When Homework Gets too Much

[killersheep]

Its a very serious issue,you want to keep learning fun,not make it feel punitive.
A kid who feels like learning is a punishment,is a kid who stops wanting to do it.

And a kid whose parents undermine their teachers assignments is a kid that lashes out at school and doesn't do the assignments at all. What are you hoping to accomplish here man? The assignment is still gonna be due fun or not. Not to sound like Teddy Atlas here but, Again you are just making excuses. If the "fun" factor isn't there......make it fun, do what your grandfather did and "make punitive learning assignments seem interesting". Turn it into a game or something. You are making it sound like this one assignment is gonna be the difference between ending up in jail, or being the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. It's just an assignment stop being such a drama queen.

Did I say I dont? The kids better at anatomy or geography then you are,Im good at geography,and I think he knows more then me, I keep it loose for him,and if you do,you get amazing results from him. I was just feeling that theres a line between pushing a kid, and making it seem like being intelligent is a punishment all on its own

I am quite impressed that you know what my anatomy and geography skills are, seeing as how we haven't met. So far you have gone from saying the assignment is too hard, to saying that it's an issue because your son can't be the equivalent to Tony Robbins at speech. Then it's your teachers fault because it isn't fun. Then you go to saying his handwriting isn't good enough, then you insult me saying my geography and anatomy knowledge are less than a second graders. Then you go back to saying you kid is being pushed too hard, although you stated yourself he is capable of doing the assignment and that you have made it interesting.

They are all just excuses. And I will challenge you to any anatomy or geography competition you choose.

[superheavyrhun]

I'm going to kind of agree with Youngblood on this one, in as much as it is much more important to challenge students rather than leave them understimulated and working within their comfort zone.

In my area when i was a sprog, there was really only one school, and there wasn't really any division or enough flexibility in the curriculum, and there were a lot of brighter kids there who were constantly getting in trouble, messing about in class, backchat to teachers etc etc, because the lessons were really rather basic, and not exactly a good environment.

I know it seems like an obscure topic for a presentation, but I would support the idea that the teacher would provide individual subjects that weren't the same difficulty for the bright kids and the intellectually challenged, because otherwise it's only the middle of the road kids in the class that get things at the right level.

[Trainer Monkey]

I'm going to kind of agree with Youngblood on this one, in as much as it is much more important to challenge students rather than leave them understimulated and working within their comfort zone.

In my area when i was a sprog, there was really only one school, and there wasn't really any division or enough flexibility in the curriculum, and there were a lot of brighter kids there who were constantly getting in trouble, messing about in class, backchat to teachers etc etc, because the lessons were really rather basic, and not exactly a good environment.

I know it seems like an obscure topic for a presentation, but I would support the idea that the teacher would provide individual subjects that weren't the same difficulty for the bright kids and the intellectually challenged, because otherwise it's only the middle of the road kids in the class that get things at the right level.

Ok I can see your point of view
He's the smart one,he gets the tougher assignment. But you have to admit,as the parent of a second grader,if that was sitting in your kids book bag youd find yourself choking and saying "They want a report on what?"

[Trainer Monkey]

And a kid whose parents undermine their teachers assignments is a kid that lashes out at school and doesn't do the assignments at all. What are you hoping to accomplish here man? The assignment is still gonna be due fun or not. Not to sound like Teddy Atlas here but, Again you are just making excuses. If the "fun" factor isn't there......make it fun, do what your grandfather did and "make punitive learning assignments seem interesting". Turn it into a game or something. You are making it sound like this one assignment is gonna be the difference between ending up in jail, or being the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. It's just an assignment stop being such a drama queen.

Did I say I dont? The kids better at anatomy or geography then you are,Im good at geography,and I think he knows more then me, I keep it loose for him,and if you do,you get amazing results from him. I was just feeling that theres a line between pushing a kid, and making it seem like being intelligent is a punishment all on its own

I am quite impressed that you know what my anatomy and geography skills are, seeing as how we haven't met. So far you have gone from saying the assignment is too hard, to saying that it's an issue because your son can't be the equivalent to Tony Robbins at speech. Then it's your teachers fault because it isn't fun. Then you go to saying his handwriting isn't good enough, then you insult me saying my geography and anatomy knowledge are less than a second graders. Then you go back to saying you kid is being pushed too hard, although you stated yourself he is capable of doing the assignment and that you have made it interesting.

They are all just excuses. And I will challenge you to any anatomy or geography competition you choose.

Well,all things considered,my wife has her degree in sports medicine from PSU,and he reminds her of stuff she's forgotten, it was a relatively safe roll of the dice last year he got interested in anatomy,and we ended up having to get him college level books just to keep up with him.
The year before that it was geography,we ended up having to stash our gazateers or hed be dragging them all over the house.
And as far as insulting you,I did also point out,that he knows more about human anatomy then I do. Now you can be "insulted that I said he has a better knowledge of anatomy then you do" of course that would entail me being insulted by myself.
I didnt say he was your every day 2nd grader,when he decides he's interested in something he becomes lazer focused and will learn everything he can about a subject.He prpbably knows more about Total Drama Island then either of us,but just as my encyclopedic knowlege of Looney Tunes didnt help me in later life,I doubt that knowledge comes up on a job interview when he's 21. Hell when I was in 2nd grade,I probably knew more about Mako Sharks then any adult around me,they just fascinated me,he's just fascinated by different things then I am.
I have absolutely no idea whatsoever what made him get fascinated in those two subjects at an age when I was fascinated in knowing the exact amount of homeruns Hank Aaron hit,but there it is.He's not particullarly interested in sports so it frees up his time for other activities,something I envy of him,because I could probably have done more with the knowledge he's interested in,then knowing Ken Reitz was a 3rd baseman the Cardinals acquired from the Giants who ended up getting blackballed from major league baseball and ended up playing for the Bees. Or that David Bowie changed his name from David Jones to avoid confusion with Monkee Davey Jones. Its these little factoids Im convinced filled the space in my brain where algebra could have taken root.
But back to point,you cant say Kenyan food and customs arent too difficult a task for a second grader, and then say you should be offended that the same second grader was capable about knowing more about human anatomy then yourself. And you cant go back to the saw that his handwriting is bad,so is most doctors,my handwriting is atrocious, when Im working on buisness I make my wife take notes,so that way we'll be able to read it later.
If he had to give a handwritten oral presentation on anatomy,I wouldnt worry, but food is not his forte. Food as far as he's concerned consists of the cereal/poptart group the spaghettio/hotdog on a bun with a wavy line group, and the turn up his nose at whatever I made for his dinner group

[killersheep]

Did I say I dont? The kids better at anatomy or geography then you are,Im good at geography,and I think he knows more then me, I keep it loose for him,and if you do,you get amazing results from him. I was just feeling that theres a line between pushing a kid, and making it seem like being intelligent is a punishment all on its own

I am quite impressed that you know what my anatomy and geography skills are, seeing as how we haven't met. So far you have gone from saying the assignment is too hard, to saying that it's an issue because your son can't be the equivalent to Tony Robbins at speech. Then it's your teachers fault because it isn't fun. Then you go to saying his handwriting isn't good enough, then you insult me saying my geography and anatomy knowledge are less than a second graders. Then you go back to saying you kid is being pushed too hard, although you stated yourself he is capable of doing the assignment and that you have made it interesting.

They are all just excuses. And I will challenge you to any anatomy or geography competition you choose.

Well,all things considered,my wife has her degree in sports medicine from PSU,and he reminds her of stuff she's forgotten, it was a relatively safe roll of the dice last year he got interested in anatomy,and we ended up having to get him college level books just to keep up with him.
The year before that it was geography,we ended up having to stash our gazateers or hed be dragging them all over the house.
And as far as insulting you,I did also point out,that he knows more about human anatomy then I do. Now you can be "insulted that I said he has a better knowledge of anatomy then you do" of course that would entail me being insulted by myself.
I didnt say he was your every day 2nd grader,when he decides he's interested in something he becomes lazer focused and will learn everything he can about a subject.He prpbably knows more about Total Drama Island then either of us,but just as my encyclopedic knowlege of Looney Tunes didnt help me in later life,I doubt that knowledge comes up on a job interview when he's 21. Hell when I was in 2nd grade,I probably knew more about Mako Sharks then any adult around me,they just fascinated me,he's just fascinated by different things then I am.
I have absolutely no idea whatsoever what made him get fascinated in those two subjects at an age when I was fascinated in knowing the exact amount of homeruns Hank Aaron hit,but there it is.He's not particullarly interested in sports so it frees up his time for other activities,something I envy of him,because I could probably have done more with the knowledge he's interested in,then knowing Ken Reitz was a 3rd baseman the Cardinals acquired from the Giants who ended up getting blackballed from major league baseball and ended up playing for the Bees. Or that David Bowie changed his name from David Jones to avoid confusion with Monkee Davey Jones. Its these little factoids Im convinced filled the space in my brain where algebra could have taken root.
But back to point,you cant say Kenyan food and customs arent too difficult a task for a second grader, and then say you should be offended that the same second grader was capable about knowing more about human anatomy then yourself. And you cant go back to the saw that his handwriting is bad,so is most doctors,my handwriting is atrocious, when Im working on buisness I make my wife take notes,so that way we'll be able to read it later.
If he had to give a handwritten oral presentation on anatomy,I wouldnt worry, but food is not his forte. Food as far as he's concerned consists of the cereal/poptart group the spaghettio/hotdog on a bun with a wavy line group, and the turn up his nose at whatever I made for his dinner group

I still didn't see the part where you explain why this assignment is too much. You didn't mention anything about customs before other than the food they eat. Certainly you can slag me and change the topic all you want, but you still haven't given a good argument to substantiate your initial point.

Reasons you have alleged
1. The topic is too advanced for him.
You then stated he is capable of doing the assignment
2. The topic is punitive to him.
You then stated you were capable of making it interesting to him
3. His handwriting is not good enough to read by himself during his presentation
You cannot make me believe, that he will be unable to read basic food products.
4. Kenyan foods are too advanced for a second grader
This is much more basic than you make it sound, simply what food they eat is the topic you initially claimed. By second grade and his upbringing with the foods you prepare he cannot possibly be unfamiliar with basic food staples like corn and potatoes.

I don't see where your lack of confidence in your son comes from, are you just gonna say "if you don't like it, don't do it". Your teacher obviously feels you son is not only capable of this assignment, but also that your son should be pushed to excel.

[Trainer Monkey]

No I think its excessive,not imposable. We worked on it again today. Most kenyan food is not basic food products,I did the research myself before I whined about it, the kids never even seen an oyster let alone ate one. There's also different styles of cooking that are described in African,which is different dialect then he's used to. Again,he has the assignment,and if he has the assignment he's going to do as good of a job as he can with it. But that makes it more then "They like corn and peas alot" the end

[killersheep]

No I think its excessive,not imposable. We worked on it again today. Most kenyan food is not basic food products,I did the research myself before I whined about it, the kids never even seen an oyster let alone ate one. There's also different styles of cooking that are described in African,which is different dialect then he's used to. Again,he has the assignment,and if he has the assignment he's going to do as good of a job as he can with it. But that makes it more then "They like corn and peas alot" the end

As a side note, I'm going to make some Irio tomorrow. And for the record kenyan food IS basic food products. Corn, potatoes, maize and beans. People that live in landlocked regions eat cows and goats and drink milk. People near the water eat fish stews and rice. Nothing crazy here.

Crazy would be indigenous fruits to southeast asia like Lychee, Soursop and Rambutan.

[Trainer Monkey]

No I think its excessive,not imposable. We worked on it again today. Most kenyan food is not basic food products,I did the research myself before I whined about it, the kids never even seen an oyster let alone ate one. There's also different styles of cooking that are described in African,which is different dialect then he's used to. Again,he has the assignment,and if he has the assignment he's going to do as good of a job as he can with it. But that makes it more then "They like corn and peas alot" the end

As a side note, I'm going to make some Irio tomorrow.

Really?,I hate freaking peas. You doing the basic mash or are you doing the mignon overlay as well.

[Trainer Monkey]

SUMAKI NA NAZI
N'DIZI
These are not basic foodstuffs

[killersheep]

No I think its excessive,not imposable. We worked on it again today. Most kenyan food is not basic food products,I did the research myself before I whined about it, the kids never even seen an oyster let alone ate one. There's also different styles of cooking that are described in African,which is different dialect then he's used to. Again,he has the assignment,and if he has the assignment he's going to do as good of a job as he can with it. But that makes it more then "They like corn and peas alot" the end

As a side note, I'm going to make some Irio tomorrow.

Really?,I hate freaking peas. You doing the basic mash or are you doing the mignon overlay as well.

How can you not like peas Yeah I'm just doing the basic mash for now, I think I might roll them in bread crumbs and bake them after the mash. Curious to see the final texture, I figure it will probably be a lot thicker than regular mashed potatoes. Probably add some Yve's sausage crumbles too.