The project method, or life without Quark

from anonymous:

I've been down that road with the wrapping paper. LOL

I have a history with those school projects. I get dragged into them kicking and screaming. I hate it that my kid's grade depends on how well I do the project--on whose mom is the most savvy and ambitious.

But in the end, after kicking, screaming and sometimes crying (I mean me doing all this acting out, not my kid) I like having done the project.

Also in the end I'm left with resentment over being told how to spend my quality time with my kid. And lastly, I'm left feeling like what was the big deal, did it really take that much time?

Very mixed feelings, as you can see.

Ed saw a dad carrying a huge, detailed, & perfect battlefield replica into the middle school this morning.

Naturally that struck guilt into the heart of us both.

We are lousy project-makers. You should see Christopher's timeline.

The desktop publishing part is fine, because, as I say, I became obsessed with graphic design a couple of years ago and I taught myself how to do a reasonably good knock-off of professional graphic design on Word. (The Non-Designer's Design Book, by Robin Williams, is essential reading here. A fantastic book.)

news flash: Robin Williams' website is back. (Seemed to be gone for awhile there.)

Anyway, the timeline itself is fine. It's not Quark, but it's fine.

The cardboard box we taped it to is appalling. We cut off the box flaps with cheapo scissors from Staples, and we didn't fold the butcher paper over the top, so there are carboard shreds sticking up all along the edge. I scotch-taped the butcher paper to the cardboard when I should have probably....driven to A.I. Friedman's and purchased some white tempera paint or something....the butcher paper is pooched out in places & looks ridiculous.

Plus there was zero quality time happening yesterday, since everyone was having a recurrence of the stomach flu we thought was a last-week thing, not a this-week thing, too. So Christopher was living in the bathroom while I was fooling around with text boxes.

Quality moment: I had Christopher read the timeline text out loud to me so I could type faster.

As to time costs, it really is staggering. One scruffy stand-up timeline ate up hours of my life.


From Lynn G:

Something must be wrong with me.

I simply hate these projects.

Never have a moment when I can stand back proudly and say, that was cool.

I am not artsy. My daughter is not artsy.

The whole thing is incredibly stressful.

We built the most unlivable African hut and our pilgrim boat would have never sailed had it ever hit water.

I don't care if they get a poor grade in elementary school on this nonsense. I make sure they know content.

Ditto that, too



the brilliant Ms. Duque

All of this is causing me to reminisce about Ms. Duque, C's brilliant 5th grade teacher.

She had the kids write a pretty long, complex paper; she slaved over that paper with them.

Then she taught the kids to give a presentation based on the paper. She invited parents in to listen to their talks, dividing us up into two groups so we'd fit in the classroom. The kids were all so proud, and no one drew, glue-sticked, or scotch-taped a damn thing.

That is a project.


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