school = job?

[SaneMarguerite]

apologies in advance if this subject has already been covered - if so, please feel free to redirect.

is school a child's "job"? what does that mean for your child/ren and family?

[EFmom]

In my family, yes, school is the child's job. While the kids are young, that means that schoolwork gets done first. While the kids are older, it means that school is still the top priority, before sports, leisure activities, etc. We won't allow our kids to get part-time jobs during the school year because we want them to concentrate on their education.

[DoubleOven]

:

[emdeecee_sierra]

Yes, that's the way we explain it to DC#1 (who at this very moment as I type is asking me "Mommy, why don't I ever get to play?" This, after a morning of some tv (not usual around here) and playing with siblings for an hour into school time. *sigh*), that just as Daddy goes to work, this is just like that for DC, his job is to do school with Mommy so he can learn. Appeals to him more some days than others LOL.

School is my job, too. I have to think of it that way otherwise I tend to let other tasks bump school down on the priority list. DC#1 is still young and I'm still in the mindset of school being lax and not a necessary thing (as with "home preschool"). But we are now moving into the early elementary age and ability level, so it is time to get serious. If I had a job outside the home, I would have to get up and be there at a specific time, perform specific tasks, and be accountable for a certain level of production. This is no different in that respect.

[Flor]

I don't really like that analogy. Sometimes people say, "well in the REAL WORLD. . .X happens, so schools should . . . " but it doesn't always work. I didn't hire my students and I can't fire them. They aren't getting "paid" for their work, etc. They could slack off all day and no one's going to show them the door. For some situations, I see the connections, but others not.

[RiverSky]

Nope, IMO, school is not a child's job. Around here, we tell our children that their job is to play, have fun, enjoy life, run around, love their family, be kind to friends, use their imagination, read, listen, watch and learn. I think that will be their job for a very long time...

[rootzdawta]

I think learning is a child's job and they should put all their energy into it. That means learning from play (life/experience learning) and learning in school or in some kind of structured way (book learning). School should be taken as seriously as a parent takes a job but is school a child's job? Well, LoL, they don't get paid and (unless you decide to homeschool), they generally can't quit if it beomes too stressful or unrewarding, they didn't get to choose the "job," and if a child finds that he can't do well at the school "job" for whatever reason, it leads to a whole other problem w/ self-esteem.