Re: What to do when your son tell you he hates you.

On Oct 24, 1:22 pm, Nan <Badmam@#1.net> wrote:

If I really thought the assigned work was pointless -- and based on
what parents with older kids have said, a lot of the "projects" that
kids are assigned sound like that to me -- I might tolerate my kids
making only a minimal effort and aiming for a passing grade rather
than an A, at least prior to 9th grade (when grades matter for
college). But I will never want them to be disruptive in class or
overtly disprectful to a teacher.

My daughter is in 2nd grade and her teacher assigns a "project" on
average every 2 to 3 weeks.

Since she does not assign homework more than 2 nights a week, I don't
mind the frequency of the projects. I can't say I find any of the
projects "pointless" since they are studying the topic in class as
well.
However, my attitude is that the projects help my daughter learn how
to manage her time in doing the project. She's always a bit
overwhelmed when the project is first assigned, until I help her break
it down into smaller units and help her set goals for how much and
what work she'll do on the project each evening.

I obviously don't think parents should crack a whip, but if you show
that your attitude is that the assignment is pointless, that will be
what your child learns and it's not always the best thing for them
when they get to the point that "grades matter for college". I really
just don't understand that type of thinking.

It certainly is possible give students an assignment that takes
considerable time but does not teach enough to justify the time spent.
Consider for example the essay

http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2006/1225/139.html
Assignment: Wombats
Peter Huber 12.25.06

where the kids spend 1/2 hour on research and writing and 2 1/2 hours
on formatting . What will matter for student's success in high school
and college is not the quality of his wombat presentation in 7th grade
but how well he learned the principles of biology and other core
subjects.

.

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