April 24, 2009
I just got an email from a parent that said, "Whoever came up with this assignment ought to be beaten with a stick." That 'whoever', obviously, is me. Granted, it is a tough assignment, and it requires planning and research. That's what I do--I'm paid to prepare these 17-year-olds to enter college or the work world and be adept at...planning and research. There's also a collaborative effort involved, and although there can sometimes be problems in group dynamics, navigating those group dynamics are also school and workplace skills. We do a disservice to kids if we make them think that they'll never have to work together with classmates or co-workers in their lives. And, by the way, it's cool if you disagree with me on that particular point, but should I be 'beaten with a stick'? And is it okay to teach the kids that that's an acceptable way of articulating one's disagreements?
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2 days ago
i haven't watch TrueBlood yet -- i don't have HBO. but when it comes out on DVD i will so be checking it out!
ReplyDeleteFor real!
ReplyDeleteI used to love research assignments!
It is absolutely NOT ok to express your disapproval of something by saying someone should be "beaten with a stick"! That is crazy! Especially over something like a homework assignment. I don't get parents who think that way. Besides, a 17 year old is almost an adult, so why do they need their parents writing notes to their teachers disagreeing about school work. What a bad example.
ReplyDeleteHope you don't have to deal with that too often, but why do I get the feeling that you probably do? What is wrong with parents these days?
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That's horrible.
ReplyDeleteWhat are they going to do in a year or two? Call their kids employeers and yell at them?
JennyKate77 and K--Luckily, it's not too often that I deal with parents like that. Still, every once in awhile, they surprise me. I remember I had a student one year whose mom was constantly making excuses for her senior student--he never had to take any responsibility for anything he did (or didn't do). I asked him once what he thought he was going to do when he got to college and his mom wasn't around to bail him out. His response? He said his mom WAS going to be around; she was renting an apartment near the out of town college campus he was going to for the year, just so she could 'help' him transition. Oh my, cut the cord already!
ReplyDeleteThanks to you two and to ReRe and Kate for stopping by my blog!
I have a student who could have written that, and the reason is that she does all of her son's homework that doesn't get done at school! She gets upset when she doesn't know what to do and he doesn't remember. I went round and round with her son (a.k.a. Mom) over an essay "he" wrote; she didn't like the grade. Too funny.
ReplyDeleteP.S. As a mother of a 17-year-old, I thank you for your dedication to teaching these skills :)
ReplyDeleteGotta love those moms, huh?
ReplyDeleteAnd you have a seventeen-year-old? You don't look old enough. I'm jealous!