Friday Fluff - Any Back-to-School Rants?

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-30-2006
Friday Fluff - Any Back-to-School Rants?
670
Fri, 09-08-2006 - 8:06am
Does anybody besides me ever take the kids to Staples for school stuff and spend megabucks, only to discover a small fortune in used-but-still-serviceable items from last year hiding under the furniture and stuffed into closets?

Sabina

Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song,

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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-26-2006
Thu, 09-14-2006 - 11:49am

<<>>

I am speaking of in class volunteering as well.

<<>>

I believe I was referring to your statement about the US not doing so well on national testing compared to other countries. Nothing about volunteering. The children in my son's school didn't learn how to tie shoes at school. So I am not really sure what that has to do with the testing you mentioned earlier.

<<>>

You will have to locate for me anywhere that I stated anything close to 1:1 interaction. If you can't than you statement is way out of line and so far off the mark to what I really said I can't really even comment on it. It isn't about teaching the children. I know in my son's school when I volunteer it is a great benefit. The children break up into centers. There are 5 AG students in his classroom. When there is a volunteer in that classroom the teacher is allowed to work with those 5 students on an accelerated level. The parent is able to work with the other students in the classroom on the class work. It isn't rocket science to help children with addition and subtraction or second grade reading.

<<>>

They aren't dependent. However fully funded well run school systems still run better and education is better when parental involvement is present.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2006
Thu, 09-14-2006 - 11:51am
Again, completely untrue. I expected differently of you in these debates. I won't make that mistake again. But at least I understand now why you're lying about me.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Thu, 09-14-2006 - 11:52am

<>


You don't know why you need all the numbers and it's completely irrelevant anyway?

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Thu, 09-14-2006 - 11:52am

So you didn't have anyone in mind when you were posting?


PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2006
Thu, 09-14-2006 - 11:55am

<>

LOL, nope. Not at all.

<> Do lots of unemployed people have e-mail addies at businesses? This is all quite new to me.

<> I never said that either!

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Thu, 09-14-2006 - 11:58am

<>


I don't know about your school but at my children's school, they don't just have one teacher with whom they spend all of their time with during the day.

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2006
Thu, 09-14-2006 - 12:00pm

<>

Nope, I never said that.

The rest of your post is just a great example of creative writing. Kudos. Let's not forget the only relevant issue:

From your post 158: <>**

Your ADMISSION nicely resolves this debate. Thanks!

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-26-2006
Thu, 09-14-2006 - 12:01pm

<<>>

I wasn't talking about her district...I was speaking of her school. We live in a very large district and a large city. Our schools are broken up by school districts not by city. Our school is very small.

<<>>

You will have to ask her.

<<>>

Well then why are you assuming that she doesn't know these people? Not to mention I stated that there is nothing wrong with a WOHP not having time to volunteer.

<<>>

I can only speak for the teachers that I know. I know about 15 teachers at my DS school. The baby that I care for now her mother is a teacher. She couldn't take a day off to volunteer at any school because of her schedule. So I guess we are at a point of I guess it is just where you live. We also don't have a teachers union here. I don't know if you do. But that might be a factor in this difference.

<<>>

Again why are you assuming that she doesn't know this? I don't think it is rocket science that a WOHP would say they can't volunteer because they don't have the time.

<<>>

I don't really know where you get that I am eager to agree. Like I said why are you so quick to assume that she wasn't stating what she knew? Simply because it was out of the ordinary?

<<>>

Colored me confused. If you do know one then why did you say in post 248...
***I'm not aware the wohp have a difficult time volunteering, at least based on the my experience, which is why I disagreed with egd.***

<<>>

You might be right. But since I didn't assume that I wonder why you posted this?

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-17-2006
Thu, 09-14-2006 - 12:03pm

I didn't realize so many people would be insulted by such simple chit chat. I think you're new to this board, so you'll notice many of the debates involve quite a bit of posturing!

About where I used to live, I'll try to e-mail you now.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-27-2005
Thu, 09-14-2006 - 12:07pm

"I am speaking of in class volunteering as well."

Why would in-class volunteering make a difference to the quality of education if a school is adequately enough staffed that in-class volunteers would not be necessary? In-class volunteering is simply not necssary for a parent to be adequately involved with his/her child's education.

"You will have to locate for me anywhere that I stated anything close to 1:1 interaction. If you can't than you statement is way out of line and so far off the mark to what I really said I can't really even comment on it. "

I interpretated your statement that "Still 2 teachers is great...one more pair of eyes is better." to essentially mean, the more adults the merrier. I wondered where the cut-off would be with regard to adult child ratio...at what point does more adults no longer equal "better" for students? I apologize if I misinterpreted this sentence. Perhaps you only meant that having one extra person in a classroom is a good thing.

"It isn't about teaching the children. I know in my son's school when I volunteer it is a great benefit. The children break up into centers. There are 5 AG students in his classroom. When there is a volunteer in that classroom the teacher is allowed to work with those 5 students on an accelerated level. The parent is able to work with the other students in the classroom on the class work. It isn't rocket science to help children with addition and subtraction or second grade reading."

It IS about teaching the children, even if it only involves teaching addition and subtraction or second grade reading. I, as a parent, *strongly* prefer to have that extra teaching handled by a trained professional. After all, teaching isn't rocket science either. Perhaps parents should just come it at random and take over all of the teaching?? Yes, that's an exaggeration, but taking over part of the class and helping them learn subjects being taught at school is, in effect, teaching. And it's teaching that is being done by untrained parents. Schools should be able to afford a properly trained teacher aide if the method of teaching requires that kind of aide in the classroom.

"They aren't dependent."

In the case of many schools in California, they are dependent on parent volunteers. In many schools, there are absolutely no teachers available for supervising recess and lunch time, even in the case of kindergarteners. Recess and lunchtime is handled entirely by volunteers, without them kids ages 5-10 years old would be left entirely to their own devices on a playground for an extended time. I'd say that's an accident waiting to happen. Thank goodness for the parent volunteers who do cover this essential service!

"However fully funded well run school systems still run better and education is better when parental involvement is present."

Sure, I can agree with that. What I completely disagree with is the notion that parents must be present in a class-room during class-time in order to be involved. There are plenty of opportunities for effective parental involvement that don't involve taking over the duties that ought to be left to trained and properly hired personnel.




Edited 9/14/2006 12:13 pm ET by cl-laura_w2

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