Comments on: Passing 2nd Grade

By: Kira

Kira — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:36:50 +0000

this kind of stuff has been going on for years. When I was a kid, we had the ridiculous “science fair” project and the “mission project” (in california, you study the missions and build a reproduction of one) in elementary school and it was obvious to me as a kid, who got excessive help from their parents on those projects. They look like they were done by adults.
Current educational studies have presented the going theory, that for young elementary school kids, homework does not increase learning. Whether it is true or not, my jury is out, but I have to say that they might have a good point.
Still they give homework out all the time, even for kindergarteners, in most schools. I guess it’s some kind of way to get parents interested in their kids homework. And the kids who will have the best homework, are the ones who’d parents give a darn. It’s too bad that the kids get graded on the desire, effort and available time of the parents.

By: The Aitch

The Aitch — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:17:39 +0000

Wow cheese, this is crazy. I am in total agree ance with your analysis. This would not have worked for me at that age because my mother worked nights. She was gone when I got home from school and I pretty much only saw her on the weekends and you can bet for damn sure she wasn’t gonna spend that time doing my homework assignments.

I’d also like to know what the kid is learning from having their parents do the work and they are just sitting there watching?

Oh and Leslie baby, I have an email coming your way, hang tight a little longer!!!

By: dawn

dawn — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:35:58 +0000

Obviously in re-reading what I just wrote, I wouldn’t even be a good teacher because I said “teacher’s” (twice) with an ’s when I shouldn’t have. (Give me a detention!!)

By: dawn

dawn — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:32:22 +0000

Same thing goes on here in WI in our schools, and through the years (my oldest is in 7th grade now) I’ve had to remind my children’s teachers that I’ll assist my child if they are struggling, but I’m not happy when they send home assignments that REQUIRE a ton of my input. Every now and then I send a friendly reminder note (or email) to the teacher, along with the completed assignment. I usually get an apology in return. I think teacher’s sometimes forget that just because they enjoying teaching, not all of the parents do. To play fair though, I also let the teacher’s know when I am pleased with their teaching styles and abilities. You have to have a balance.

By: Leslie

Leslie — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:05:26 +0000

This crap has been going on for awhile now. When my now college age daughter was in fourth grade, the kids were required to build a replica of one of the California Missions. There was no way in hell a nine or ten year old could have satisfactorily completed this friggin project on their own. (When I was in fourth grade, our teacher let us go to town with sugar cubes, straw, and brown paint)

What you described is exactly what happens, the kids whose parents care end up with great projects, and the kids whose parent’s either don’t care, or don’t have the time to waste a few hours after work, or the money to blow $22.50 at the Hobby Store for miniature farm animals and little bitty peons, end up getting a big, fat F. And for people with more than one child, you can double or triple the irritation and expense.

By: midwestie

midwestie — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:30:21 +0000

I’ll tell you what it is. AUTHORITY FIGURES are asking kids to do things that are NOT DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE for their ages. You would think that if they have all of these credentials in early childhood development, they would not do this.

But it’s not up to them. It’s up to the bureaucracy that is public education, and the rule says kids have to do more faster. Nobody cares if it’s an uphill sled ride against NATURE. We as parents have no one to appeal to that this is wrong. We’re all just stuck.