Field Work --> Home Works

Today E13 got to spend the day with an adult friend who works as director of a leadership camp.  She runs camps for public school kids both at her facility at on the schools.  I think she offers corporate leadership workshops, too.  But today was all about 8th graders learning to identify their personal strengths and to acknowledge the strengths of their peers.

E13 was there to soak up the philosophy under the guise of being a peer evaluator.  She carried a clipboard and evaluation sheet around with her to "grade" the kids' abilities to follow directions and achieve their goals.  This is supposed to help our friend see where the strengths and weaknesses of this particular camp reside.

I hope that her feedback is helpful.

We asked E13 how she felt about the day.  She answered, "Sister B----- is sure patient.  I know that sometimes I'm immature, but these kids were like 2-year-olds!"

They were her exact public school peers at the exact public school she would attend were we to decide that was the place for her.

She told a lot more stories as the evening wore on, but her first answer really sums it up.

So while we're not sure that we achieved our hoped-for goal of encouraging her to see the best in herself and others, she's feeling more and more thankful for our homeschooling ways.

Sometimes the best benefits are surprises.

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