# My son's school gets it!



## kyhoti (Nov 16, 2008)

So, we had to leave the home-school co-op, and put the boy in public school. We did manage to get him in a local charter school, which we were cautiously happy about. Anyway, he took some tests and landed in an advanced program. Their "theme" for the year? SURVIVAL!


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

That's awesome. I just hope by survival they don't mean because kids in the advanced class get picked on.


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## Immolatus (Feb 20, 2011)

Interesting, I would like to see the syllabus for that!


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

Please do not take this wrong in any way...

Make sure your son knows not to talk about dad prepping, especially guns. We have to consently remind our boys that not everyone has guns nor learns about them nor love to shoot or collect them like we do and to keep it to ourselves. 

I'm sure youve thought about this but wanted to mention just in case you haven't. 

They may be going to read Swiss family Robinson or something. It should be fun!


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

Immolatus said:


> Interesting, I would like to see the syllabus for that!


Ditto. I somehow suspect their ideas and yours aren't the same but would be neat to see what THEY think is survival.


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## kyhoti (Nov 16, 2008)

Just to fill in the pieces: his assignment yesterday was this: you've crashed in the Canadian mountains in winter. You are able to salvage 12 items from the wreck, which was a list given out by the TEACHER. Rank them in order of survival importance. My son put the ax first, cigarette lighter next, followed by 20 x 20 piece of canvas, Can of Crisco, PISTOL, extra set of clothes, map, compass, steel wool, newspaper, chocolate, bottle of 100 proof whiskey. 

This teacher gets it!


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

Cool! Is this a certain subject? Like does he change classes yet? Or one class all day long, same teacher and she's just doing something fun?


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

I don't agree with his order but thats unimportant what is totally cool is it looks to be the real deal once again this pessimist is pleasantly suprised. Awesome school you've found.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

If its an Atlanta Ga.school,its a trick ,imo.Thats my home state and everytime I go there I want to cry.So I'd diffinately look this gift horse in the mouth.


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## kyhoti (Nov 16, 2008)

No, thankfully its not an Atlanta city school. Its part of a charter system, and the class is part of the advanced curriculum for students in the top 10% based on testing. While I don't completely agree with the order he put the stuff in, the point is that he's getting a chance to apply critical thinking to a survival situation. He actually told me that, after reading the book "Hatchet" and watching me use my own blades around camp, he had to put the ax first. He was the only one in his class to do so, and when he explained all the uses for the tool, including shelter building, fire preparation, game preparation and tool making, the rest of the class changed their initial answer to meet his. I'm one proud papa! The boy's been listening.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Thats great. I read that book as a kid and give it some of the credit for me bein a prepper. What a fun class for your kid.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

kyhoti said:


> No, thankfully its not an Atlanta city school. Its part of a charter system, and the class is part of the advanced curriculum for students in the top 10% based on testing. While I don't completely agree with the order he put the stuff in, the point is that he's getting a chance to apply critical thinking to a survival situation. He actually told me that, after reading the book "Hatchet" and watching me use my own blades around camp, he had to put the ax first. He was the only one in his class to do so, and when he explained all the uses for the tool, including shelter building, fire preparation, game preparation and tool making, the rest of the class changed their initial answer to meet his. I'm one proud papa! The boy's been listening.


Good for you!

Gotta admit, when I read your first post I was a little concerned about what a school's idea of 'survival' might be, know what I mean? But it sounds like a good situation.

And it's funny you mention _Hatchet _- that's one of the books I was going to mention as a great book for a survival theme. When I was a kid I was an avid reader, and now I can see just how much of an influence reading quality literature has had in my life. What I read as a kid had a huge effect on my moral development and mental paradigm of the world.

With that in mind, my husband and I make a concerted effort to expose our youngest (who loves stories) to books about boys in survival situations or self-sufficiency situations. _Hatchet _is a yearly favorite around here (we read together as a family). There are some follow-up books to _Hatchet _- _The River, Brian's Winter, Brian's Return_. And I highly recommend another series by Gary Paulsen called _Tucket's Travels_, which is a compilation of five books from a series. Paulsen has a number of good books for boys - _Woods Runner, The Haymeadow, Alida's Song, Dogsong..._. Also good are Jean Craighead George's trilogy _My Side of the Mountain, On the Far Side of the Mountain, and Frightful's Mountain_. _Cabin on Trouble Creek_ by Jean Van Leeuwen is good, too. So are _Black Storm Comin'_ by Diane Lee Wilson and _Red Dog_ by Bill Wallace.

Sorry, couldn't help myself. Good books for boys is a subject near and dear to my heart.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

I loved my side of the mountain as a kid, I was thinking about attempting it as a kid. I can't believe I didn't know about the last three sequels...


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I'm going to have to get copies of some of these books for Roo.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

bahramthered said:


> I loved my side of the mountain as a kid, I was thinking about attempting it as a kid. I can't believe I didn't know about the last three sequels...


From my POV, the first is the best, but the follow-ups are still a good read because you're already friends with the characters.


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