School is out and learning is IN!
I have had a couple of friends from my High School days announce their retirement from teaching in public schools. The way that it came across sounded as if they had been released from the Siberian Gulag.
I applaud them for their careers and investment of their lives in young people that will never forget them.
I applaud them for their careers and investment of their lives in young people that will never forget them.
I am sure that their voices were drowned out by the cheers of the millions of school children who ended their normal year school terms.
School's OUT!
For what?
It seemed like they were putting their brains into "sleep" mode and the next few weeks were going to be dreamy fun and games - without much fun and very few games for most.
Some kids are going to camps.
I spent a couple of summers teaching archery and canoeing at an Ohio Y camp for inner city youth.
At least I had weapons and a means of escape.
We even had a small flock of German exchange campers that thought that Mr. Johnson was somehow nearly wild and would skin and roast them if they misbehaved. Ya.
Look around the Triangle and you will see every sort of camp, club and activity for children. Parents don't get summer vacations and must work and most everybody has abandoned the forty acres and mule for 40 square feet of grass and a yappy lap dog.
Teachers will be filling out paperwork for a few days and the useless test scores will be used to prove nothing again and promises made at graduation of forever keeping in touch have already been broken.
So, what useful things can kids learn this summer? All of this has to be age and level-of-responsibility dependent. This may challenge some parents, including the grands.
1. Folding table napkins. This presumes a communal meal around a common table. There are directions for folding table napkins and how to eat together in the same room in books and online. Primitive societies find that eating together strengthens the family bond. I am not making that up!
2. Gathering up and counting all the family loose change for a night out together. If there is no loose change, work toward getting some by doing odd jobs here and there.
3. Sorting through the cabinets and recycling the Armageddon-ready supply of margarine and Cool-Whip tubs. Enough. Families can occupy the spaces that these things are jammed into.
4. Clear one closet and straighten one room per week. Keep a camera and journal handy to tell the stories about the stuff you are parting with - but record it and say, "Ta!"
I just learned that Goodwill Industries (GCF) does not take much that is child-related: no toys, car seats, etc.
5. Check the energy level of all of your batteries in your flashlights. This is Hurricane Season. Rechargeables are better than consumables and batteries are better than burning the house down with candles.
Store some water, Vienna sausage and crackers. Don't eat that nasty meat, but you are supposed to have it for some reason.
6. Think about recycling books. Gift them or take them to a used book store.
7. Any child that is 10 years old or older can learn to vacuum and dust. Smaller children can be outfitted in clothes made of Swiffers. If the dry gets wet, you have made money.
8. Walk together when you are at home. Grab the gang. You may spend more time getting everyone together than in the actual walking (like playing in the snow) but this is what kids remember.
9. If the kids watch TV, insist that they tell you what they have watched and learned. This may kill their interest in TV altogether. It WILL make them pay attention and they will be talking and you will be listening - a great exercise in communication. You might even ask, "How did you FEEL about ..."
The heavens will open if they TELL you.
10. Involve them in meal preparation and cleanup. In the future they will brag about everything they complain about today.
11. Choose someone to send letters to each week. Beyond texting and Emailing is the written word, letters and stamps. Write a letter and let everyone contribute.
12. Perform a complete file and system backup on all of your computers. If you are not doing this automatically, do it soon in a manual mode. Get an external HD (Tiger is selling a 1T HD for $40!) or a pile of DVDs and do it. While doing your work, set your computer for regular auto backups and then do manual backups when you close your programs.
A file saved is a pile of tears uncried.
13. Have a family clean house marathon with prizes. Points for Cheerios, cat food, M&Ms, potato chips, Cheetos, cat litter, rings, hair bows, toothpicks, false teeth and pregnancy tests. The winner gets to pick the restaurant and meal. Most gross object gets a prize too.
14. Go to a park where the American flag is saluted and lowered at the end of the day. This teaches respect, patriotism and national pride.
15. Do something fun and safe with WATER. A family splash, water fight, pistols, balloons, guns, clown noses, just have some wet fun.
16. Have PIZZA for breakfast and Breakfast for dinner. Kids cannot say parents are boring after that. Crazy maybe, but not boring.
17. Have everyone in the family dress up (fancy or crazy) and go to a fast food restaurant. Everyone will talk and laugh at and with you.
18. Go to a street concert. It is free and loud and you get to choose how close to get.
19. Trade beds for 1 night. It is hard to walk in another's mocassins when one wears a 3 and another wears a 13, but one night in another bed will give everyone perspective.
20. Learn to tie knots. My dad was a sailor and a steelworker. There was only one way to tie things and the wrong way got a flogging. To this day I have never lost anything out of any load I have piled and rigged. Thanks Dad dammit.
21. If ever a moment of tension or an argument begins to break out, join hands immediately. Have your fuss, but keep focused on your love, respect and the precious thing God has placed in your life - each other.
Summer down everyone! This is going to be fun. © tim www.timjohnsonphoto.com
