Warning - venting contained, once I get it off my chest I'll be fine but....
Yes the above is from me and not my daughter... I was warned (thanks Mim!) but it's hit with a vengeance. I don't mind the reading every night or the take home and do the cut/colour/paste on the letter of the week even - what I can't stand is the ****ing homework diary! In Kindy! You might be thinking - well that's what you get with a private school - but friend's kids in public schools have the same thing.
Not only do you need to add the date, the title of the reader and the running total of the days that reading has been done - you have to come up with a comment! Arrrrggghhhhh...
Now those who have more enthusiasm for this than me are probably wondering what's the fuss. Hmmm let's see. Threw a tanty cos she had to read instead of watch TV - probably not a good look, therefore into homework diary as "wants to go fast therefore looks at pictures not words...".
A kindred heart has written an ever so more elegant version of this rant in the Feb edition of Sydney's Child and I am so exactly there in terms of both the sentiment and the more profound changes noted by the author. Homework standover tactics do not need to start in Kindy - why aren't kids allowed to be kids anymore?
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
I'm too old for homework - wahhh
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9 comments:
OMG. No wonder parents just do the homework themselves. How freakin ridiculous. How to make a child despise reading in one easy step. You are probably one of the few parents actually doing it and not just filling out the homework diary a week in advance. Jeebus.
homeschool!
you know you want to...
evil cackle and the sound of much running away
Demons out! Wash your mouth out with soap! I think I need a bex and a good lie down. The very idea of trying to homeschool Charlie has just given me chills.
I think this is yet reason the world should be glad I'm not a parent.. I'd tell the school/teacher etc to stick it. Homework doesn't to happen for YEARS yet surely. wow.
I'm with Meg on this one. Tell them to stick their homework.
Kids reading for fun at that age is plenty good enough.
Gees, I don't recall homework until secondary school.
Tops
Of course kids need homework in preps. And baby einstein and numeracy and literacy classes at kindergarten. Otherwise they'll turn into complete thickies and no-hopers. They will be unprepared for the pressures of the modern would if they don't establish stress coping skills by the age of, well to be on the safe side, 5.
I feel I've been behind the eight ball all of my life because I could not recite the period table by age 3.
Fuck, imagine what Einstein could have achieved if he'd had a homework diary.
This crappola makes me crazy, and Noodle's not even at school yet.
As TISM say "if you're not famous by fourteen, forget it"
Odd that you should mention Einstein. Apparently he didn't talk until he was 10... or 9 depending on your sources.
I'm guessing the diary is to force parents to spend some time with their child and to make them take an interest in their child's education. I don't think that would be necessary for anyone I know. Trying to stop them would be much harder.
yeah, it's all crap.
I imagine with Einstein, it was a matter of not wanting to talk, as opposed to not being able to talk...
I remember homework from about Third Grade, moving up from Infants to Primary. if there was homework in Infants, it was more like "draw a pretty picture" than anything else.
Gabrielle, I've often wondered what the problem was. that Periodic Table just says it all ;-P
ps - while homeschooling these days seems to be in the hands of Fundo Nutbags and Geeks With No Social Skills, I have to say - The Delightful Nanna considered schooling me at home. but then you all know her, and you know the result would have been okay.
however, she felt pretty strongly about the need for socialisation, so I got to be picked on mercilessly for six years before (praise be) getting into a geek high school.
you really, really can't win! ;)
I think it would be nice for children to only go to school part time for the first couple of years. that, or go back to a less intensive system for Infants (kindy & grades 1-3). one or the other.
and the whole forced early learning makes me gag. children need to be encouraged, but learning stuff by rote too early has bugger-all meaning to them and is a shallow process.
less of this homework crapola. more focus on parents being given the mental and emotional resources to be able to adequately discipline and socialise their children. learning to interact with the world is more important than letters and numbers at that age.
and heaven forbid, if parents and children enjoy each other's company, and play, and learn stuff at the same time!
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