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Show School and 1 Home by Dr. Daryl J. AAcCarty Executive Secretary "oh Education As - A weary figure shuffles up the front steps just as the sun goes down, drags himself into the living room, and plops on the sofa with a might sigh. That's Dad, coming home from a hard day at work, right? Wrong. That's nine-year-old Tommy, back from a difficult day with fourth grade arithmetic. What we've just described is evidence of something that many parents don't quite understand. It's this: Learning is hard work. I have been youngsters scrape black marks on the classroom floor with their heels--an involuntary act that showed how intent they were on their reading. I remember a boy asking me for a piece of scratch peper to use while he worked on a math test. Seconds later, he asked for another piece of paper. He'd ruined the first piece with his sweaty palms. Once, a father told me he could tell the days his daughter had a lot of playground time at school, because those were the days she was super-tired. "She came home from school yesterday and slept 40 minutes," he said. "Your daughter didn't get out on the playground yesterday," I replied. "She spent most of the day in class taking achievement tests." Some kids register their intensity in school by chewing the erasers off their pencils. Some chew their nails. They're under particular stress when they are learning a new process. If a student doesn't fully understand it from the very first, he or she could get anxious. Many times, anxiety stimulates effort, and that gives rise to success. When your child comes home from school happy, it doesn't necessarily mean the youngster has had a great day in school. On the other hand, a tired, spent student may have experienced magnificent successes. Students should have just as much right to come home tired as Dad does- and they should get just as much understanding and appreciation. |