Do you agree with this?

[LuvsDragonflies]

I'm also a seeker, sometimes the recipient of unasked for family advice, that's all good. I certainly don't think I know it all either. Just keep your village.

 

[Colleen27]

At a time when the school no longer distributes its newsletter in print as a cost saving measure, which actually contained useful information, it's irritating to see money get wasted on this sort of useless fluff.

That would be my reaction. Our school newsletter and lunch menu doesn't go out in print any more, Spanish vocab lists are posted online, and between "green" initiatives and cost-cutting efforts there is little hard-copy correspondence coming home these days. It would annoy me that a school that perpetually has copy paper on its donation wish-list would be sending home fluff that for most would go straight into the circular file.

I personally don't agree with #3 - kids should be respectful but that doesn't always mean obedient IMO. I think the specific chores in #5 are a bit over the heads of the specific ages mentioned but all my kids, even the 3yo, have chores that they do routinely. And I totally disagree with #7; I think video games have great potential value in households where parents set limits both on the amount of game time and the types of games the kids learn. My 3yo can write most of her letters and my 10yo is learning basic/conversational Japanese on their shared Nintendo DS.

 

[marcyinPA]

GAH I HATE THAT QUOTE. I don't need the village idiot, or the village drunk, pedo, child abuser or any of the village sycophants to raise my child.

It takes a FAMILY to raise a child.

Whether it's a family of 2 or 200 of your closest kin. People who have an interest in your child's life and want to be there to help.

Takes a Village my butt. Keep your stinking village nose out of my business and I'll keep my foot out of your ***.

And you don't think your kid's teacher is one of those people? That's really quite sad.

 

[JVelasquez]

I don't think it matters, but I am curious.

It seems most that are unhappy are unhappy with the teacher. Do they know if the teacher was in charge of this handout? I remember lots of paper in school being sent home. Sometimes it was from the principal.

I just want clarify that this article was sent home by my sons teacher. All of the children in his class came home with it attached to the assignment they needed to complete that night. I am friends with a couple of other parents who's children are in different kindergarten classes and did not receive that article.

The article had nothing to do with the assignment.

As his Mom I was not offended by the article itself being sent home but after reading some of these posts I can see why some parents would be. I just found I personally didn't agree with some of these 'steps' and was curious as to what my fellow Dis members thought.

 

[Coconut36]

I just want clarify that this article was sent home by my sons teacher. All of the children in his class came home with it attached to the assignment they needed to complete that night. I am friends with a couple of other parents who's children are in different kindergarten classes and did not receive that article.

The article had nothing to do with the assignment.

As his Mom I was not offended by the article itself being sent home but after reading some of these posts I can see why some parents would be. I just found I personally didn't agree with some of these 'steps' and was curious as to what my fellow Dis members thought.

That doesn't mean the teacher made the decision on his/her own to send it though. It could be the other teachers haven't got to it yet or will be sending it a different day or going about it a different way.

It could have been done based on a suggestion made by the Principal and each teacher has a different way of implementing the suggestion as well.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'm also a seeker, sometimes the recipient of unasked for family advice, that's all good. I certainly don't think I know it all either. Just keep your village.

I don't know why--but that makes me giggle.

 

[LuvsDragonflies]

And you don't think your kid's teacher is one of those people? That's really quite sad.

Well don't cry for me Argentina, because while I'm hopeful that my dd's teachers like them well enough, I prefer her to keep any sort of stupid psycho babble idea crap to herself and just teach tyvm. Should I for some forsaken reason or another decide that I need to go my kids teachers for parenting or spousal advice, they'll be the first to know.

Although some of those points seem to be good ideas (and a few are things we do) some of them are ridiculous to me and it chaps my cookies that they seem to think that because THEY choose to think all these ideas are golden, we all should??? Thanks but no thanks.

Circulatory file fodder. Way to waste our hard earned paper and ink.

 

[punkin]

That would be my reaction. Our school newsletter and lunch menu doesn't go out in print any more, Spanish vocab lists are posted online, and between "green" initiatives and cost-cutting efforts there is little hard-copy correspondence coming home these days. It would annoy me that a school that perpetually has copy paper on its donation wish-list would be sending home fluff that for most would go straight into the circular file.

I personally don't agree with #3 - kids should be respectful but that doesn't always mean obedient IMO. I think the specific chores in #5 are a bit over the heads of the specific ages mentioned but all my kids, even the 3yo, have chores that they do routinely. And I totally disagree with #7; I think video games have great potential value in households where parents set limits both on the amount of game time and the types of games the kids learn. My 3yo can write most of her letters and my 10yo is learning basic/conversational Japanese on their shared Nintendo DS.

I want to focus on this in particular because I agree and firmly believe that children should be raised to question and learn in a respectful manner. Blind obedience is not what I try to instil in my DDs. In my house we can always disagree but we are never allowed to be disagreeable.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I want to focus on this in particular because I agree and firmly believe that children should be raised to question and learn in a respectful manner. Blind obedience is not what I try to instil in my DDs. In my house we can always disagree but we are never allowed to be disagreeable.

I didn't read it that way. Especially since the sentence didn't mention blind obedience.

A child willing to disobey every turn certainly isn't going to be a happy child with all the detentions and suspensions and stuff like that.

A child unwilling to listen to mom and dad isn't going to be happy as they will grow up being unwilling to listen to any authority figure in a proper setting.

That is what I think it was getting out. For if they intended blind obedience, especially at the expense of safety--they would have been listed with suggestion #3.

And based on many complaints on the teacher threads---they just want the kid to sit at his/her desk and work on the math worksheet for 20 minutes. THAT kind of obedience is what they are talking about.

Folks will just argue with any suggestion, I think because they read far too much into it.

 

[punkin]

I didn't read it that way. Especially since the sentence didn't mention blind obedience.

A child willing to disobey every turn certainly isn't going to be a happy child with all the detentions and suspensions and stuff like that.

A child unwilling to listen to mom and dad isn't going to be happy as they will grow up being unwilling to listen to any authority figure in a proper setting.

That is what I think it was getting out. For if they intended blind obedience, especially at the expense of safety--they would have been listed with suggestion #3.

And based on many complaints on the teacher threads---they just want the kid to sit at his/her desk and work on the math worksheet for 20 minutes. THAT kind of obedience is what they are talking about.

Folks will just argue with any suggestion, I think because they read far too much into it.

Obedience is a loaded word, defined as "dutiful or submissive compliance." Sorry, I don't like submissive anything.

I try to raise respectful children, not obedient ones. Neither one of mine ever had any problems listening to their teachers and their parents. They respect us and want to please us. However, the can also argue with us they feel strongly enough about something.

 

[Pigeon]

And you don't think your kid's teacher is one of those people? That's really quite sad.

My kids have had plenty of teachers over the year who know exactly nothing about raising kids. Many of them don't have kids of their own. Some of them do, but their world view is entirely different from ours, and what they would see as good parenting, I would see as child abuse (including most of what John Rosemund stands for).

 

[leighe]

The things people choose to get their panties in a wad about never cease to amaze me...

 

[DebIreland]

I didn't read it that way. Especially since the sentence didn't mention blind obedience.

A child willing to disobey every turn certainly isn't going to be a happy child with all the detentions and suspensions and stuff like that.

A child unwilling to listen to mom and dad isn't going to be happy as they will grow up being unwilling to listen to any authority figure in a proper setting.

That is what I think it was getting out. For if they intended blind obedience, especially at the expense of safety--they would have been listed with suggestion #3.

And based on many complaints on the teacher threads---they just want the kid to sit at his/her desk and work on the math worksheet for 20 minutes. THAT kind of obedience is what they are talking about.

Folks will just argue with any suggestion, I think because they read far too much into it.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Obedience is a loaded word, defined as "dutiful or submissive compliance." Sorry, I don't like submissive anything.

I try to raise respectful children, not obedient ones. Neither one of mine ever had any problems listening to their teachers and their parents. They respect us and want to please us. However, the can also argue with us they feel strongly enough about something.

They were going for dutiful...your children obey you by respecting you and doing what is asked as appropriate.

Doing their schoolwork is their duty. Willy nilly deciding not to do it--is being disobedient.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The things people choose to get their panties in a wad about never cease to amaze me...

!

 

[cornflake]

The chores aren't meant to be letting the 3-year-old wash the entire floor and call it a day and not do it yourself.

It's about getting the three-year-old to wash the floor, but about teaching them to wash the floor by getting them involved in it. If they participate in the activities from as long ago as they can remember, it won't be like if they turn 8 or 10 or 12 and are suddenly expected to do a bunch of chores when all they ever did before was pick up toys and pour a scoop of food in the dog's bowl or whatever.

I started out washing dishes standing on a stool to reach. Pretty sure after I was 'done' the dishes were rewashed until I was old enough to be expected to do it correctly every time, but as far as I knew, I washed them.

Also totally agree with the don't revolve your life around your kid(s), be interesting people with your own stuff - much better for kids, imo, to see their parents as people not just parents who are only interested in them. Keeps snowflakiness to a minimum and shows them they should be whole people with diverse interests too.

 

[LuvsDragonflies]

The things people choose to get their panties in a wad about never cease to amaze me...

If you wear a thong, can your panties get in a wad? or are they always in a wad?

 

[Coconut36]

My kids have had plenty of teachers over the year who know exactly nothing about raising kids. Many of them don't have kids of their own. Some of them do, but their world view is entirely different from ours, and what they would see as good parenting, I would see as child abuse (including most of what John Rosemund stands for).

You are saying your children have had teachers that have abusive ways? I am guessing it isn't a public school as that kind of behavior isn't allowed or tolerated in a public school setting. Goodness knows as well views on parenting are as varied as parents themselves. We don't all subscribe to the same belief system at all but that doesn't mean we aren't good parents or that they aren't good teachers because they aren't a mirror of what you do. If being exactly like you is important in regards to the teaching and care of your children you need to homeschool them as nobody is going to be exactly like you.

What difference does it make if they have children of their own? You don't think they have in many cases years and years of experience in an education setting in dealing with children? With varied behaviors and learning styles and all the other problems that can come with kids? I would hardly call teachers inexperienced when it comes to dealing with children as they handle 20-30 a year (or in the case of upper grade teachers 140+) a year and as a result have a wide base of knowledge and experience that even the most seasoned parent could ever hope to have.

 

[ccgirl]

No, actually it doesn't.

Okay,so the next time I see a lost child I will just let them walk around aimlessly and cry. I'm not talking about other putting other people's children to bed or teach them "things".

GAH I HATE THAT QUOTE. I don't need the village idiot, or the village drunk, pedo, child abuser or any of the village sycophants to raise my child.

It takes a FAMILY to raise a child.

Whether it's a family of 2 or 200 of your closest kin. People who have an interest in your child's life and want to be there to help.

Takes a Village my butt. Keep your stinking village nose out of my business and I'll keep my foot out of your ***.

I think you may have misread my quote. I don't mean I am raising your child the way I would see fit. But, you sure have some colorful language. Sounds like you don't have very nice people surrounding you the way you describe the "village".

 

[Pigeon]

You are saying your children have had teachers that have abusive ways? I am guessing it isn't a public school as that kind of behavior isn't allowed or tolerated in a public school setting. Goodness knows as well views on parenting are as varied as parents themselves. We don't all subscribe to the same belief system at all but that doesn't mean we aren't good parents or that they aren't good teachers because they aren't a mirror of what you do. If being exactly like you is important in regards to the teaching and care of your children you need to homeschool them as nobody is going to be exactly like you.

What difference does it make if they have children of their own? You don't think they have in many cases years and years of experience in an education setting in dealing with children? With varied behaviors and learning styles and all the other problems that can come with kids? I would hardly call teachers inexperienced when it comes to dealing with children as they handle 20-30 a year (or in the case of upper grade teachers 140+) a year and as a result have a wide base of knowledge and experience that even the most seasoned parent could ever hope to have.

The piece of junk that was sent home to the OP, for example, is coming from an author with a point of view that espouses hitting your kids. I don't want to start a debate about corporal punishment here, but that absolutely is child abuse to me. YMMV. I agree with you that there are a variety of parenting styles. That's why teachers should keep their parenting philosophies to themselves and concentrate on what goes on in the classroom.

No, I don't think teaching children in an educational setting is at all equivalent to parenting. Neither does my public school teacher husband. He jokes about how he and some of his colleagues used to know it all about raising kids until they actually had some.