Rock and a Hard Place

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2003
Rock and a Hard Place
1524
Thu, 11-20-2003 - 10:45am

There's something on this board that has been bothering me, and I hope I can articulate it.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-23-2003
Tue, 11-25-2003 - 9:30pm
It was a face to face interview. She told me where MY child fit in the chart.
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-23-2003
Tue, 11-25-2003 - 9:30pm
What's scary about it? Knowing where your child fits in the class allows you to decide if they need more help.

Every year I get a report that ranks my dd against the other kids in the school and nationally. Knowing where she fits helps determine what help she might need. I see nothing odd about this. My dd took the Tera Nova last year and the FCAT this year. Why WOULDN'T you let parents know how their children are doing compared to their peers?


Edited 11/25/2003 9:36:20 PM ET by cyndiluwhoagain

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Tue, 11-25-2003 - 9:39pm

My child is not a class or a group.

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-23-2003
Tue, 11-25-2003 - 9:45pm
Exactly what happens when a preschooler uses a computer that is so negative? Changing hard wiring isn't necessarily a bad thing. Kids brains hard wire according to what they're exposed to. Computers are part of our world now. Sorry, but I'm not getting how hard wiring in response to use of a computer is bad. Of course I'm assuming no excess here.

Of my two daughters, it's the gifted one who has been using a computer since she was a toddler. Can't see as to how it has hurt her. Exactly how is she supposed to be different than her sister because her sister showed little interest in the computer until she was about 5?

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-23-2003
Tue, 11-25-2003 - 9:45pm
Nice suggestion until someone calls to tell you your father is dying.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Tue, 11-25-2003 - 9:53pm

Knowing where your child should be academically and socially in their current grade and age is

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-02-2003
Tue, 11-25-2003 - 11:30pm
I would ask her WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME THIS CHART? That is a more relevent question than why are all 5 y/o not at the same level? I don't know who angers me more you for not noticing that this is absolutely STUPID, or the teacher for being so STUPID!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-21-2001
Tue, 11-25-2003 - 11:30pm
Well, what if your child is at the bottom of the class? What if he's not learning at the same rate as the rest of the class? What do you do then? Isn't it a GOOD thing to know? You certainly don't want to keep him/her in a class if he/she clearly can't keep up. It will be endlessly frustrating for both your child and the other children in the class who are "kept back" by him/her.

And if your child is not doing well because he/she has a learning disability of some kind, it would be good to know it.

On the flip side, if your child is way ahead of the pack and not challenged enough, you would want to know that too - so they can take on "extra" work or move ahead in some areas.

There's nothing wrong with being "faster" or "slower" than the rest of the class, but you should want to direct your child's education to his/her speed as much as possible, and schools/teachers are WAY too busy to do that for you. The best they can do is make recommendations - which they can do by showing where your child stands.

Your child is an individual to you...but how hard must it be that teacher who sees 30 to hundreds of children each year? Eventually, they have to become a number, in some way shape or form (no insult intended Eileen!)

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-02-2003
Tue, 11-25-2003 - 11:32pm
Comparing children to each other is NOT an indicator of whether or not they need help, nor does it reinforce what parents are doing if their child is at the *top*. It is the stupidest thing I have heard in a long long time. Children in K are all over the freaking map. Especially this early in the year. Any teacher who actually shows such comparison charts to parents is nothing short of an idiot IMO. I would be absolutely appalled if my child's K teacher started comparing my child to the others in his class. I don't care how his peers are doing - HE is my concern.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-02-2003
Tue, 11-25-2003 - 11:38pm
Certainly the teacher is going to know where your child fits in relation to where he/she should be. But to show the parents a chart? That is a tad over the top. The teacher does not need to speak to the specifics in the classroom. She can tell a parent what a child needs in terms of remedial help, testing etc. Or in the case of gifted she can suggest that the child be tested etc. To show parents charts rating the ability of each child (nameless or not) in the class is nuts. If your child is rock bottom on that list, do you really need a visual aid to send that information home? Of course not - same goes for the top or dead center.

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