Tuesday, August 4, 2015

A School Where Children Learn to Lead

In my opinion, the only standardized test that is of any importance is the SAT and colleges are slowly starting to get rid of that (but we want to get them ready just in case, so NOTHING stands in their way).  If we teach kids how to think early and how to be prepared for that, then there is no need for the insane testing that goes on...the 2 hours worth of homework, etc...With that in mind, I start guiding children how to write paragraphs (following the SAT format) in kindergarten.  By the end of kindergarten last year, my students were able to write short paragraphs of 5 sentences....topic sentence, 3 supporting sentences and one closing sentence.  We did this over and over and over until it was habit.  As they get older, hopefully those students will build on it.  At The Living Water School & Homeschool Center​ students will most surely build on it as they do their independent projects.  This is also why we do math and reading small groups instead of formal large class lectures...to build the skills necessary to score high on the SAT one day (if it still exists).  However, there is no formal SAT practice/test taking practice until junior high/early highschool. Our whole focus is giving them the mind to think for themselves, the initiative to be forward thinking, the ability to lead and innovate and the skills necessary to be successful post high school...but we don't wait until high school to do that.  We start it in kindergarten so that over the years these things are second nature.  So that by the time they have to take an SAT or GRE or whatever, they are not scared or nervous, but so confident that they see it as just another task they can conquer. I am not interested in having my students work for anyone, but the goal is for them to be the employer....that is the goal for my own children and that is the goal for any child who attends.

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