What I've learned this week

What I've learned this week as a homeschool "coach," (they don't call us teachers and there's a good reason for this.)

I've learned that Ian is much more pleasant then he was in public school.
I've learned that he can focus, contrary to what many of his teachers told me.
I've learned that he's happier and somewhat goofier than I realized.
I've learned he's much smarter than his teachers told me.


I've also learned that I can't convert meters into feet, or vice versa, but Ian can.
I've learned how to use the stopwatch on my phone so I can time him running and then convert meters into feet.
I've learned I don't know the formula for speed and distance, but Ian does.
I've learned that you can find this forumula on the internet but it's much quicker if I ask Ian.

I've learned that I don't know the three laws of gravity, but Ian does.
(I thought gravity had something to do with shooting an apple off of someone's head with a bow and arrow, but apparently there's more to it than that.)

I asked my oldest son, who is home from college, if he knew how to convert meters into feet. He said, "No."
"What am I paying $16,000 a year for you to learn if you don't know this?
"Geez Mom, I'm majoring in International Affairs, not Math."

I've also learned that it takes Ian about 20 minutes to finish his daily Math, so why are the class periods 50 minutes?

Well, I think they figure in the time it takes to take attendance, mark down late students, move disruptive ones around, mark down more late students, take a note from the office, find the folder with the assignment, explain again how to pass the papers to the student behind you, mark down another late student, move a disruptive one to another desk, figure out why the power point won't work, finally explain the lesson (the 20 minutes), answer seven questions that don't have to do with math, collect the assignment, collect the books, answer one more question and three minutes to pray for the bell to hurry and ring.

I know I'm still in the Honeymoon Period, but seriously, why didn't I do homeschooling years ago?