Ever since the second week of first grade, when they were already being asked to write their height in centimeters on a number line—you know, a full three-digit number—while they haven't even touched the number 1 in math class yet, I've realized there's really no point in trying to make sense of the logic behind it all. 😁
Since they’re constantly being assigned homework from, say, page 128 and such, it would be much better if they stopped pretending that certain things aren't necessary during preschool. They should probably make mastering numbers up to 1,000 a mandatory skill for first graders. It doesn't necessarily mean they need to perform complex arithmetic, but they should definitely be able to read and write those numbers. At the very least, they ought to be able to find a specific page in their reading textbook.
I remember those massive, 200-page textbook doorstops we had to lug around back before the school district overhauled everything—I’m not entirely sure what the current editions look like, though. Honestly, the third-grade curriculum now seems lightyears ahead of the nonsense my older one had to deal with. It used to be all about memorizing useless trivia, like "In what year was the telegraph invented?" or "How much did the first amphibious vehicle weigh?" Just pure busywork. Nowadays, they aren't just coloring or doodling all day in third grade; they’re actually learning the core material, just without all that extra fluff we were forced to swallow.
No matter how you slice it, though, school is still a much better environment for most kids once they're ready to move on from preschool. Luckily, most of that trivial garbage we adults have to sit through doesn't even register on their radar yet...
We didn't even touch those extra worksheets, and honestly, the workbooks weren't even mandatory. Besides, we certainly weren't churning through two hundred pages of a reading textbook during the first semester, only to face another two hundred in the second. Not to mention how many times I found myself just completely baffled by the sheer nonsense of those little poems my kids had to deal with.
Well, good morning! (And wow, I just realized we’ve hit 94 pages already.) Just thinking about how much actual content is packed in here compared to those flimsy modern paperbacks you see in every Target or Barnes & Noble. It's incomparable, really. It reminds me of when a kid gets assigned a teacher who expects absolute perfection—every single math problem solved, every little drawing colored in perfectly... 🙂
I honestly can't say for certain if things were actually harder back in the day. I recently stumbled upon a digital scan of a first-grade reading primer from my own childhood. It was only about 50 pages long, and there was hardly any actual text in it—just little poems consisting of a few lines, like a cow reading the newspaper or something along those lines.
My kids, on the other hand, had a primer that was easily 200 pages! And that was just for the first semester. They’d spend four whole pages on a single letter, forcing them to practice print just so they could completely ignore it the next semester and switch to cursive. Even the poems come with glossaries of unfamiliar words. All of this in the very first grade! It's not like they're using basic everyday words like "mouse," "fish," or "dog"; instead, it's all this overly complicated vocabulary (which is such a massive leap from "my" old primer that stuck to short, simple words). How we managed to master print with only 50 pages while today requires 200... well, leaving it up to the school administrators to figure out, is still a total mystery to me.
In my day, we didn't even touch different scripts until third grade.
The new curriculum apparently teaches letters more slowly, though I highly doubt they've actually cut down on the amount of unnecessary filler text.
My daughter was born right at the end of January. For us, delaying her enrollment wasn't even an option because she had simply outgrown daycare. Honestly, it doesn't really matter how many years of schooling lie ahead or how long her career will eventually last; sometimes, you just have an intuitive sense that forcing a child to stay in preschool for another year would be nothing short of torture. I actually saw a heartbreaking example of this in a parenting group recently—a little one who was crying every single day because they just didn't want to go back to daycare anymore.
It’s just that for her, the transition was a total nightmare, and let’s face it, even first grade isn't exactly a walk in the park. Not to mention the actual school system or the curriculum itself... we won't even go there. But none of that changes the fundamental truth: she needed to move on from the daycare world and step into a new phase where the responsibilities and tasks are more substantial and better aligned with her developmental stage.
Jason Ortiz5 said:In my class, we've got 20 kids heading to ethics and just 4 going to religion. Honestly, it doesn't matter much—ethics is being held online in the evenings, while the religion class stays on the regular daytime schedule.
I mean, at least those four had the decency to be tucked into another religion class. It’d actually be pretty great if their teacher could get a full course load out of it, kind of like how a physics or math professor gets a decent schedule working with a group of 24...
As those followers of heliocentrism would say—eppur si muove😁
At my kid's school, they've scheduled religion class as a block period right at the start of the day, which helps since their regular classes don't even start until the afternoon. I’m really hoping they keep this schedule for the morning sessions too, just so the poor thing can catch up on some sleep! 😁 We actually have to be pretty careful about calculating our arrival times now because they've switched to these shortened periods—it means showing up 10 minutes earlier than we would with the standard 45-minute bells. And honestly, these block schedules are such a lifesaver for the backpack situation; my wife was just commenting on how much lighter her load will finally be 😛 Today, she could barely haul the backpack up the stairs because of all the textbooks... we actually put it on the scale at home and it hit 20 pounds!
Did any of you actually sit down and read through it? I haven't even glanced at the whole thing, and honestly, my daughter hasn't either—well, except for when she was curious about what some random greeting acronym meant, and we barely managed to decode 😂 As for the rest, I know it’s just a mountain of nonsense that clashes with everything I believe in and how we live our lives. So, why bother wasting precious time or energy overthinking what they think? A colleague of mine actually came to me all worked up over this absolute garbage (she ended up venting her frustrations by writing out the kid's homework in the process), while I just find myself thinking how lucky I am that I don't have to deal with that bag of stupidity myself. There are already plenty of headaches in this country that affect me directly, so there's no need to load up on extra stress over things that don't concern me one bit...
I’m planning on sticking to the same routine we've had so far. The older kids will be hanging out together in the auditorium, which basically serves as their "common area"—they won't be mixing with anyone else since everyone else stays put in their own classrooms. As for the younger ones, they'll be in the teacher's office/resource room with the instructor, so they stay isolated from the rest of the group too. If the administration wants to take some time to deep-clean and disinfect the rooms in the meantime, honestly, that's fine by me...
Honestly, it doesn't really matter which one... It happened once, so just have a laugh and let it go. It’s like 99% of the nonsense we deal with in life that just isn't worth getting worked up over. On any other day, things were perfectly normal—those who actually wanted to get things done were busy tackling their assignments...
Gary Reed9 said:There’s really just one glaring issue here... it's an elective. Nobody is forcing you to enroll your kid in it—and if you do sign them up, you can always just pull them out the following year. I see where you're coming from to a point, because I'm also a big believer in quality parish-based religious education—actually living out your faith and building community—rather than just grinding through dry theory and rote prayers like it's some chemistry exam. But if we follow your logic, there’s no point in teaching English, French, German, Italian, or Latin in any American public school either... people should just go to private schools for that. A quick mention in geography or history classes is enough to let them know these things exist, maybe throw in a phrase or two... So, as long as there’s a choice and a variety of electives available—whether it's religion, ethics, or whatever else a specific community finds meaningful—those subjects deserve their spot in the curriculum. 🤷
I’m also crossing my fingers that this elective will finally be scheduled like all the other options at our school—offered during an after-school block rather than being jammed right in the middle of the mandatory core subjects. That way, whoever wants to take it can, without it disrupting the main schedule.
On a side note, the most ridiculous thing I ever saw regarding "religion class" (that's our nickname for that period) happened when some students were trying to get their homework done in the lobby (they finally installed some benches and tables there). A counselor actually walked up and forbade them from doing their homework, telling them they had to pack their books away immediately because homework isn't supposed to be done on school grounds 🙏. And occasionally, the instructor will wander in and complain simply because they're being a little too loud while playing 😁
Tyler Ruiz502 said:Look, just because the school sent out an official survey doesn't mean they forced him to withdraw—it certainly doesn't mean he needs to be re-enrolled from scratch. The average parent might not realize there’s a deadline to submit withdrawal papers by, say, August 15th, or before the final board meeting. Most parents don't even track when those meetings happen. For us, once school wraps up in June, we basically check out—there's nothing happening until September when everyone starts stressing about next year's grade level or buying textbooks. We're mentally "out" by June. So, honestly, it isn't a bad idea for them to reach out and confirm if a student actually intends to show up next term. They probably just want to avoid those nightmare scenarios where they realize in September that they should have acted months ago.
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Exactly. A survey isn't an official withdrawal notice. It's more of a way for the school to gauge parental interest regarding elective courses for the upcoming year, while simultaneously serving as a helpful reminder that parents have the option to withdraw their child if they choose. Honestly, it would be much more efficient if the survey actually included the deadline for withdrawal requests and a link to download the necessary paperwork; that would make it a truly comprehensive communication from the district.
rowdypanther12 said:Sometimes when I read through these threads, I honestly wonder how we reached this stage of civilization—where we can't even have a constructive conversation, let alone anything else. 😂
On another note, does anyone here actually believe kids shouldn't be taught to write by hand in school? Like, is there an argument that practicing handwriting doesn't actually help their development? Because, well, that's where we've landed.
I don't really have the credentials to weigh in here—I mean, I've mostly just focused on raising my own kids rather than getting a degree from Quincy... so I can't say for sure what you think about it...
Jason Morgan said:I find it truly remarkable that anyone who has simply reached reproductive age believes they possess the absolute authority to lecture those actually trained in education on how the system should function. The sheer audacity of claims suggesting that handwriting is some obsolete relic is, quite frankly, on par with someone shouting, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M TYPING INTO A COMPUTER AT THE CASH REGISTER?"
Oops. My apologies, dear Professor—I certainly didn't mean to offer any "legitimate" discourse; I suppose I'll just stick to being completely illegitimate 😵 Thank you so much for pointing out that crucial fact: that in your eyes, I lack the "proper credentials" to participate in this conversation. Then again, we do live in a country where having the "right paperwork" seems to be everything...
I'm particularly delighted to learn that you are a recognized expert with a sub-specialization in the future importance of handwriting. Is this based on a PhD, or just a Master's degree?
urbantinker8 said:Where on earth did this grand conclusion come from?
I suppose IT professionals probably won't need much handwriting, that seems clear enough. But for everyone else, you know, the "regular" folks, it might actually matter.
And besides, we haven't even heard who specifically needs it (other than your own opinion)
Basically, here is what happened: I suggested that most people don't necessarily need perfect penmanship, but you argued that they do (as seen in the quote above). So, I asked you to name anyone who actually requires it. You couldn't name a single soul besides teachers, yet somehow you wrapped things up by claiming THAT I am the one saying clients and customers need it. 🤣
I'm not putting you on my ignore list just because of little moments like this, though. 🤣
PS, I have to go type something a bit more productive now, so I'll be signing off! :mah;
It’s actually pretty funny how a quick chat about messy handwriting somehow spiraled into this whole deep dive into the art of penmanship itself... though I suppose some people just can't help themselves when it comes to straying off-topic; they always seem to get their wires crossed a little bit. 😂