Sometimes they are just too much of a “public school”.   One of the reasons I liked the idea of using Odyssey Charter High School for Roger’s high school because of the interaction with other kids… as well as some interaction with teachers.  I also really didn’t feel like I had the time, being that I’m working on growing a small business in todays economy, to do my own curriculum.  I needed something that was ready made!  Well.. the down side to having something “ready made” and using a public charter school, is that it’s still a public school and all that that implies.

Tuesdays are Rogers “Campus” days, where he has to go to campus once a week to meet with teachers and participate in one specific class.  That class is called “Composition”.  However, its not so much a class on composition or writing, but more a class on public speaking, leadership, and such.  Steve and I always ask Roger what he did in school at dinner on Tuesdays.  Usually he talks about some activity that the class had to do or a paper they had to write.  Some of the activities are interesting.  Like when they had to figure out how to build a structure with pieces of paper and it had to be a certain hieght, width, ect and stand on its own.  They do a lot of activities that are designed to bring out co-operation, leadership skills, and communication.  Generally I like the activities they do…. generally!

This evening we found the activity and assignment that Roger had was a little on the…. irritating side.  Mostly because it was a good idea, just not implemented very well.  The assignment was for each student to pick an “Influential Leader” and write an introduction for that person.. as in an introduction for an awards ceremony or speach.  Some of the people suggested were good… and others were highly suspect.  People like Michael Jackson and George Clooney.  People who are mostly just celebrities and not much else.  Or course some of the people suggested, by both the teacher and students were people like President Reagan, President Obama, Bono, Ghandi, Gen. Patton, Rosa Parks… etc.  So there were some good suggestions… but the teacher obviously didn’t guide the students away from just rag magazine fodder type people, because Roger decided to write his introduction on Michael Jackson.  GAH!!!!  I guess it could have been worse, he could have chosen Anna Nicole Smith!

So, in an endevour to torture give my children a better education, I am giving them the same assignment, only with a little more direction on my part.  Their assignment is:

1. Come up with 5 names of influential people (names of people that we did not discuss earlier today)
2. Write a report on 1 person from those 5 that Steve and I will pick

Jack wasn’t really thrilled with the idea of having to do work because of Roger’s school… and Roger wasn’t really thrilled with having to do another report… but that’s why I’m mom!  I get to torture raise my children the way I see fit.  They just have to live through it!  I’ll let you know how things go once they are done with their torture schoolwork.

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