I have a question to put to my dearly beloved friends who are educators.
Now, don't eat me, okay?
I know it's only fifth grade.
I know people make mistakes and typos and errors in sentence structure.
I do it all the time.
But if you're going to give a child a writing assignment as punishment, shouldn't it be error free?
Or am I picking nits?
I think maybe I just jumped right on the defensive because it was my kid.
Probably that's it.
Here's what my daughter brought home today, and she is supposed to copy it.
This is exactly as it appears:
Since I enjoy using the left hemisphere of my brain to talk and am not using the right spatial side of my brain for listening and learning, I have earned this writing assignment. Because I have demonstrated to Mrs. T******* that I have difficulty using self control where my mouth is concerned, and I continue to talk after numerous times of being asked by Mrs. T******* to be quite. I have trouble concentrating on my assignment or the lesson Mrs. T is trying to present. Instead of opening my mouth and insisting on talking out of turn I could concentrate on closing my mouth, learn to become a good and active listener, in order that I might gain a higher educational level. By learning at a higher level I assure myself that I will become a better citizen, get a better job, and have a brighter future in general. When I am asked by Mrs. T to be quiet I do not have trouble understanding what she is teaching or maybe assigning as class work. Yet, because I am making a conscious choice to not be quiet I have this writing assignment to remind me why I need to be a good and active listener while I am in Mrs. T's class. If this writing assignment does not get my attention that when Mrs. T asks for quiet and I refuse to give it to her I can expect that my parent(s) will be called. If my parents can't get my attention about my talking out of turn and it persists in Mrs. Thompson's room; then I will be sent to the principal's office where I will be given proper punishment for ignoring Mrs. T's instructions to be quiet, this writing assignment, and my parent's instructions. In order to complete this writing assignment I acknowledge that my parent(s), along with myself, have to sign and date this paper and that it is due no later than the day after it has been assigned. If I fail to bring this assignment back the day after it has been assigned and complete with parent(s) signature then my parent(s) will be called.
THAT is exactly how it appears (with the exception of the teacher's name, which I took out).
I'm sorry, but I'm not going to make her do it until it is typo-free, correctly punctuated, with sentence structure that can be understood.
Otherwise, what's the point?
Okay, my friends, you can let me have it. I can take it. It's okay.
I know I should not be fostering a disregard for an assignment.
THAT IS VERY WRONG OF ME.
Maybe I just don't like her teacher.
Maybe I'm just an asshole.
Probably that's it.
(and OH YEAH don't think the kid is getting off scot-free for talking too much in class. She's got trouble, the kind that has an M on both ends and and O in the middle)
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