Parents and school involvement
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| Thu, 08-23-2007 - 8:49am |
My question stems from a personal experience. My middle child is starting kindergarten next week. I've become fairly close with one of my dd's friend's moms- this is her first child entering the school system. She WOH, I do not, plus I have experience with the school, so she's been calling me with questions and comments.
It started to go bad when she called to complain that the kindy orientation is during the day- when she is working. Then it led to complaints about the parents' read aloud program (when the kids are in library) and other opportunities for volunteerism in the school. I get that these things aren't convenient for her, but I'm getting annoyed with the complaining. How can the kids have an orientation at night when they go to school during the day? None of these events are mandatory for parents or kids. And plenty of activities are scheduled for evenings: Back to school night, the PTA picnic, etc.
She thinks because she can't participate, no one should be able to, apparently. Plenty of WOHP do show up for these things. I think she's being unrealistic if she thought she could put a couple of kids through school without ever taking a vacation day. Am I wrong? Am I missing something here?

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No you don't. You can get good grades on not very challenging material, state tests may measure nothing more than how you do on state tests, and some kids are quite happy as long as the playground equipment is in good repair, they have a lot of friends, and the teacher isn't a psychopath.
School #1: They have three tracks for English, remedial, standard, and honors.
School #2: They don't have remedial English because the students have to be at the standard level just to be there in the first place, but once there, everyone is expected to, and does, meet honors level. Some kids work harder than others, but everyone does honors level work at the end of the year. The same holds true for every student. If a child is TRULY advanced, he or she works with students in that subject in the next highest level grade, but overall stays with his or her age-peers.
Assuming you have an average or honors level student, which school would you choose for your child? Which is doing the better job educating the average to above average child?
I wasn't talking about need.
PumpkinAngel
I find this comment odd. You're willing to provide for college, but you would not pay for a private school education if the public school was not meeting your child's needs? I'd dip into college funds to send my child to a private school in a heartbeat if the need arose.
Why would you think the children are not getting challenged?
I could not say which is doing a better job as the kids in the 1st one might not end up in honors but they also might not be as stressed out as the kids in the 2nd one because they are expected to get to the honors level. I do not want my children to ever be in a situation that it so stressful for them. There are some things that are just harder for children than others and I would rather have my child in remedial, doing well than to try and push them to go into honors.
I differ in theory. I don't think kids' weaknesses need "more help" than their strengths, they just need a different kind of help. All too often a kid's strength is ignored because "Oh he knows that stuff already", when really a kid's strength should be encouraged, challenged and worked just as hard as their weaknesses. Have you ever seen this clip about "animal School"? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVxT4XO0ZuY It describes what I mean in the snippet about the duck.
In fact, that whole clip really describes why even schools with good resources and good teachers can't work for every child. It really is a great summation of my thoughts on education. And I love what it says at the end "Effective parents are always learning, studying, and customizing the instructions for their individual child."
BTW, my ds is an eagle. Dd is, so far, none of the "non-traditional" categories shown here.
Another BTW, this clip almost always brings me to tears.
"I do not want my children to ever be in a situation that it so stressful for them"
THAT is going to be hard to accomplish
Yes. We. Did.
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