnMa]

Mine do. It's no biggie to us really though. Mine did attend briefly, and they know that many children go to school. (Dd's best friend attends public school, relatives etc) School is a part of the great big world around us. Even Harry Potter goes to school lol.

[UUMom]

Some, i suppose. But it's not an issue for my hsers. One could't even read Harry Potter if we worried about that sort of thing. (although maybe you don't read about Harry...) Censorship of things we don't do would leave us with mighty fewer good reads. Kindy books and such aren't so much about brainwashing, but reassurance to children who have to go to school. I think horror preschool and Kindy stories would up the Ritalin rate even further. "Dora Gets An F in Handwriting' is a pointless story for a 4 yr old, don't you think?

Donate what does not interest you.

In the middle of Half Blood Prince. Way fun! And I didn't even go to wizard boarding school!

[chalupamom]

I don't think we have any "school" books lurking about our shelves, but there may be some. My MIL was a second grade teacher until the end of this past school year (that is, until the middle of last month) and she will periodically send us few books from her shelves - no doubt that we'll eventually get at least a few.

I don't think they'll bug me for only the school content. My son knows that not everyone goes to "mommy school" and he has reserved the right for himself to choose school when he's older. I agree that books dealing with school as a plot point aren't any different than those dealing with some life experience that we either don't currently or won't have - i.e., just another view of the world.

[UUMom]

I didn't read Unschoolma's psot when i mentioned Harry, I swear!

Harry on the brain, i guess.

I am enjoying all the wonderful surprises in Half Blood Prince too much, I guess! :

My oldest teen is done and keeps bugging me to finish so we can dish! Gotta run!

[ShannonCC]

Well, I'll be the dissenting opinion on this thread When my dd was a little one, like yours are now, yes, I did avoid books about school. The way I see it, the school message is so prevalent in our society I felt the need to counteract that a bit. Same reason I would search out books that featured breastfeeding instead of bottles, or showed family beds or other such "against the norm" things that our family does. Now she is 6 and reading on her own and she picks a lot of her own books so yeah, now she reads school books if she wants.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by ShannonCC

When my dd was a little one, like yours are now, yes, I did avoid books about school. The way I see it, the school message is so prevalent in our society I felt the need to counteract that a bit.

Same here. I also felt that some books for young children about school paint as "school as Nirvana" picture that wouldn't not be helpful to my kids when they were very young.

Now, though, their view of school is based on what their peers who attend say.

Several of the books that they enjoy now contain school as one element -- even the Kirsten books (from American Girl) have school as a major theme. The books for younger kids are often only about school, whereas the books they enjoy now have more complex plots.

And, as much as they love HP, my kids say that they wouldn't want to go to Hogwarts because it is a boarding school! Homeschooling obviously wouldn't work for Harry or Hermione, but why don't the Weasleys homeschool? Has anyone else's kids asked this?

[excitedtobeamom]

Linda-What good questions your kids ask!

[Fairy4tmama]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

Homeschooling obviously wouldn't work for Harry or Hermione, but why don't the Weasleys homeschool? Has anyone else's kids asked this?

:LOL

[Fairy4tmama]

Thanks for your opinions they are truely helpful. I definatly don't intend to censor but I think I will possibly stash some of the school books a way for a year or two, definatly keeping the Magic School Bus books out . I know that ds is going to learn about school obviously, its just that he already has a highly idealasized(sp?) view of shool ie school is where you play on those neat looking playgrounds. Can any one recomend books for young children that feature HSing?

[moominmamma]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

Homeschooling obviously wouldn't work for Harry or Hermione, but why don't the Weasleys homeschool? Has anyone else's kids asked this?

From the J.K. Rowling site FAQ:

Q: What education do the children of wizards have before going to Hogwarts?

A: They are, as many of you have guessed, most often home educated. With very young children, as you glimpsed at the wizards' camp before the Quidditch World Cup in 'Goblet of Fire', there is the constant danger that they will use magic, whether inadvertently or deliberately; they cannot be trusted to keep their true abilities hidden. Even Muggle-borns like Harry attract a certain amount of unwelcome attention at Muggle schools by re-growing their hair overnight and so on.

So the Weasleys were likely home-schooled until age 11.

Miranda

[UnschoolnMa]

Originally Posted by moominmamma

So the Weasleys were likely home-schooled until age 11.

Miranda

How incredibly cool