Well, our little dears are our greatest joy, but people need to remember there is some fresh hell daily. Or they just aren't introspective enough?
Take Tuesday night. I really wanted to watch the finale of a TV show and UPS lost my replacement Tivo. Did I get to take the easy route, or let my kid stay up because I wanted to stay up? I see plenty of kids who appear to stay up late because it's easier.
Or Katie's spelling class. She was pulling a low C and they wanted to move her down a level. hmmm.... I went and talked to the teacher, and looked at last years tests. hmm.... Last year she was in the high 90s, now she is falling apparent? Something different in the teaching methodology, or is someone NOT PAYING ATTENTION? yeah, she was sitting at the back of the room. Still, her main teacher wanted to move her to the middle group. So I looked at that list, and pulled out last years tests. (Yes, I am a freak parent and saved them). Many of the words were the same. Okay, so she could move to the middle group, be with another set of friends, take it easy, coast, be bored, and get more bad habits. I told the teacher I thought second grade was a pretty safe place to learn how to SHUT UP and FOCUS in class, and I wanted her in the high group. We made a deal with her that we would pick up the spelling list Friday nights, and not have to learn the whole thing M-T-W (Th is Brownies) and Daddy would support Moo as well. We tried some alternate paths as the teacher prefers Katie learns them by writing them out, over and over (like me) whereas Katie is a verbal learner, and learns by listening. So despite the negative comments from the teacher, we work a lot with her reading the spelling, or we read the spelling to correct the "practice test". (I have never forgotten how she memorized 6 pages of a really hard book when she was 3 - this kid has a gift for memorizing). We also watched "Aklehah and the Bee" (that spelling bee movie from a couple of years ago) as I thought that girl's passion might be a bit contagious - or at least Katie wouldn't loathe spelling.
Katie is now just missing a word or two on the tests. But more importantly she is learning she can set high goals, and we will support her to work hard and achieve them.
Does my husband get "time for himself" at night? Is working on spelling after bath his idea of a good time? (We both suck at spelling) Has it crossed our minds that if she just did the group with the words she already knows, stagnating (I mean review) would give us all a lot more leisure time!
So I dunno.... seems like a lot of parents say "have kids they are great!" and then want to just park them in front of the TV, and leave their education and exercise to the schools.
oh, and don't get me started about scouting. It's a great way to meet "drop and go" parents.
Take Tuesday night. I really wanted to watch the finale of a TV show and UPS lost my replacement Tivo. Did I get to take the easy route, or let my kid stay up because I wanted to stay up? I see plenty of kids who appear to stay up late because it's easier.
Or Katie's spelling class. She was pulling a low C and they wanted to move her down a level. hmmm.... I went and talked to the teacher, and looked at last years tests. hmm.... Last year she was in the high 90s, now she is falling apparent? Something different in the teaching methodology, or is someone NOT PAYING ATTENTION?
yeah, she was sitting at the back of the room.
Still, her main teacher wanted to move her to the middle group. So I looked at that list, and pulled out last years tests. (Yes, I am a freak parent and saved them). Many of the words were the same.
Okay, so she could move to the middle group, be with another set of friends, take it easy, coast, be bored, and get more bad habits.
I told the teacher I thought second grade was a pretty safe place to learn how to SHUT UP and FOCUS in class, and I wanted her in the high group.
We made a deal with her that we would pick up the spelling list Friday nights, and not have to learn the whole thing M-T-W (Th is Brownies) and Daddy would support Moo as well.
We tried some alternate paths as the teacher prefers Katie learns them by writing them out, over and over (like me) whereas Katie is a verbal learner, and learns by listening. So despite the negative comments from the teacher, we work a lot with her reading the spelling, or we read the spelling to correct the "practice test". (I have never forgotten how she memorized 6 pages of a really hard book when she was 3 - this kid has a gift for memorizing).
We also watched "Aklehah and the Bee" (that spelling bee movie from a couple of years ago) as I thought that girl's passion might be a bit contagious - or at least Katie wouldn't loathe spelling.
Katie is now just missing a word or two on the tests. But more importantly she is learning she can set high goals, and we will support her to work hard and achieve them.
Does my husband get "time for himself" at night? Is working on spelling after bath his idea of a good time? (We both suck at spelling)
Has it crossed our minds that if she just did the group with the words she already knows, stagnating (I mean review) would give us all a lot more leisure time!
So I dunno.... seems like a lot of parents say "have kids they are great!" and then want to just park them in front of the TV, and leave their education and exercise to the schools.
oh, and don't get me started about scouting. It's a great way to meet "drop and go" parents.
Reply
Leave a comment