Re: Writing and language and bears and seahorses...
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/3/2005 4:21:44 PM Eastern Standard Time, "Cyndi" <mermaidcoven@...> writes:>
Same deal: a project due on Cameron's family. He was to interview several family members to find out more about their childhoods and families. He interviewed both my parents, Ben's parents, Ben's paternal grandmother, and my paternal uncle. He asked for photos and knick-knacks and such.
He "scrapbooked" it with stickers and photos and lots of colored papers. He had a ration book from the war and a photo of my uncle at the famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He had family recipes and photos of relatives with the food. A family tree. He learned how to calligraphy FOR this project, and you could actually *see* his improvement on each page.
Not only was the teacher impressed, but all the kids dragged their parents over to see Cameron's on the "day of viewing"----"Mom, Look at Cameron's project!" He was SOO proud of it----and the teacher made a point of pointing out how well-done it was. He was SOOO proud---and just beamed!
The next day, he received his grade: a B-
One child, who had ---like eight sheets of B & W paper bound with bread ties got an A.
He was crushed. He asked his teacher why, when his was the one everybody thought was so good,---why did he only get a B-?
He hadn't followed the directions that said a large portion of it needed to be typed. He *had*, in fact, typed a part of each page (the "body" ws typed; the "filler" was hand-written), but he had "written" too much! This was sixth grade, and they needed to practice on their typing----just the opposite of your daughter!
As with you, this kind of sealed our fate. Arbitrary rules like this were so incredibly insane.
~Kelly
>What changed my mind about hsing all my kids was theWe had a VERY similar situation with "The Roots Project."
>infamous "SEAHORSE" report.<<<<<
Same deal: a project due on Cameron's family. He was to interview several family members to find out more about their childhoods and families. He interviewed both my parents, Ben's parents, Ben's paternal grandmother, and my paternal uncle. He asked for photos and knick-knacks and such.
He "scrapbooked" it with stickers and photos and lots of colored papers. He had a ration book from the war and a photo of my uncle at the famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He had family recipes and photos of relatives with the food. A family tree. He learned how to calligraphy FOR this project, and you could actually *see* his improvement on each page.
Not only was the teacher impressed, but all the kids dragged their parents over to see Cameron's on the "day of viewing"----"Mom, Look at Cameron's project!" He was SOO proud of it----and the teacher made a point of pointing out how well-done it was. He was SOOO proud---and just beamed!
The next day, he received his grade: a B-
One child, who had ---like eight sheets of B & W paper bound with bread ties got an A.
He was crushed. He asked his teacher why, when his was the one everybody thought was so good,---why did he only get a B-?
He hadn't followed the directions that said a large portion of it needed to be typed. He *had*, in fact, typed a part of each page (the "body" ws typed; the "filler" was hand-written), but he had "written" too much! This was sixth grade, and they needed to practice on their typing----just the opposite of your daughter!
As with you, this kind of sealed our fate. Arbitrary rules like this were so incredibly insane.
>Thank G-d for Seahorses! They changed our life for the better!<<<<<And Roots Projects! Woo-HOOOO! <G>
~Kelly
queenjane555
> As with you, this kind of sealed our fate. Arbitrary rules likeI still remember being in 8th grade (maybe 7th), and missing the day
>this were so incredibly insane.
>
a book report was assigned. When i turned in my book report, i got a
failing grade (an E...do other places have that? I never went to a
school that gave out Fs) because it was written in pen, and the
teacher had said to write it in pencil. No "rewrite this", no "i'll
mark you down one letter"...he didnt even read it.
I wonder if most teachers know that the things they do can stay with
their students forever. I dont think i will ever forget Mrs.
Stefacik telling Jimmy Lear he had to turn the garter snakes (that
he'd brought in a coffee can and was hiding in his locker)loose
outside because "their part of nature and belong outside"--they were
his brother's snakes! Or another teacher telling me to "go back and
walk" when i was running down the school hallway in fourth grade---
no matter that a diabetic kid was having problems in gym and i was
sent to go get his teacher as fast as possible.
Do they even go over this in teacher training? Do they say "The
things you say and do can scar a kid for life, or leave them with
happy memories of you, so choose carefully"?? I've often thought
about writing seamus' former kindergarten teacher, and telling her
about how he still remembers the awful things she did, and that he
is happily unschooling, but she should be more caring in the future.
Katherine
mamaaj2000
--- In [email protected], "queenjane555"
<queenjane555@y...> wrote:
up on math. I'd always enjoyed it and been good at it.
And then there was _that_ teacher...on quizes and tests, you lost
full credit for a minor mistake, like forgetting a negative sign or
copying the answer wrong from your work to the answer blank. I got
the same low score on one quiz as Steve sitting behind me, who didn't
understand a damn thing that was going on in class.
So I really couldn't see the point in trying after that.
Oh, and I loved the reasoning behind the policy. If you were an
engineer building a bridge, it wouldn't matter if it were a "little"
mistake or not, the bridge would still fall down.
Yeh.
I may sometimes say things to my kids that wound them, but we have a
strong enough relationship that they can complain and react and we'll
go on to build a stronger bond. I never felt close enough to a
teacher to heal anything negative that was said to me. I just got a
little more defeated about school--but fortunately, not about
learning.
--aj
<queenjane555@y...> wrote:
> I wonder if most teachers know that the things they do can staywith
> their students forever.As soon as I read about the seahorses, I flashed back to when I gave
up on math. I'd always enjoyed it and been good at it.
And then there was _that_ teacher...on quizes and tests, you lost
full credit for a minor mistake, like forgetting a negative sign or
copying the answer wrong from your work to the answer blank. I got
the same low score on one quiz as Steve sitting behind me, who didn't
understand a damn thing that was going on in class.
So I really couldn't see the point in trying after that.
Oh, and I loved the reasoning behind the policy. If you were an
engineer building a bridge, it wouldn't matter if it were a "little"
mistake or not, the bridge would still fall down.
Yeh.
I may sometimes say things to my kids that wound them, but we have a
strong enough relationship that they can complain and react and we'll
go on to build a stronger bond. I never felt close enough to a
teacher to heal anything negative that was said to me. I just got a
little more defeated about school--but fortunately, not about
learning.
--aj
Faith Pickell
> .******************
>
> I wonder if most teachers know that the things they do can stay with
> their students forever. I dont think i will ever forget Mrs.
> Stefacik telling Jimmy Lear he had to turn the garter snakes (that
> he'd brought in a coffee can and was hiding in his locker)loose
> outside because "their part of nature and belong outside"--they were
> his brother's snakes! Or another teacher telling me to "go back and
> walk" when i was running down the school hallway in fourth grade---
> no matter that a diabetic kid was having problems in gym and i was
> sent to go get his teacher as fast as possible.
>
I remember a girl in the fifth grade (one grade ahead of me) asking to
go use the restroom (because she was starting her period, for the first
time) and the teacher refused. He made her wait until after the lesson
and by then she had bled through her clothes and onto the chair and
then everyone in the class knew! In fifth grade we had to draw and
color every state bird, flower, flag, and state on large index cards
and my teacher gave me an F because she didn't believe I did it myself.
I could draw and write pretty well for my age. This was after my
evil, wicked stepmother made me stay in my whole spring break and do
this! The teacher didn't believe my stepmother either when she called
her. This teacher was always saying how she was perfect and that she
thought she made a mistake once, but she was wrong! My teacher was the
wife to the teacher above! So happy my 3 little ones will never have
to deal with school.
Faith
>
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Barbara Chase
>> As with you, this kind of sealed our fate. Arbitrary rules likeI want to share my own most bizarre teacher's arbitrary rule experience.
>>this were so incredibly insane.
It was a 7th grade math teacher. Math was my favorite subject. I loved
it, lived to do all the homework, could have done more, etc...
Well, this particular teacher not only graded the math, but the spelling,
the neatness, the organization of the work, how you showed your work, etc.
If there was anything, and I mean *anything* out of place, you got an F.
You were required to completely re-write the entire homework assignment,
and then if you got it perfect you would receive the grade she would have
given you the first time.
I used to spend hours getting absolutely every question on the homework
perfect, with my penmanship, spelling, etc. I would dote over it until it
was just pristine, and then I would find one place where I would make a
really silly mistake - something that had nothing to do with the math - and
I would purposely put in that one mistake and hand in my homework. I never
intended to redo it. I was getting a straight F in the class, and I was
driving the teacher mad in the process. Eventually my Mom got me
transferred to a new teacher, who came to be quite confused as to why I was
getting all Fs, because I got straight As on all of his work!!
I've always loved to mess with the system ;-)
Mahalo,
Barbara
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Martha Donnelly
Would Kirby, or any other kids exploring college out there, be
interested in this site?
http://www.MyProfessorSucks.com/
You can also get there by typing ProfessorPerformance.com.
It's a sort of consumer rating page- good ratings as well as bad.
For what it's worth, I went to the homepage, and it looked civilized
and possibly useful. My professor dh reads it and sometimes adjusts his
teaching in response. He says a lot of the criticisms are more funny
than vicious, but he's pretty thick skinned, I have yet to hear of
another professor who will go near it, or even let anybody tell them
what it says about them. But they know it's out there. Yes indeed they
do.
Martha D.
interested in this site?
http://www.MyProfessorSucks.com/
You can also get there by typing ProfessorPerformance.com.
It's a sort of consumer rating page- good ratings as well as bad.
For what it's worth, I went to the homepage, and it looked civilized
and possibly useful. My professor dh reads it and sometimes adjusts his
teaching in response. He says a lot of the criticisms are more funny
than vicious, but he's pretty thick skinned, I have yet to hear of
another professor who will go near it, or even let anybody tell them
what it says about them. But they know it's out there. Yes indeed they
do.
Martha D.
Jenny Altenbach
I taught myself to read at age 2 and according to my Mom I had an
insatiable curiosity until, you guessed it, I started school. My
parents didn't know what to do with me because I refused to do anything
more than put my name on the paper in first grade. They had me tested,
I was labeled "gifted" and from that moment forward every decision my
parents made revolved around my schooling. I was shuffled from one
school to another in search of a decent gifted program and because my
family moved several times. I was unhappy in every one except one
special program that was "child led" (but it was an hour bus ride each
way). I was in that program 1 year before we moved again--from DC to
Chicago. Again, my parents and three siblings sacrificed a lot so that
I could go to the best school in the area (on the North Shore--where all
the John Hughes teen angst movies were filmed-- my high school was in
the nation's top 5). We moved into a house that was way too small for
the 6 of us and needed major renovations so we could be in this very
affluent school district.
I entered 4th grade there halfway through the year. On my first day of
school I proudly wore my favorite jump suit that my grandmother had made
for me. It had a matching hat and was 100% polyester. Before I was
even welcomed into the classrom, I was scolded by the teacher for
wearing a hat in class in front of everyone. I was also teased
mercilessly for having homemade polyester clothes instead of all the
"preppy" fashions, which my family couldn't afford. That was the
beginning of many years of hell, which included horrible teasing, mean
teachers, and rare moments of actual learning. This led to serious
teenage rebellion, complete with drug use and ditching class. The only
things that got me through it were being in orchestra and having a few
good teachers.
My husband was in one school system his whole life (Albuquerque) and
spent most of grade school and middle school trying to figure out how to
not get beaten up. He developed a deep rage that he still struggles
with today. The only thing that saved him was joining a cajun music
group (of adults--he was 14) and seeking solace from touring and the
companionship of adults.
The other day a friend and I were at the store and we ran into a mutual
acquaintance who we hadn't seen for a while. The acquaintance asked me
if I was still going to homeschool (our kids are all turning 5 this
year) and I said yes. She asked my friend if they were too and she said
"hell, no!" I felt so sad to think that she wouldn't even consider the
effects that school might have on her kids. I said "wow, if you asked
me if I was going to send my kids to school the answer would be a
resounding 'hell no!'".
NO WAY! (unless they want to, of course)
Jenny
insatiable curiosity until, you guessed it, I started school. My
parents didn't know what to do with me because I refused to do anything
more than put my name on the paper in first grade. They had me tested,
I was labeled "gifted" and from that moment forward every decision my
parents made revolved around my schooling. I was shuffled from one
school to another in search of a decent gifted program and because my
family moved several times. I was unhappy in every one except one
special program that was "child led" (but it was an hour bus ride each
way). I was in that program 1 year before we moved again--from DC to
Chicago. Again, my parents and three siblings sacrificed a lot so that
I could go to the best school in the area (on the North Shore--where all
the John Hughes teen angst movies were filmed-- my high school was in
the nation's top 5). We moved into a house that was way too small for
the 6 of us and needed major renovations so we could be in this very
affluent school district.
I entered 4th grade there halfway through the year. On my first day of
school I proudly wore my favorite jump suit that my grandmother had made
for me. It had a matching hat and was 100% polyester. Before I was
even welcomed into the classrom, I was scolded by the teacher for
wearing a hat in class in front of everyone. I was also teased
mercilessly for having homemade polyester clothes instead of all the
"preppy" fashions, which my family couldn't afford. That was the
beginning of many years of hell, which included horrible teasing, mean
teachers, and rare moments of actual learning. This led to serious
teenage rebellion, complete with drug use and ditching class. The only
things that got me through it were being in orchestra and having a few
good teachers.
My husband was in one school system his whole life (Albuquerque) and
spent most of grade school and middle school trying to figure out how to
not get beaten up. He developed a deep rage that he still struggles
with today. The only thing that saved him was joining a cajun music
group (of adults--he was 14) and seeking solace from touring and the
companionship of adults.
The other day a friend and I were at the store and we ran into a mutual
acquaintance who we hadn't seen for a while. The acquaintance asked me
if I was still going to homeschool (our kids are all turning 5 this
year) and I said yes. She asked my friend if they were too and she said
"hell, no!" I felt so sad to think that she wouldn't even consider the
effects that school might have on her kids. I said "wow, if you asked
me if I was going to send my kids to school the answer would be a
resounding 'hell no!'".
NO WAY! (unless they want to, of course)
Jenny
[email protected]
In a message dated 2/5/05 12:23:36 PM, msahyun@... writes:
<<
Would Kirby, or any other kids exploring college out there, be
interested in this site? >>
Kirby showed me a site called something more like rate your professor, and
his English teacher wasn't listed but another one was. One of the ratings was
"hot" and so the teachers were marked as whether they were easy to look at, I
guess, basically. <g>
Sandra
<<
Would Kirby, or any other kids exploring college out there, be
interested in this site? >>
Kirby showed me a site called something more like rate your professor, and
his English teacher wasn't listed but another one was. One of the ratings was
"hot" and so the teachers were marked as whether they were easy to look at, I
guess, basically. <g>
Sandra