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Thursday, June 10, 2004

Folklife, it ain't 

Today was Poodlepums' postponed recital. Objectively, the music was horrible. Tempo and harmony were but distant ideals. But of course, I was listening with parental ears, which are very, very subjective. Poodlepums performance was flawless, though regretfully the other kids and band director messed up a bit. ;-)

It was a bit of an unusual experience for me. Since we homeschool the girls, I haven't been in an elementary school situation for decades. And even then, I went to a small school. Watching dozens of kids being herded about as they were led into the gymnasium for the performance was quite novel for me. The weirdest part was when the principal started the show. She stood up in front and clapped three times. The kids all responded in kind, and then the principal went on to tell them to sit still, keep quiet, etc. It was so different than the way we deal with our kids. I mean, I've read and known about the difference in socialization between homeschooled and classroomschooled kids, but this was the first time I've really encountered the difference face to face. No wonder I get dirty looks when I don't stop the Sunday School kids from getting rambunctious.