Posts by restlessskipper8

It seems some people here haven't had much direct experience dealing with the chaos of federal government bidding processes.

Such blissful ignorance...

Robert Rodriguez9 said:Look, rearranging heavy desks every single day isn't exactly fun. 😬

If I remember correctly, I think people were saying enrollment at that school was pretty low to begin with. 🤔 So it’s not surprising they’re trying out new things just to attract students—or rather, parents. 😁 (edit: rowdypanther12 beat me to it)

Regarding those federal grants and exchange programs, from my own experience, they always look much better on paper than they do in practice, especially for the kids. I’m not saying the kids aren't doing anything, but when you compare the paperwork to reality, there's a gap. Still, hey, at least they're pulling funds to actually get stuff done. Any kind of change is probably a step forward.
My kid's school wasn't part of the first wave of reforms, they aren't in any STEM initiatives, and they don't have those fancy exchange programs. Even so, some teachers—especially the younger ones—still put in the work to push for changes and snag some decent tech for their classrooms. 🙏

Exactly, and that’s precisely why I think we need more healthy competition between schools, both elementary and high school (to build on that earlier point about publishing national standardized test scores)—because it forces improvements, which ultimately benefits the students and society as a whole...

If what this article claims is actually true (I don't have any other data points to go on), then this is a perfect example. The school is located in a neighborhood with a relatively small number of kids, yet they're working hard to elevate their curriculum just to attract families. They'll almost certainly see higher enrollment because of those efforts, and in the end, the quality of education for all those kids ends up being much higher. It's a total win-win.

True, but it requires actual effort...

wanderingbadger44 said:My main point was that anyone with enough academic leverage to actually make a choice—those with high enough test scores to aim higher—tends to steer clear of the public school system or social work, instead opting to engage in endless debates with the John Does of the world who think they're experts on everything.

It's a textbook case of negative selection.

It’s the honest truth. If teaching actually paid a decent wage, I’d be the first one through the door. It’s been my dream since forever—I was always that straight-A student, no matter what subject I was tackling—but between the actual paycheck and, even worse, the way society looks down on educators these days... it’s just brutal. Honestly, looking at the math, I can't see myself making a life out of that...

Back at my university, the education major was basically the consolation prize for anyone who didn't make the cut for the engineering programs. It wasn't exactly a destination for people chasing a dream; it was more like where you ended up when your first choices fell through. I think in my entire graduating class, there was maybe one single soul who actually chose that path because they were genuinely passionate about it. Everyone else was just sort of... drifting into it by default. And now, those same people are out there teaching in public school districts all over the country...

I’m honestly terrified of getting mastitis again. With my first, I had such an oversupply—it felt like I could have fed four babies at once—which sounds like a dream, but it took four agonizing months for everything to finally stabilize... for the soreness to fade, for the sensitivity to die down, and for me to stop dealing with milk spraying in every direction mid-day. Over three and a half years of nursing, I managed to battle through about three bouts of mastitis...

Now, here I am with my second, and once again, the milk is coming in by the gallon. I actually thought it would be easier this time because I figured my body would be more prepared, so I let my guard down a bit... instead of staying on top of the massages, I just kind of winged it at home, and well—here I am, reporting my very first case of mastitis just fourteen days after birth.🙂

Karen Richardson3 said:Look, like we've already gone over this a million times, they *can* pass, they just end up with mediocre grades.

That’s really what parents get worked up about—if you look at the forums, it’s never about the kid getting an F; it’s about them getting a C or a B. 😱

And then, of course, we have this collective obsession with diagnosing everything as ADHD. Suddenly, every precious little one is just "restless" or a "tiny explorer" (who, let's be real, doesn't actually know the basics of anything 😬), and apparently, sitting down to read or study is just too boring for them, so we all have to just accept it. It’s not a lack of discipline or a parenting fail; no, they're just "spirited" 😍
.

So what does that make them, low income or not? 😁

Sure, there’s definitely a segment of the population that is living paycheck to paycheck.

But for everyone else, it’s perfectly valid to say, "I hate books, museums, and science; it’s all boring, I’d rather just head to the mall and buy a bunch of cheap junk."

But if that's your vibe, why on earth do you care if your kid becomes a straight-A student, goes to a top-tier university, and becomes a PhD?

You know why—it’s pure vanity. They just want to show off. They buy the latest iPhone to flex on the neighbors, and they push their kids to get perfect grades just so they can brag to the folks next door that their little genius is so bright.

Going back to the whole "studying with your child" thing:

A kid needs to learn how to learn. Not be taught how to memorize a specific answer or how to recite facts like a robot.

So, here’s how I think you actually handle things when working through schoolwork with a kid:
- fighting that urge to rush—you have to read it carefully, then read it again, tackle the problem, and double-check everything before moving on.
- once the kid repeats a sentence back to you, don't just let them move on—explain what it actually means. You aren't some recording device; use your own words to make sure it clicks.

That’s the real way to sit down with a child. It shouldn't be about racing to the finish line just so you can check a box; it’s about truly grasping the material. Read for comprehension, and if something doesn't make sense, go ask the teacher, ask a parent, or look it up online.
If a word is unfamiliar, stop and ask what it means instead of just repeating it blindly without a clue.

Honestly, ever since I became a parent, I've realized why so many people walk around thinking their kids are geniuses just because they can parrot off phrases they picked up somewhere without having the slightest idea what they're actually saying. It’s such a common trap to fall into.😁

edit: sweetheart 07, I was quoting you because I actually think the way you work with your kid is great, and I didn't want you thinking I was trying to say your methods were wrong.😁

Exactly. 👍

I suppose I should probably address Miss Daisy, though I can’t quite say what to expect from her input on this particular matter... It feels like we’re all just circling the same drain, waiting for someone to make sense of the chaos, yet here we are, still drifting without much direction... It’s almost funny, in a weary sort of way, how we keep searching for clarity in all the wrong places... kaže:
...
Let’s just be honest about what’s actually happening here: everyone is absolutely convinced their kid is some kind of once-in-a-generation genius who inherently deserves a perfect score, but the reality of the classroom is always much more grounded... you end up with a handful of high achievers, a few kids who struggle to stay on track, and then the vast majority sitting right in that middle ground...

...

I find myself nodding along with this sentiment... I honestly can't wrap my head around how we reached a point where it’s become perfectly acceptable for something like 95% of elementary school classes to just breeze through those first four grades with a C average... It feels like we've completely lost our way regarding academic standards...
So, where exactly did the average and Gauss go...? 🤷

I suppose I should mention that I’ve been following the discussions regarding Miss Daisy lately... though, looking back at everything being said, one can't help but feel a certain sense of déjà vu. It seems like we keep circling the same arguments without ever truly landing on anything substantial, much like those endless debates you see over at the Mall of America during the holiday rush... just a lot of noise and very little progress. Still, there is something to be said for the persistence of these viewpoints, even if they feel a bit tired after a while... I noticed that...
It’s not that simple, really... a bright kid will breeze through the elementary school curriculum without breaking a sweat, whereas if you have a parent who isn't quite as sharp, they're going to find themselves doing a whole lot more heavy lifting at home...

...

I’m signing on to this again... I honestly have this nagging feeling that the real issue here lies with the parents. You have all these folks who, let's be honest, have children who are perfectly average, yet they seem completely unable to stomach those mediocre grades. It turns into this endless, daily cycle of nagging about studying and constant pressure to perform, which just creates such a heavy atmosphere for everyone involved...

I have no idea what the future holds, but I suspect my level of involvement once my little one starts school will probably hover somewhere around that intensity Adam Evans62 describes...

Regarding those "out of left field" questions they throw at kids... I remember back in my day, it was incredibly rare—maybe once or twice a year at most—that a teacher would suddenly drop some curveball question that had never been mentioned in class or that nobody could possibly have an answer to. And honestly, it didn't matter to anyone. No one ever got a failing grade because of them; in the absolute worst-case scenario—if you want to call it drama, though I don't—maybe someone might see a slightly lower mark on that specific assignment, but the teacher was more like a friend than a drill sergeant... 😬She definitely knew why it was happening, and honestly, that was fine. But I remember clearly how there would be these little waves of parental rebellion here and there over things they found incredibly bizarre—especially when it came to the whole "getting stuck" situation and stuff like that. Yet, all of us (including the kids whose parents were making such a scene) were perfectly aware that we had already covered the topic in class or had it assigned as homework... so I’d just end up providing the right answer on my exams. It wasn't exactly a one-dimensional situation...
It would be truly ideal if a parent could have—and I mean actually earn—a genuine sense of trust in their teacher, but it feels like we’ve completely lost that mutual ground in this day and age, on both sides of the desk...

Thinking back to how grading worked during our elementary school days... it really was a different world, wasn't it? Everything felt so much more straightforward then, almost deceptively simple... though looking back, I wonder if we actually understood the weight of those marks at the time. It’s funny how much pressure you could feel from a single letter on a report card, even when you were just a kid playing on the playground... 😁 At the end of the school year, we’d receive this descriptive evaluation for completing the grade along with a formal statement saying we had successfully finished the year. But I distinctly remember that throughout the term, we had all sorts of assessments—everything from standardized tests to reciting poetry or even just drawing—for which we were given these quasi-descriptive marks. In my mind, those descriptions were essentially interchangeable with actual grades... something like "excellent," "proficient," or "satisfactory," which mapped directly onto an A, B, or C. I can't quite recall if there was an official bureaucratic link between those descriptions and the numerical grading system, but in my head, they were one and the same, so for all intents and purposes, I always viewed them as my official grades...

Generally speaking, regarding school and those easy, participation-trophy grades... okay, look, I was one of those perennial honor roll students. But looking back, I have this nagging feeling that a lot of my marks were handed out far too easily—and mind you, I wasn't exactly coasting through the easiest classes on campus... I really don't think that's a healthy way to build anyone's self-esteem or sense of worth. When I earned an A because I truly worked for it, I felt a genuine sense of pride, but when it was just handed to me for nothing, it meant absolutely nothing at all. I felt that same way all the way through grad school, too. On the flip side, getting a bad grade actually motivated me to go back and do better next time. So, in terms of actual knowledge and developing a healthy attitude toward responsibilities, I gained so much more from the teachers and professors who gave grades based on merit rather than just handing them out to avoid bruising a student's fragile ego. And I’m talking about my entire academic journey, from elementary school all the way through my PhD... Not to mention how incredibly grateful I am today for the educators who took me seriously and actually taught me something, compared to how angry I used to get with the ones who let me slide, only for me to struggle later on because I hadn't actually mastered the material. As for those who hand out easy grades, regardless of what level they're teaching, I truly believe they aren't doing their jobs properly; it’s just the path of least resistance. That kind of "work ethic" requires so much less effort than actually committing yourself to teaching someone using every tool at your disposal...

What exactly is the issue with getting a C or a B? Those are solid grades—"satisfactory" and "good," right? I don't get why parents aren't satisfied with that... especially since, from what I can see, the kid himself is perfectly fine with it. He doesn't seem to care at all.
And honestly, how would kids who are actually mastering the material—you know, the ones who can nail everything from math problems to complex science projects or whatever else comes up 😁—feel if they saw themselves getting the exact same grades as this kid?
I just can't wrap my head around why it's considered "normal" for 90% of first graders to walk away with straight As in every single subject, even though I can tell that's exactly what parents expect and it's what happens in most schools and classrooms across the country. It makes no sense. If we're using a grading system, then let's actually use it... it feels wrong that everyone ends up with an A in everything, with only a handful of exceptions.
In my experience, kids who don't make a huge production out of their report cards are totally fine with Cs and Bs, provided their parents don't start breathing down their necks like the ones described above.

I think in any system that utilizes grades, it's enough to explain to children what they represent and what they're for, and leave it at that. I don't see how a B or a C could possibly ruin a child's self-esteem or motivation... unless someone convinces them that they *deserve* an A regardless of their actual performance. It’s not like getting a B in first grade is going to prevent them from getting into a good university twelve years down the road. They have several years to get used to how the system works—not that we should debate the quality of the system itself right now—before grades actually start mattering for anything significant... aside from feeding a parent's ego or perhaps the ego of a certain type of student.

In this pregnancy—honestly, I’ve already lost track of what happened during my last one—the thing that actually sent my blood pressure through the roof wasn't the hormones, it was my own mother.
I finally sit her down to tell her the news, and her first response is just, "Oh, really? Was this actually planned?"
(At that moment, I could practically see stars dancing before my eyes...) I just snapped, "Of course it was planned!!"
And she just shrugs and goes, "Alright then..."

🙂