Summer Swimming For Dollars

I may not know the first thing about teaching a kid to swim... but I know what I want my son to achieve this summer. (Rubric) It's as simple as not being afraid to go in the shallow end, no more terror when a drop of water gets on his face, and at least the very basic lifesaving skill of treading water. We don't have a pool, so it is more difficult to get through some of these challenges. I'd also like him to be able to do swimming and watercraft activities at Camp Whitsett this year, and these require passing a basic swim test.

If he won't even go into the water, swimming lessons are probably not the way to go. I mean, maybe private lessons would work, but around here these private lessons are so cost inhibitive I'd rather just deal with it myself. There are plenty of group classes, but some require an evaluation before being placed in a class, and at LAVC, for example, they said if he won't even go into the water, I should start with private lessons first. I had hoped seeing other kids go would encourage him, but alas.

So public pools (yuck) and neighbors will have to do. Instead of money I'll be spending patience... which I admit I don't have a lot of, especially when an 8-year-old resists. Vehemently.

Anyway, given how much time we spend around water in the summer, the last thing I need is to worry about him more than necessary. So I'm going to try a little goal-oriented approach to help him along. First, we're going to watch "swim lesson" videos so that he can see what he's expected to do and learn from modeling. He does well with learning by watching video, whereas being dragged out to the

Next, we're going to earn dollars. Yes, I am going to bribe him. This will work better than stickers or points or artificial currency because he wants to spend his money on Pokemon cards. I am not a fan of extrinsic rewards but in this case, given how many years we have failed at learning to swim, it might be worth it, especially since I am forcing this on him instead of it being something he chooses for himself.

The basic skills I want him to master are based on the American Red Cross swim skills chart. I'm going to develop a kind of rubric that lets him fish money out of the bottom of the pool and hopefully makes it fun. As he progresses from going under to floating to treading water to dog paddling to swimming to triathlons to ... kidding! ... he'll earn dollars and get to spend them on water toys, Pokemon cards, or whatever else he wants.

Wish me luck.

Summer Preview - Hacking Third Grade

The summer will provide us with a variety of activities to work our way in to the sub-routine of homeschooling. That essentially means we don't have a routine, which is fine by me... though one might evolve. It also means he can whet his appetite on the things he wants to be learning as well as the things that emerge that I can steer him toward.

F will be at day camp on the days when neither parent is home and we're not out doing other things together. This camp is semi-structured with open activities -- all about choice and not being herded from A to B all day. It has stop-motion animation and filmmaking, chess and sports, outdoor play and all-day dance... I'm sure he'll find something to do and find his niche and he's very excited about it.

Meanwhile I have a membership at the California Science Center, and we have a full summer of camping and cub scout activities, and grandma wants him for some camping and beach activities... there will be a lot less Pokemon and a lot more "real life" going on for all of us!

Hackschooling 101 - Inspiration from Squaw Valley

"Education is not the filling of a pail,
but the lighting of a fire" 

~ W.B.Yeats

I have wanted to home-educate my future children since I was a child myself. As I got older, I studied this concept informally but in depth. I met homeschoolers and unschoolers and was always impressed with their maturity, curiosity, and intelligence. When I began studying for my MSEd, I discovered learning theories, application of the science of learning, and more. I learned how to decode the Common Core and how to evaluate learning materials. And more than ever, I wanted to hack education.

When my son was born, I was working full time and finishing up my MBA. I then worked more than full time. There was no way my son would be homeschooled. I found him a fantastic Montessori preschool where he thrived. I worked my tush off to get him into a very well respected public charter school. I can't complain too much about his formal schooling so far, except that it doesn't fit his needs.

Now I work from home (most of the time) so I can refocus on my son and his education. Inspired some years ago by this TEDx Talk from then 13-year-old Logan LaPlante, I decided to call it "hacking" his education. My son will learn both what his peers are expected to know, but in ways that schools can't accommodate, as well as the many things he wants to know, which will keep his light on.

We love science, so we will conduct this grand experiment in hackschooling scientifically. I'll log his activities, progress, and triumphs here. He might contribute some entries as well. Who knows where this journey will take us? One thing I am sure about - it's going to be fun, and maybe at times trying, but we'll emerge stronger, smarter, and maybe with a model for other families to play along.

Enjoy!