[Oz-gifted] Encouraging active participation

[Lisa]

Keith McGuinness wrote:
> Lisa wrote:
>   
>> And then the snarky note comes home from the teacher- "Please remember 
>> to do your reading".
>> So I drag out the homework book, scrawl the title of the current book, 
>> and write something absurd like "up to page 250, and I wasn't timing".
>>
>> You'd think they'd learn. But no. A few weeks later, I am again being 
>> berated by the teacher for not *making* my child complete the obligatory 
>> 15 minutes per night.
>> Sigh.
>> Here endeth the rant
>>     
>
> Alas, I think your rant is unjustified. The teacher is doing 
> their job. And part of their job is to check that the children 
> are doing the assigned work. Asking the parents to sign off is, 
> IMO, a reasonable way of doing that.
>
> I'm not talking about the suitability of the work, or the reading 
> material itself, just whether or not the request is reasonable.
>
> In this case, I feel for the teachers who, given that many 
> children do NOT read, try to check on that and then get stuck in 
> a "damned if they do and damned if they don't" spot. 8-)
>
> Keith McGuinness
>   
Ah, you're right, Keith.
I suppose I just wish that I didn't have to do it repeatedly.
Maybe, each new year, for each teacher, I could write *one* signed note...

Dear teacher,
I hereby take full responsibility for my child's compliance with home 
reading requirements for the rest of the year.

... but then the teacher would have to remember each week while marking 
homework, that some children in the class are different, and don't keep 
reading logs...

I just need to be like the kids - follow the rules, do the homework as 
set, and try to fit in with the needs of the rest of the class and not 
ask for special treatment.

Lisa