(this past Sunday)..an article about...oh, a strange little girl...
Alexander is learning about "military" time and time zones via his event picks at www.olympics.com. He is getting very good at it: "The women's foil fencing are on at 19:19...is that 2:19 pm our time?" Yes, indeed.
Erinn Smart competed in the foil division today, a young African-American woman who trains at the fencing club in NYC where A is a member. While she didn't place for a medal, she is a force to be reckoned with, and I expect that she fenced brilliantly for the U.S. Last year, A and I watched international fencers Gruchala of Poland, Wuillaume of France, and Vezzali of Italy compete at the World Fencing Championships. They held the World finals at Grand Central Station. Vezzali won the gold in Athens today.
All these sports events got me thinking: if I could, I'd have A do more soccer, more swimming, more fencing, he'd learn to row, etc., during the day. I understand that in New Zealand, it is not atypical for kiwis to learn several sports, and learn each well. I strive for the same. Which is why I am so offended by the CNN article depicting homeschoolers on a sofa. On a couch, for godsakes.
And anyway, for whom is homeschooling accomplished entirely at home? I spend so much time out of doors with A - at the museum, at the River Project, at music and French lessons, sailing, fencing, etc., that our homeschooling has only ever been partially at home (need I mention supplemental outings - if we study Assyria in Kingfisher History, we "go there" to the Metropolitan Museum's Assyrian antiquities section). If anything, I feel we want our children to learn what is out there, not confine them to more walls (the institutional walls at home!) or have them become socially inept book nerds.
OK. I got that out of my system. Now back to the couch to watch the Olympics.
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