More than maps

Just a peek into my morning….

I handed my daughter the map that goes with the history from two days ago. Instructed to choose three colored pencils, she could choose to color the three countries of interest as she desired, keeping in mind that she must press lightly in order to read the labels she inked in earlier.

I thought she’d get it done in three minutes, maybe five.

TEN minutes later, she hasn’t colored a thing. She is comparing the reference atlas to the line map, she’s still figuring out which color goes to which country, and mostly studying the atlas’s lines, which are finer and more detailed than the map supplied for her lesson.

Because she is educated at home, she can take that time. I could rush her, but there is no scheduled test to teach to. She already understands the story behind the map assigned. And we don’t really compare maps ever, so why not take the time to do it now?

I’ve been thinking about the Governor’s Education Blueprint since it was released early in Oct., and especially since hearing speakers give their opinions of it last week. I love having choices, and I’m sticking with home schooling my youngest for now.

[The speakers I heard were Glenn Massie, Shane VanderHart, and Bill Gustoff.]