News
A Shakopee school hopes to encourage togetherness by forsaking meetings. sports and even homework - at least for one night
By Tom Ford
Star Tribune Staff Writer
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Students at Shakopee's Pearson Elementary School are expected to spend this coming Monday night at home.
Home, rather that at a basketball practice, or a piano lesson, or a boy Scouts meeting, or a dance rehearsal, or you name it. And without any homework.
With the blessing of school officials and the consent of others, those activities and the scurrying that goes with them will be put aside so that children and their families can have a meal together and simply enjoy one another's company.
"It will help families reclaim their time," said Jana Fischer, mother of two Pearson students.
Fischer was among several Shakopee parents, students and school officials who planned the upcoming evening, modeled after a similar effort in the Wayzata and Plymouth areas.
If it's a hit, the Shakopee district will try to schedule two more family nights for the whole school community next year.
Many Pearson parents seem excited - and perhaps a little puzzled, said Nathan Warren, the district's youth programs coordinator.
"I had one parent who called me about the evening and she asked me, 'Okay, what do we do [that night]?'" Warden said.
The hope is that at the least, families will sit down and eat dinner. They might go for a walk, play a board game or just talk. To spark conversation, Pearson students will have a list of questions to ask their parents. Suggestions include "What was your home like?" and "What did you want to be when you grew up?"
Demand is there
The list was compiled by Warden and other community members who are a part of a group that formed last fall to address the needs of local youth.
One of the clearest messages from the group's high school members was that parent involvement and family time should increase, Warden said.
As they looked for a way to make it happen, members came across a news article about the "Putting Family First" night that took place March 7 in Wayzata and Plymouth.
"It has almost become a status symbol [for families] to be so busy," said Barbara Carlson, co-founder and president of the west-suburban Putting Family First community group.
It organized about six years ago with the goal of making family a higher priority.
This year was the first time that members had arranged an activity-free family night. Some churches and dance studios canceled their events March 7 to accommodate the effort, Carlson said.
Avoiding overload
Carlson and organizers of Shakopee's event stress that sports and music lessons are fine for children, but they urge moderation.
Fischer said she and her husband try to limit the number of activities of their daughter Candace, 10, and son Aaron, 8.
Right now, a Spanish class for Candace and an Art class for Aaron are about it, only taking up about one day a week.
That's helped them manage to have dinner together pretty much every night.
But squeezing in other family time has become harder; Aaron and Candace often have an hour or more of homework to finish. With that stress gone on Monday, Fischer suspects that the family will break out "The Game of Life".
On Monday at the Goetze household, Pearson fourth-grader Jordan and kindergartner Jonah might try to have their father, Scott, and not their mother, Londell, as their foosball partner.
"I tend to be the one who's not so skilled," Londell said.
She said it will be "awesome" to have a night minus the rush to get school work done or to shuffle off to a basketball game. During sports seasons, games and practices often consume two or three nights a week.
That has left little time for her and Scott to hear about the small but important news of the day - such as a good report on a school project or the fact that someone had their feelings hurt that day, Londell said.
"You kind of forget to do the simple things," she said.
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