Posts
Be careful about parent involvement. Consider the time and skill resources of parents when requiring their involvement. [emphasis added]
Apparently, we have now reached the point at which teachers can require that parents teach their kids, but parents cannot require that teachers teach their kids.
24 comments:
Oh, that's why I receive letters from my son's teacher (kindergarden) with project description and detailed explanation on how I should do it... Well, I am re-teaching him at home anyway, so I'll do whatever she asks.
My parents were involved in my education - the provided the desk for my HW, assigned a time and monitored me to keep the schule, occasionally checking HWs or answering my questions - in grades 1-4. After that my parents were never attending even the parent-teacher conferences, not talking about checking HW - I was perfectly trained at that time, and - HW was really to practice what was studied in school. No new inventions or at-home discoveries. Heh. Looks like I will not be that lucky with my son - since I may be "required" to do his HW.
After that my parents were never attending even the parent-teacher conferences, not talking about checking HW - I was perfectly trained at that time, and - HW was really to practice what was studied in school.
exactly!
That's as it should be.
Homework should be practice of concepts taught and semi-mastered in class.
I find it amazing that you're receiving elaborate homework instructions as the parent of a Kindergarten student.
Catherine, I wonder how this works out legally in your state.
In some states teachers are immune for being sued for "failure to educate"...no sources come to mind it's one of those things that I saw a debate about and filed it away mentally. However, I bet in every state parents can be criminally charged for "educational neglect."
Elaborate instructions come for exceptionally intellectual projects a-la "About Me" - to make a doll to show our cultural background, or to cook a cultural dish and write a recioe, or to write 10 sentences about our family. Since my son in K cannot write yet (only to copy!), I had to do it...
I teach in middle school - no projects to take home is my credo. At 12-13 parents should not be helping with HW... Well, may be just to remind that it's time to do the HW, but that's a critical case.
I teach in middle school - no projects to take home is my credo.
EXO!
I LOVE YOU!
One of my favorite teachers K-5 was a career-changer who told a parent that she didn't believe in homework assignments "the parents have to do."
Myrtle-
We talked to an attorney about this.
Parents can't sue a school for failing to teach. Regular-ed students have no entitlement to learn.
None at all.
(SPED kids have some rights, though they're weak.)
Interesting idea, that a parent can be sued for educational neglect -- is that true??
Catherine,
Yes, it's true. It falls under the generic title of "child neglect/abuse" and it's a felony. In some states they get a bit more specific and you see more sepcific charges listed in the paper as "medical neglect." A parent with a truant child can be charged with educational neglect as well as homeschooling parents that aren't complying with the homeschooling regulations in their state. The irony is that in some states professional teachers can not be sued even civilly but that parents, can in theory, be prosecuted criminally. If there is a warm body in a classroom, by definition educational neglect is not taking place.
http://www.childwelfare.gov/can/types/childneglect/educational.cfm
There was in the state of New York in the past year a case in which the parents sued the school district for failure to educate. It went to the state supreme court that defined "an appropriate" education as one that enabled the child to do consumer math and have enough reading skills to read jury instructions...in other words an 8th grade education. It was shown that the plaintiff had achieved this level and lost the case.
You can probably key word search in your state and find out more specifics. It's always an eye opener to find out FAPE (Free and Appropriate Education )is defined by the courts.
You don't have a right to a high school math program that actually prepares your child for college, that's an privilege kindly bestowed by the beneficent school district, not a right, which is why you can't sue. I think, but I'm not sure, that violations of FAPE can be handled by the feds, so you still can inflict regulatory misery if the situation is really bad.
Speaking of projects, my son's kindergarten class made a face (made of construction paper) of George Washington. I volunteer in the classroom and helped with the project. The art project was simply too complicated to do in the amount of time allocated. There were nine steps that involved cutting, gluing and writing.
No one would have finished if they had been let to cut out all the pieces themselves. After assessing the project, I thought there had to be an easier way so I precut everything for them.
Even then, the project was difficult due to all the gluing of pieces. Then, they had to write George Washington on the hat! Okay. That was miserable.
Their fine motor skills are still developing. Granted some have better handwriting than others, but still it was difficult for them to put everything together.
I commented to the aide that I thought the project was too difficult because it usually does not take an hour to complete an art project for kindergarteners.
She said she wanted the kids to be challenged.
--PaulaV
"One of my favorite teachers K-5 was a career-changer who told a parent that she didn't believe in homework assignments "the parents have to do."
Thank you, Catherine.
I am a career-changer (former veterinarian) as well as a country-changer (I'm from Ukraine0, so I can quite compare school and higher education in both countries. As well as the attitude toward HWs, projects, and teacher-parent opposition.
I try to teach my son to follow the instructions of his teacher without "I want to do it - I don't want to do it", because he MUST learn to follow orders. But then I face a dilemma - "Forget what your teacher told you , I'll teach you my way" and "Lets do this silly HW quickly so we can learn normal math, English, and Russian." Oh.
I think many parents face the dilemma of "forget what your teacher told you, I'll teach you my way."
I tell both my children there are just some things in life you have to do whether you want to or not, whether you like it or not doesn't really matter.
However, I inwardly groan at the projects and some of the strange homework!!
--PaulaV
She said she wanted the kids to be challenged.
Right.
That's the word.
challenge
We told the new middle school principal, at the beginning of the year, that we did not want C. to be challenged.
We want him to be taught.
Teaching is hard work; in fact, it's challenging work.
I want the school to be challenged.
exo!
Send me your email!
You must join the Collective!
(I'll send you a Google invitation.)
which reminds me....we probably have other folks who would like to join - but I don't have your addresses.
exo:
A vet AND hailing from the Ukraine??
good lord
you are a stranger in a strange land
well....we've all of us spent a great deal of time trying to figure all of this out
I'll have to dig up some of the links about respecting the teacher, etc.
Very briefly, I decided at some point that I had to "own" math (hey! I was proactive! I took ownership!)
I think this particular issue depends on the child.
C. is a very cautious soul; he's had ONE detention in his two years at middle school (and he pretty much planned that one beforehand).
He's going to respect teachers because he's naturally inclined to respect figures of authority, which gives me a lot of leeway when it comes to disrespecting projects that involve pasting and cutting.
If I had a naturally rebellious, cynical-sort of boy, I'd probably have to manage things quite differently.
This is the first year my third grader has had an attitude about a teacher. However, I keep hearing how third grade is a transition year. Perhaps this attitude is part of the territory.
My third grader was cautious up until this year. His classroom is full of boys and only a handful of girls. It seems the boys are ruling the roost, and it is driving the teacher nuts.
His teacher is young and sweet, but I fear she isn't very effective in illicting compliance among her boy students. Taking away recess points in a room full of boys isn't working.
My sister, a former middle school teacher, said that was not a good strategy. Single out the misbehaving kids and take away their points. I told her that would never happen...it might embarrass someone. She said that was absolutely ridiculous.
A lack of consequences leads to a lack of respect.
--PaulaV
Single out the misbehaving kids and take away their points. I told her that would never happen...it might embarrass someone
They don't do that??
Does the teacher keep the whole class inside??
I imagine that maintaining order is one of the hardest tasks facing new teachers.
I sure couldn't do it. I'd need someone to take my by the hand and SHOW ME HOW TO DO IT.
This reminds me of that great line from the TFA book on teachers & discipline (can't remember it at the moment...)
The teacher said that experienced teachers may be no help at all, because you'll ask them what to do when kids start throwing punches and trash-talking the friendless girl in the far row and the experienced teacher will say, "I won't put up with that," & then the young teacher carefully writes, "Don't put up with that" in his notebook.
I love it!
No, my son's teacher does not single the misbehaving students out. Yes, she keeps the whole group inside.
When I questioned her on the taking away of recess points, she said children must understand how to work within a group. They need to know how to make wise decisions as a group.
My take on that was that she has a bunch of eight year olds trying to police one another.
Yes, I agree that it must be extremely difficult for young teachers to maintain order. However, where in the world is the principal and the assistant principal in regards to maintaing control?
My sister asked if the teacher had a mentor. I would not know. The school is very secretive.
In fact, on a recent parent survey, communication between the parents and the school was a trouble spot.
Imagine that!
--PaulaV
Catherine, how can I e-mail you?
Today, I talked with a friend of mine whose son attends the same school. She says their is a lot of unhappiness among the parents.
My friend gathered this information on the way to a field trip.
The parents were careful not to name names, but it was obvious she said that the principal and vice principal were not respected. The PTA's kids got the "best" teachers.
The ridiculous projects was a common complaint. The worksheets the kids receive for homework are silly. The teachers were unorganized. The curriculum was vague.
Overall, she did not get a good impression of our school. She said teacher morale is at an all time low.
One parent said she had left New Jersey to come to our county. She said she moved because of the school system. She realized the school here was no different than the one she had left.
My friend said that everything I had been telling her was confirmed again and again by these other parents.
--PaulaV
She said teacher morale is at an all time low.
One parent said she had left New Jersey to come to our county. She said she moved because of the school system. She realized the school here was no different than the one she had left.
wow
jeez, at least you had a survey!
there aren't going to be any surveys around here, that's for sure
No, my son's teacher does not single the misbehaving students out. Yes, she keeps the whole group inside.
When I questioned her on the taking away of recess points, she said children must understand how to work within a group. They need to know how to make wise decisions as a group.
collective punishment
Post a Comment