[Oz-gifted] Encouraging active participation

[Sue Larsen]

Ah Lisa, I sympathize. We got around it by doing an automatic sign the 
reading list thing every week. Of course i explained to DS that it was 
because he was already reading and that he was lucky he enjoyed it because 
some kids had to be *made* to read.
This rule is not really for those who read but rather a little trick from 
teachers to encourage those parents who think their child does not need to 
read. If the parents have to sign some -not all- feel it is their *homework* 
to sign and they then try to make sure their children do their 
reading/homework etc. Not all kids, and not all parents, are avid readers 
like most of us so teachers have to use every tool they can to do their job 
and educate the kids. In the process of *having* to read each night kids can 
become lifelong readers by habit and gain all the enjoyment that reading 
brings.
Best,
Sue
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lisa" <lisa8 at tpg.com.au>
To: <keith.mcguinness at bigpond.com>; <oz-gifted at cobia.ed.qut.edu.au>
Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 1:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Oz-gifted] Encouraging active participation


> 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
>
>
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