Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Homework: Give It Back!


Last night, MonkeyDo brought me a paper that she was working on for class.

Because we have hit that for MonkeyDo. When they're starting to teach them how to write essays.

And then I cried.

I mean, I want to look at what she's written and see how cute it is with the misspellings and the fact that her arguments make no sense and, ok, it's so cute. But, at the same time, I remember going through this with MonkeySee and getting so frustrated because, really, are you kidding me? What about that thing you just wrote seemed like a good idea to you?

I want to sit down with them and make them write a real, good essay and teach them how and make them do it right. Because it makes me crazy looking at what they write and I can't imagine that my essays were that bad when I was their age (oh, hell, I'm sure they were).

But you know what? They have teachers. Teachers that know how to teach and know how to walk them through the process so that they can see all the steps and put the pieces together and then get to the point where they can write a good essay.

So, kind of, I'm at the point where I don't care. She brings it to me. I read it. I snicker to myself and I give it back. Spelling's wrong. Grammar's iffy. Can't possibly be an argumentative essay when the final point doesn't follow from the arguments you've made.

How is her teacher ever going to find out where she needs more help if I help her make it pretty before she turns it back in?

Which is kind of how I felt when she brought home the math test with the note on it that said she needed help in a certain area. I wanted to send it back with a note that said "Well, Mister Master's-Degree-In-Teaching, whatcha gonna do about that?"

I know I'm supposed to help her with her homework if she needs it... But I'm not teaching her algebraic concepts. Sorry.

It's the same thing with MonkeySee and his algebra homework. He refuses to write out his work. He tries to do it in his head and then he gets it wrong, but nobody knows what step he didn't get right because it's all in his head.

When I found out he was doing that again this year, he got a little yelled at.

"Isn't that how you failed algebra last year?"

*deer in headlights look*

"Yes, MonkeySee, yes, it is. Now knock it the hell off and write out your work."

Is it wrong that, sometimes, I want to follow up my sentences to them with "Idiot!"?

I know that sounds really really wrong, but, seriously, we have had this conversation before. Multiple times.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

But you have to correct the essays on PBE. We can't let people know I'm a moron.

Anonymous said...

OMG, i remember those days of FRUSTRATION, thank GaWd, my kids are grown. 2 still cant write..... but they are happy !

Anonymous said...

Ummm...

Since the beginning of 5th grade with Monkee See... I turned him over to you...

I'm too anal retentive about shit... And 99% of the time... Even now... I say... "Do you want to do it correctly NOW... Or wait until your teacher returns it with a note reading 're-write'... Because you know they're going to anyway"...

The thing that pisses me off to no end... Is that our children... No matter how small of a something... That when their teacher either shows... Or uses an example of something... That SOMETHING becomes the ACTUAL... And nothing else is correct... This in turn becomes a fight... From originality... To convenience... They will tear up... And throw tantrums until it is the way their teacher explained it in class...

A majority of the time... The dust settles after a quick communication with the teacher... Dispelling any misunderstandings there might have been...

Usually... It's with the Monkees... And how they relayed the information that they were being shown...

I haven't been wrong yet on this shit... Not once...

I just wish that they would wise up to that fact... And understand that there is no easy way around school work... It's like the never ending gauntlet from hell while you're in it... But is sorely missed when you become an adult... The real world is tougher than school... Even with all the growing up pains...

All in all though... They both have gotten so much better with their own personal evolutions... I'm really proud of them... They're turning out to be pretty good at being mid-sized humans... We can't really call them "small-humans" anymore...

Not so much...

Anonymous said...

Sorry so wordy...

I didn't realize until I had posted...