What's the point of required reading?

Honestly, I feel like a whole new person since high school, especially hanging out with my girl. It’s such a relief now that we don't have to deal with all those pointless busywork assignments—you know, like drawing stuff or gluing random little scraps and posters together just for the sake of it...

Even back in biology class, it was such a drag. We had to spend forever copying these super detailed, totally useless descriptions of plants from our textbooks into our notebooks. My backpack used to be overflowing with those tiny little leaf cutouts and random bits of paper we were forced to use...

Maybe I’m just completely delusional or totally out of my mind 😁, but I find it hard to believe any kid is actually tackling these assignments entirely on their own. If nothing else, isn't a parent supposed to be at least helping with the cutting and gluing? 🤣 So far, he’s had a pizza-themed reading assignment, a little storybook kit, and now we’re looking at this picture book project.
I guess I’m one of those parents who still actually sits down and works through things with my kids—whereas everyone else seems to be constantly drilling them with lessons, writing, and drawing every single day. At one point, I even found myself wondering if I was being negligent because I simply can't get to everything, especially since I refuse to spend my entire weekend stuck in schoolwork mode. 🤦
Honestly, I'm terrified of what middle school is going to look like. 😲

I’ve never actually helped my kids make those book report projects; I usually just pick up the supplies. Honestly, those assignments seem so simple and almost fun compared to the dry, endless reading lists we had to slog through back in school—pages and pages of 🤮. I don't really get how you manage all that cutting and gluing. Does it actually help them get a better grade than a kid who just did the craftwork themselves? 😂
If I were the teacher, though, I wouldn't bother with any of that. I’d just give them a test. There's no way to fake your way through that.

Believe me, the reading assignments they give us aren't even a challenge—those two times a year when we have to prep for a test are honestly the easiest part. Everything else feels like you're trying to earn a PhD in American Literature rather than just finishing middle school requirements. Back when I was in junior high, my reading list wasn't nearly this demanding.
Honestly, I think they’ll actually find their footing once they hit High School. They'll probably breeze through the literature there...

mellowskipper said:Believe me, the reading assignments they give us aren't even a challenge—those two times a year when we have to prep for a test are honestly the easiest part. Everything else feels like you're trying to earn a PhD in American Literature rather than just finishing middle school requirements. Back when I was in junior high, my reading list wasn't nearly this demanding.
Honestly, I think they’ll actually find their footing once they hit High School. They'll probably breeze through the literature there...

My reading list was pretty decent. Sometimes we had group projects, but mostly we just took notes, looked up unfamiliar words, and took a test.
We used to do those creative stuff like drawing or making crafts until about 5th grade.

So I guess we just wandered straight into a classroom full of parents who think they’re basically geniuses 🤷

That whole bit about the "study sessions" cracked me up—there was this one dad telling us how he spent all night drilling his kid just so she'd get an A, only for her to end up with a B-. Honestly, we all just absolutely roasted him for that one 🤣

I’m mostly just hovering over my kid’s shoulder, checking everything he actually read and what he’s planning to write down, because after he finished that first hundred-page book last year, the poor kid was just completely lost in space 😁 I know for a fact that when we were tackling that math assignment involving pizza slices last year, it actually helped him figure out how to divide things into equal parts 😁

From what I can gather, between our teacher's input and the exam being scheduled for the same day they have to turn in their reading assignments—plus that introductory period Sarah Hall53 mentioned—it sounds pretty busy.

I always knew which kids in my little one's class had parents doing all their posters and assignments for them. It was honestly pretty funny to me because those kids would end up getting the exact same grades as my kid, who actually did the work themselves. I mean, what's even the point?
Another thing is helping a child when they're stuck, but what you mentioned about the pizza being cut into equal slices... why on earth does it have to be equal slices?!
Did they teach that in math class?
If they didn't, then for heaven's sake, the slices don't need to be equal.

Just relax. You're basically punishing the kid for the whole learning process and just trying to get through homework. What's going to happen in middle school if you're stressing out over this now, especially since these grades don't really matter in the long run?

It’s simply because he wanted everything divided into equal parts, since that just looks cleaner that way. 😁 Back then, we were learning how to work alongside a carpenter, and he just thought it would be a fun little project for us. 🤷

In my earlier posts, I mentioned that I don't hover over him like a hawk, mainly because I don't see the point in coddling him or getting him used to me doing all his high school assignments for him. It’s exactly for the reasons you pointed out—what on earth is he going to do when he hits those upperclassman years?

Okay, if you taught him how to split the bill, then him doing it himself is a totally different thing than you just doing it for him 😁

I ended up printing the whole damn thing at work on the color laser printer. My cheap inkjet at home burns through ink faster than a wildfire, and let me tell you, those cartridges cost an arm and a leg.

I was out there gathering leaves in the rain, running between shops in the next town over, and when I couldn't find what I needed because our local stores are such a joke, I just lost my cool during an egg scramble and decided to go buy those fake foam eggs instead. I even went all out and outlined the drawing right when we were rushing to dry out orange slices for Christmas decorations.

I used to help her sketch out those gorgeous flowers whenever she was about to burst into tears from sheer frustration, and honestly, it was ridiculous that some random biology teacher from high school was actually grading art projects. Like this one.

Back when things were expected to be delivered overnight—which, thankfully, I think only happened once during my time at school—I just wrote in the newsletter that we couldn't possibly source everything on such short notice and offered xy as an alternative. We had those kinds of sudden requests more often back in preschool, but I handled those in person.
My favorite was when a teacher greeted me with a message saying I needed to bring in a few carrots or apples by tomorrow morning 😂 and then casually suggested I just hit up a local grocery store if I didn't have any at home 😂
Sorry girl, but I have way better things to do than rush to Target at 6 PM. Next time, just give me some lead time and we'll make sure to bring whatever is needed.
But yeah, where I grew up, those situations were definitely the exception rather than the rule.

rowdypanther12 said:I always knew which kids in my little one's class had parents doing all their posters and assignments for them. It was honestly pretty funny to me because those kids would end up getting the exact same grades as my kid, who actually did the work themselves. I mean, what's even the point?
Another thing is helping a child when they're stuck, but what you mentioned about the pizza being cut into equal slices... why on earth does it have to be equal slices?!
Did they teach that in math class?
If they didn't, then for heaven's sake, the slices don't need to be equal.

Just relax. You're basically punishing the kid for the whole learning process and just trying to get through homework. What's going to happen in middle school if you're stressing out over this now, especially since these grades don't really matter in the long run?

I was definitely that student whose mom did every single hands-on task for me—all the drawing, cutting, building, taking things apart, blowing stuff up... the only exceptions were projects I actually cared about, like biology herbariums, and even then, she was still helping me out.

I guess I really don't see how that held me back later on in school or just life in general. 😁

It’s actually not a bad thing, honestly—especially since they aren't developing that whole executive function side of things early enough to actually think ahead or map out steps for bigger projects. Instead, they just push everything to the absolute last minute, rush through it, and end up making a total mess of it. I think the key is once you've set a schedule for them, you have to let them handle the actual work themselves without hovering too much—you know, gradually stepping back so they can start managing their own schedules and planning their own workflow.
Some people just don't develop that... well, ever. And then you're stuck choosing between whether you want to grind through everything on day one just so you have a buffer if you screw up, or just leave it all until the deadline and deal with the inevitable disaster 🤣
:it's not me, it's my ADHD:

goldeneagle36 said:So I guess we just wandered straight into a classroom full of parents who think they’re basically geniuses 🤷

That whole bit about the "study sessions" cracked me up—there was this one dad telling us how he spent all night drilling his kid just so she'd get an A, only for her to end up with a B-. Honestly, we all just absolutely roasted him for that one 🤣

I’m mostly just hovering over my kid’s shoulder, checking everything he actually read and what he’s planning to write down, because after he finished that first hundred-page book last year, the poor kid was just completely lost in space 😁 I know for a fact that when we were tackling that math assignment involving pizza slices last year, it actually helped him figure out how to divide things into equal parts 😁

From what I can gather, between our teacher's input and the exam being scheduled for the same day they have to turn in their reading assignments—plus that introductory period Sarah Hall53 mentioned—it sounds pretty busy.

What exactly is this?
I was thinking about grabbing a bite to eat, but I have a feeling there might not be anything in the kitchen right now. 🤣

I wonder if he’s finally found his footing now that he’s turned his required reading list into a "pizza menu." Did that actually help him wrap his head around the material, or was it just a fun way to pass the time?

Anthony Ward6 said:I was definitely that student whose mom did every single hands-on task for me—all the drawing, cutting, building, taking things apart, blowing stuff up... the only exceptions were projects I actually cared about, like biology herbariums, and even then, she was still helping me out.

I guess I really don't see how that held me back later on in school or just life in general. 😁

A herbarium? That's literally the only time I ever touched biology in school, mostly because there’s no way I was out scavenging for weeds in the middle of NYC. Like, how could I not?

Susan James said:What exactly is this?
I was thinking about grabbing a bite to eat, but I have a feeling there might not be anything in the kitchen right now. 🤣

I wonder if he’s finally found his footing now that he’s turned his required reading list into a "pizza menu." Did that actually help him wrap his head around the material, or was it just a fun way to pass the time?

Here is a shot of his "pizza literature" 🙂
https://ibb.co/4TJ9DBX
Mind you, it was just a short story, so I'm not overly concerned about that part 😁

We went to borrow the six-fold umbrella today, and the second he saw how many pages were in the book, the complaining started immediately 😁 I honestly don't know if this is just a standard issue for kids his age, but his ability to focus while reading is absolutely catastrophic—he’s constantly getting up for water, running to the bathroom, asking me random questions—it's just exhausting 🤦 😁 Honestly, watching him try to read is about as riveting as watching me sit through an Olympic curling match 🤣

Susan James said:What exactly is this?
I was thinking about grabbing a bite to eat, but I have a feeling there might not be anything in the kitchen right now. 🤣

I wonder if he’s finally found his footing now that he’s turned his required reading list into a "pizza menu." Did that actually help him wrap his head around the material, or was it just a fun way to pass the time?

Is that really supposed to be the only goal here?

I read somewhere recently that the skill sets being hunted for in the global business world have flipped completely upside down over the last decade. Apparently, "teamwork" has tanked in importance, and now creativity is sitting right at the top of the most desirable traits list. These days, companies want creative individuals; being a "team player" is practically old news.

If school is meant to prepare kids for life and the actual job market, shouldn't it be encouraging them to develop the very skill that's considered most vital right now? Do you think creative assignments should be limited to art class? Because right now, you don't see them anywhere in high school.

I constantly see parents getting all worked up whenever anyone mentions "creative tasks."

By the way, I have no clue what a "pizza assignment" is either. But honestly? It sounds pretty cool. 😁

hiddendriver34 said:Is that really supposed to be the only goal here?

I read somewhere recently that the skill sets being hunted for in the global business world have flipped completely upside down over the last decade. Apparently, "teamwork" has tanked in importance, and now creativity is sitting right at the top of the most desirable traits list. These days, companies want creative individuals; being a "team player" is practically old news.

If school is meant to prepare kids for life and the actual job market, shouldn't it be encouraging them to develop the very skill that's considered most vital right now? Do you think creative assignments should be limited to art class? Because right now, you don't see them anywhere in high school.

I constantly see parents getting all worked up whenever anyone mentions "creative tasks."

By the way, I have no clue what a "pizza assignment" is either. But honestly? It sounds pretty cool. 😁

Sports, physical movement, and play—which includes creative expression—all serve to stimulate the development of those executive functions mentioned earlier, so by blocking that kind of engagement, aren't you actually achieving the exact opposite effect? We learn better and more easily when things are fun, provided the child is given the freedom to be creative and just solve the problem on their own. The era where simply being a team player was enough has passed; it isn't that teamwork is undesirable, it's just no longer sufficient on its own.
The pizza assignment is a perfect example of one of those beautiful, engaging, and creative tasks.

hiddendriver34 said:Is that really supposed to be the only goal here?

I read somewhere recently that the skill sets being hunted for in the global business world have flipped completely upside down over the last decade. Apparently, "teamwork" has tanked in importance, and now creativity is sitting right at the top of the most desirable traits list. These days, companies want creative individuals; being a "team player" is practically old news.

If school is meant to prepare kids for life and the actual job market, shouldn't it be encouraging them to develop the very skill that's considered most vital right now? Do you think creative assignments should be limited to art class? Because right now, you don't see them anywhere in high school.

I constantly see parents getting all worked up whenever anyone mentions "creative tasks."

By the way, I have no clue what a "pizza assignment" is either. But honestly? It sounds pretty cool. 😁

Before she actually assigned the project, I was picturing one of those 3D pizza crafts—you know, the ones moms pull out for classroom birthday parties? I imagined kids filling up slices with items that represent characters or plot points, maybe throwing in some basic literary theory elements too.

But then, it turns out it's just... colorful circular paper scraps...

I’m trying to find a way to say what I really think about this whole discussion without being offensive. But honestly? If a kid at this age lacks the motor skills to cut out a piece of paper, we don't have much to talk about. And as for these theory assignments? They're practically nonexistent.

But honestly, that just sounds boring! What if they don't even enjoy cutting or drawing? It doesn't feel right; everyone should be given a task they actually find engaging. If someone truly isn't interested in anything, then they shouldn't be forced to do anything at all. 👍