The Random Yak

What’s Job 1? No idea, but I think it has something to do with recess. Or relaxing.

Yesterday was World Book Day. Also Return the Borrowed Book Day and the anniversary of the birthday of Dr. Seuss.

And at Yak the Younger’s elementary school it was yet another "Read and Relax Day."

Yes, another.

The first one happened back in September or October, and I remember thinking "that’s sort of interesting – we didn’t have days like that when I was in school." Interesting, that is, until I discovered that "read and relax" day means doing nothing but reading and relaxing. To make matters worse, the school advocated bringing pillows and sleeping bags to campus and wearing pajamas.

It’s a classroom, Jim, not a slumber party! (Statistically, 38% of you got that, all over the age of 30).

I learned about the slumber party atmosphere when Yak the Younger timidly approached me with a flyer describing the (cough) event and asked whether he HAD to wear his pajamas. I’ve never seen the child as relieved as he was when I stated, "Not only don’t you have to – you’re not permitted to."

Relief washed over his ten year-old face as he responded, "Thank you. Pajamas are for home – not school."

And now they’ve done it again. An entire day of reading and hanging out (need I mention that half the kids apparently spent the day visiting and playing rather than reading? I thought not) – as though they didn’t have enough time for "hanging out." Newsflash – that’s what weekends are for.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I understand that it’s much easier to teach children to bark and flap if there aren’t any actual facts floating around in their heads. I just thought someone, somewhere still thought they needed to pretend to be teaching something other than relativism and underachievement.

(As an aside: YtY won’t be attending this school next year, as he’s qualified for an actual academic program at a special school. Good thing, too – we supplement his education at home already, but homeschooling was beginning to look like the last, best hope for parents seeking to keep an otherwise Godly child from growing up a complete ignoramus.)

RMyak: To maintain journalistic integrity at the Yak, the Yak statistical support system went to the National Education Association website to confirm that Education is in fact job 2. Unfortunately, the actual rank for "Education and learning" is priority 17, just below "Celebration of Sleep-in Day."

Linked from Adam’s Blog – who’s apparently heard of a different version of the old "ant and the grasshopper" story. Hmm…wonder if he got an advance clue about next week’s Yak of the Week award…