tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7029419017923677229.post4923533541989088979..comments2023-10-26T04:38:06.297-04:00Comments on TeachPaperless: A Response to 'Letter to the Teachers of My Children'Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14091328599818819777noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7029419017923677229.post-23846384660158106732009-09-11T06:20:16.287-04:002009-09-11T06:20:16.287-04:00Any parent who is not a pro-active advocate for th...Any parent who is not a pro-active advocate for their kids is an idiot. Pussys that wont defend their comments have no authority, but it's scary that they might be talking to kids.<br /><br /> Of course you know your kids better - and why should you HAVE to home-school. What a facile arguement, and Amway make great soap, sign me up.<br /><br />Do you're job. <br /><br />My kid is autistic, so we negotiate his curriculum with a wiki - and he has a BIG say in that too. So its a mediation channel with his teacher. <br /><br />He's 8 and runs 100 kid-guild for other 8 year olds in WoW. So has more 21C than the teaching body in his school probably. So I don't worry about him online - I worry about them in normal classrooms.<br /><br />Who are we kidding, there are some ego-moronic teachers out there, especially in high school. Seriously, do you really trust them? I don't, I prefer to collaborate with them.<br /><br />Why should we have to prepare our kids to deal with this potential enviornment?<br /><br /> That reply shits me to tears - if you don't like the social committment, get a job elsewhere - it's not the kids fault.<br /><br />:) its not a public service - we pay for it. Do it right. Its your job.Dean Groomhttp://deangroom.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7029419017923677229.post-38421558004326356452009-09-09T16:20:38.731-04:002009-09-09T16:20:38.731-04:00Thank you for your post and for the reminder that ...Thank you for your post and for the reminder that education is a community endeavor, not a solitary one. Parents are our best resource in getting to know our students and setting up the most effective learning communities for every stakeholder.D. Richerthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13557685080603286701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7029419017923677229.post-46712873394201571572009-09-08T18:15:03.360-04:002009-09-08T18:15:03.360-04:00@Mark,
Well, I wouldn't ever be accused of su...@Mark,<br /><br />Well, I wouldn't ever be accused of sugarcoating it ; )<br /><br />But I do stand by everything in that letter and how it was presented: "Hi there, these are my kids, these are my thoughts about education and this is how I came to those conclusions, please talk straight with me because we're both professionals (as well as adults), and be fearless to try out fresh approaches because I'm not one of those parents who's gonna freak out if you try something new."<br /><br />No cringing.<br /><br />Would you rather a parent say "Have a great year" and then you never hear from them again? Because I've gotten a lot of that over the years.<br /><br />I'd say the beginning-of-the-year parent interaction I remember best was with a parent who said to me point-blank: "Don't you dare give up on my kid. I know he is challenging, but I also know him better than however he appears in class or on a test. Figure him out."<br /><br />That one didn't get by me. In fact, I did get to know the kid and I got to know the way he learned and I was able to assess him not by the 60s he continually got on quizzes but on the performance assessments that honed in on his people skills. That's where the kid's intelligence was; and if it hadn't been for that "pushy" parent, I likely would have never given the kid a chance.<br /><br />That happened in my second year of teaching and I've taken it to heart every September.<br /><br />BTW, the kid went on to success in college, and I (hopefully) have gone on to being a better teacher.<br /><br />I love pushy parents. And I'll take a parent who's an advocate for their kid and a bit tin-eared to a polite parent who wouldn't know what their kid was doing in school if they were sitting next to them in the classroom everyday.<br /><br />best,<br />- ShellyAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14091328599818819777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7029419017923677229.post-64159287846967507032009-09-08T17:54:52.792-04:002009-09-08T17:54:52.792-04:00There are many teachers (on the MiddleTalk listser...There are many teachers (on the MiddleTalk listserve, sponsored by NMSA) who have been asking parents for an activity called "In a Million Words or Fewer" where the parent is invited to write as much as they like about their child. I did it every year I taught 7th graders and their parents (mostly) loved doing it. We learn so much about how parents see their children, what they hope for them, sometimes what they see as challenges. It's amazing.<br /><br />Here is an online article about the assignment:<br />http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev080.shtmlAnne Van Meterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00687268682433378310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7029419017923677229.post-41004114524301441122009-09-08T16:16:46.280-04:002009-09-08T16:16:46.280-04:00While I wouldn't agree with the person who tol...While I wouldn't agree with the person who told you to homeschool your kids, I would have to agree that the tone of your letter was definitely not a friendly or positive way to start a school year. It certainly came off as adversarial as opposed to informational IMHO. I cringed when I realized that you did actually send it to the teachers. Some things are great for sparking discussion on blogs but don't play out so well when directed so specifically at someone like that.Mark Pullenhttp://mrpullen.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7029419017923677229.post-42391358705646470992009-09-08T15:30:54.140-04:002009-09-08T15:30:54.140-04:00George Lakoff has written about the conflict you&#...George Lakoff has written about the conflict you've described since the early 1990s. The difference is that he focuses on our national political life. He sees two worldviews facing off - the authoritarian and the nurturing parent. Each looks at the same thing but sees something completely different from the other. If you've read his work, you know that as a nurturer, he offers ways to approach those with the ability to go either way so as to encourage their nurturing possibilities. So, perhaps it can be done, but in practice I see the divide growing deeper and spreading well beyond politics. Your experience here seems to show it in education.Bill Chapmanhttp://www.classroomtools.com/noreply@blogger.com