trivia, about school—reading, mostly
Sandra Dodd
After nearly 30 years of no association with schools, I’m slightly involved with the school attendance (delivery, summer child care) of “a second grader” (who just finished first grade).
Devyn is Kirby’s fiancee’s daughter. I have her end-of-year report here. First grade standards-based progress report. SO full of jargon.
But there is a page on its own called mCLASS Literacy Performance Report.
There are these categories:
Phonemic Awareness
Phonics
Accurate and Fluent Reading
Reading Comprehension.
On back it said this:
A recommendation:
Enlist your family and friends to send you text messages for your child, using words your child is learning in school. Make sure the words are not abbreviated within the text message. Ask your child to read the messages aloud. Point out missed words and help him or her reread the message correctly.
_________________________________
Way to make kids dread getting a text from grandma!
I’m sharing this to remind unschooling parents of the irritating overkill of school’s “reading” programs.
They’re interested in their school getting better scores, not in individual children learning to read. And the byproduct of all this–the sorrow, the avoidance, the hatred of the written word that will fall on a third of those kids, maybe more, “doesn’t count.” That will be the fault of those children’s family and relatives, the school will claim, for not having followed school’s summer homework for the entire extended family.
And this girl is an artist. Seriously. Not will be someday, but already can draw and build things in great, fun ways. It would be hard to stop her.
In a small corner of five pages of print-out, it says
FINE ARTS.
Think of your own children’s interests and activities as I report this, please. Think of your own, and of the big wide world around you.
Demonstrate an understanding of art concepts and related vocabulary
Use tools and materials to create a variety of art fo self-expression
Sing and perform alone and with others
Read, listen to, analyze, and describe music
On the top two, she has “N/A” (not applicable) for each trimester.
On the bottom two, a 3 (meets expectations—4 would be “exceeds expectations”)
There is no art teacher for first grade. They don’t assess art, in first grade.
There is a music teacher.
Devyn says next year they will have an art teacher. The benefit might be nothing more than an end-of-year row of 3’s, maybe a 4.
I hope the art teacher doesn’t discourage Devyn. It’s not easy being so close to schooly schoolishness after all those years of seeing art, music, reading, history, science, social studies, just growing and building on one another without any separation or boundaries as my own kids were growing up.
And interpersonal relations. Yesterday I was at a party of mostly old people (a housewarming for an adobe casita built outside the main house, for elderly parents—people I’ve known for over 40 years). Some were asking what my kids are doing. Most of them are college professors or other PhD types, and so I was aware that my stories weren’t fitting on their scales. I told just a bit, about Holly, and Kirby. Kirby’s job now and the one before, and several before that building up have to do with interpersonal relationships—helping people understand things (teaching), helping people be calmer (counseling), helping people get along (facilitation). He has had jobs that involve those things since he was 14. He will be 30 this year.
Devyn’s report says “Devyn wuld also benefit from focusing more on her work and less on the social situations happening around the classroom.”
My school reports used to say things like that, too. I talked too much. I paid too much attention to other children.
Devyn has good marks in “Social studies concepts _ Economics—needs and wants.”
Probably the teacher lacks an understanding of the needs and wants of children in a classroom, but I’ve been a classroom teacher. What they want doesn’t matter, to the state, to the school district, to the administration.
SO! There! There is a world of hurt and frustration that you can avoid for you and your children. I’ve brought a little plate of it that you can easily click away from and forget, but I do hope it will help strengthen your own confidence, and be a reminder of the richness and wholeness of real life.
Sandra
Devyn is Kirby’s fiancee’s daughter. I have her end-of-year report here. First grade standards-based progress report. SO full of jargon.
But there is a page on its own called mCLASS Literacy Performance Report.
There are these categories:
Phonemic Awareness
Phonics
Accurate and Fluent Reading
Reading Comprehension.
On back it said this:
A recommendation:
Enlist your family and friends to send you text messages for your child, using words your child is learning in school. Make sure the words are not abbreviated within the text message. Ask your child to read the messages aloud. Point out missed words and help him or her reread the message correctly.
_________________________________
Way to make kids dread getting a text from grandma!
I’m sharing this to remind unschooling parents of the irritating overkill of school’s “reading” programs.
They’re interested in their school getting better scores, not in individual children learning to read. And the byproduct of all this–the sorrow, the avoidance, the hatred of the written word that will fall on a third of those kids, maybe more, “doesn’t count.” That will be the fault of those children’s family and relatives, the school will claim, for not having followed school’s summer homework for the entire extended family.
And this girl is an artist. Seriously. Not will be someday, but already can draw and build things in great, fun ways. It would be hard to stop her.
In a small corner of five pages of print-out, it says
FINE ARTS.
Think of your own children’s interests and activities as I report this, please. Think of your own, and of the big wide world around you.
Demonstrate an understanding of art concepts and related vocabulary
Use tools and materials to create a variety of art fo self-expression
Sing and perform alone and with others
Read, listen to, analyze, and describe music
On the top two, she has “N/A” (not applicable) for each trimester.
On the bottom two, a 3 (meets expectations—4 would be “exceeds expectations”)
There is no art teacher for first grade. They don’t assess art, in first grade.
There is a music teacher.
Devyn says next year they will have an art teacher. The benefit might be nothing more than an end-of-year row of 3’s, maybe a 4.
I hope the art teacher doesn’t discourage Devyn. It’s not easy being so close to schooly schoolishness after all those years of seeing art, music, reading, history, science, social studies, just growing and building on one another without any separation or boundaries as my own kids were growing up.
And interpersonal relations. Yesterday I was at a party of mostly old people (a housewarming for an adobe casita built outside the main house, for elderly parents—people I’ve known for over 40 years). Some were asking what my kids are doing. Most of them are college professors or other PhD types, and so I was aware that my stories weren’t fitting on their scales. I told just a bit, about Holly, and Kirby. Kirby’s job now and the one before, and several before that building up have to do with interpersonal relationships—helping people understand things (teaching), helping people be calmer (counseling), helping people get along (facilitation). He has had jobs that involve those things since he was 14. He will be 30 this year.
Devyn’s report says “Devyn wuld also benefit from focusing more on her work and less on the social situations happening around the classroom.”
My school reports used to say things like that, too. I talked too much. I paid too much attention to other children.
Devyn has good marks in “Social studies concepts _ Economics—needs and wants.”
Probably the teacher lacks an understanding of the needs and wants of children in a classroom, but I’ve been a classroom teacher. What they want doesn’t matter, to the state, to the school district, to the administration.
SO! There! There is a world of hurt and frustration that you can avoid for you and your children. I’ve brought a little plate of it that you can easily click away from and forget, but I do hope it will help strengthen your own confidence, and be a reminder of the richness and wholeness of real life.
Sandra
sukaynalabboun@...
Thanks for the reminder! Luckily, not missing much! Myself and three girls were as you have described- top of the class, anytime, players in the game, marked down for too much socializing ( out of boredom?) or not backing up everything the teacher says....for thinking critically. The school used to tell us, "What are you doing at home?? Your kids like home more than school- we have never encountered that!" Sad but true.
After five years (guesstimated- it is all just a happier flow in my mind, a progression towards calmer more loving and satisfying days) everyone has found interests and passions they are freely following. Most of it would not fit on Devyn's report card; most of it doesn't count...
My oldest just turned 18. She is so grateful we changed when we did, she knows how she wants to spend her time, and right now, the university does not offer things she wants to study. She wants it on her terms, so she decided she is not willing to put in the hours with the really boring stuff (to her) for 8 years, when she can do field biology freelance, with our funding and making her own connexions. Art is big,too.
Rabaab is doing graphic art with her new laptop ( early birthday present combined with her savings), and working when she asks for it with Dad on higher math for exams to enter uni on a few years ( she is entertaining studying architecture and wants to be prepared, her idea). She has always been a planner ☺️. Zaynab is really into everything to do with gaming, and I mean technical specs and actually playing. She also reads and hikes.
Baking bread, caring for pets, gaming, picking wild berries, tracking scat, scouting out new eagle territory- none of this fits into "school". All of it is done as often as possible around here, all of it enriches our live in more ways than one.
Thank you Sandra for providing the patient guideposts at the beginning to help us onto the road to more peace joy and creativity.
After five years (guesstimated- it is all just a happier flow in my mind, a progression towards calmer more loving and satisfying days) everyone has found interests and passions they are freely following. Most of it would not fit on Devyn's report card; most of it doesn't count...
My oldest just turned 18. She is so grateful we changed when we did, she knows how she wants to spend her time, and right now, the university does not offer things she wants to study. She wants it on her terms, so she decided she is not willing to put in the hours with the really boring stuff (to her) for 8 years, when she can do field biology freelance, with our funding and making her own connexions. Art is big,too.
Rabaab is doing graphic art with her new laptop ( early birthday present combined with her savings), and working when she asks for it with Dad on higher math for exams to enter uni on a few years ( she is entertaining studying architecture and wants to be prepared, her idea). She has always been a planner ☺️. Zaynab is really into everything to do with gaming, and I mean technical specs and actually playing. She also reads and hikes.
Baking bread, caring for pets, gaming, picking wild berries, tracking scat, scouting out new eagle territory- none of this fits into "school". All of it is done as often as possible around here, all of it enriches our live in more ways than one.
Thank you Sandra for providing the patient guideposts at the beginning to help us onto the road to more peace joy and creativity.
> On May 31, 2016, at 1:39 AM, Sandra Dodd Sandra@... [AlwaysLearning] <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> After nearly 30 years of no association with schools, I’m slightly involved with the school attendance (delivery, summer child care) of “a second grader” (who just finished first grade).
>
> Devyn is Kirby’s fiancee’s daughter. I have her end-of-year report here. First grade standards-based progress report. SO full of jargon.
>
> But there is a page on its own called mCLASS Literacy Performance Report.
>
> There are these categories:
> Phonemic Awareness
> Phonics
> Accurate and Fluent Reading
> Reading Comprehension.
>
> On back it said this:
>
> A recommendation:
> Enlist your family and friends to send you text messages for your child, using words your child is learning in school. Make sure the words are not abbreviated within the text message. Ask your child to read the messages aloud. Point out missed words and help him or her reread the message correctly.
> _________________________________
>
> Way to make kids dread getting a text from grandma!
> I’m sharing this to remind unschooling parents of the irritating overkill of school’s “reading” programs.
>
> They’re interested in their school getting better scores, not in individual children learning to read. And the byproduct of all this–the sorrow, the avoidance, the hatred of the written word that will fall on a third of those kids, maybe more, “doesn’t count.” That will be the fault of those children’s family and relatives, the school will claim, for not having followed school’s summer homework for the entire extended family.
>
> And this girl is an artist. Seriously. Not will be someday, but already can draw and build things in great, fun ways. It would be hard to stop her.
>
> In a small corner of five pages of print-out, it says
> FINE ARTS.
>
> Think of your own children’s interests and activities as I report this, please. Think of your own, and of the big wide world around you.
>
> Demonstrate an understanding of art concepts and related vocabulary
> Use tools and materials to create a variety of art fo self-expression
> Sing and perform alone and with others
> Read, listen to, analyze, and describe music
>
> On the top two, she has “N/A” (not applicable) for each trimester.
> On the bottom two, a 3 (meets expectations—4 would be “exceeds expectations”)
>
> There is no art teacher for first grade. They don’t assess art, in first grade.
> There is a music teacher.
>
> Devyn says next year they will have an art teacher. The benefit might be nothing more than an end-of-year row of 3’s, maybe a 4.
> I hope the art teacher doesn’t discourage Devyn. It’s not easy being so close to schooly schoolishness after all those years of seeing art, music, reading, history, science, social studies, just growing and building on one another without any separation or boundaries as my own kids were growing up.
>
> And interpersonal relations. Yesterday I was at a party of mostly old people (a housewarming for an adobe casita built outside the main house, for elderly parents—people I’ve known for over 40 years). Some were asking what my kids are doing. Most of them are college professors or other PhD types, and so I was aware that my stories weren’t fitting on their scales. I told just a bit, about Holly, and Kirby. Kirby’s job now and the one before, and several before that building up have to do with interpersonal relationships—helping people understand things (teaching), helping people be calmer (counseling), helping people get along (facilitation). He has had jobs that involve those things since he was 14. He will be 30 this year.
>
> Devyn’s report says “Devyn wuld also benefit from focusing more on her work and less on the social situations happening around the classroom.”
>
> My school reports used to say things like that, too. I talked too much. I paid too much attention to other children.
>
> Devyn has good marks in “Social studies concepts _ Economics—needs and wants.”
> Probably the teacher lacks an understanding of the needs and wants of children in a classroom, but I’ve been a classroom teacher. What they want doesn’t matter, to the state, to the school district, to the administration.
>
> SO! There! There is a world of hurt and frustration that you can avoid for you and your children. I’ve brought a little plate of it that you can easily click away from and forget, but I do hope it will help strengthen your own confidence, and be a reminder of the richness and wholeness of real life.
>
> Sandra
>
> ------------------------------------
> Posted by: Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
> ------------------------------------
>
>
> ------------------------------------
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