Hey...Teacher...leave those projects at school!!!

[DanceswithDisney]

I work part time at Michaels craft store and see the amount of money parents spend on schools projects. It is ridiculous.

In elementary school, there was one parent who brought in a "child's" project on the back of a TRAILER!

 

[DawnM]

Update: The sofa pillows were a huge hit. The others sadly not so much.

Wait, they didn't like your food?

That would really frustrate me.

 

[DawnM]

In elementary school, there was one parent who brought in a "child's" project on the back of a TRAILER!

What was the project???

 

[DanceswithDisney]

Wait, they didn't like your food?

That would really frustrate me.

Not my food, hers. Not many kids like Guac apparently and she chose the recipe for enchiladas. Most kids around here eat tex mex and have never had Mexican or Spanish food.

 

[DanceswithDisney]

What was the project???

It was some castle project that my kid did with a shoebox and crayons. I just did some cutting.

 

[DawnM]

It was some castle project that my kid did with a shoebox and crayons. I just did some cutting.

Good grief!

 

[HelloTheDrakes]

Not my food, hers. Not many kids like Guac apparently and she chose the recipe for enchiladas. Most kids around here eat tex mex and have never had Mexican or Spanish food.

So maybe this is why the teacher assigned this type of project- to teach them about proper Spanish foods. Yes, three courses was a bit much, but as others have said, she should have joined a group. Perhaps that can be a good lesson for her. School should always trump extracurricular activities.

Honestly, I loved projects when I was a kid. It meant I got to actually hang out with my mother who worked full time, and we both learned new things together. Maybe try to think of it as time spent with them rather than a stupid project a teacher assigned.

 

[Dinohood]

op what grade is your kid in if this is middle school the teacher pretty much told the class in 5 weeks we have a big project coming up if this is high school same thing to early in the year. When i was in high school i did a project it was at the end of the year through because it took a whole year to work on it.

 

[3Gsandme]

How could they possibly know? There was a time when it was all we could do to just feed our kids. Not a soul knew, not even family. How would a teacher have any idea what my financial circumstances were unless I told them?

Teachers and schools know a lot about the demographics at their school and of their students. Your children's teachers spend all day with your children. It is possible there were things your children said that may have clued them in. I live in a really low income district. They are very sensitive to keeping costs down and understanding that even then, some families can't afford things. It is always noted when any money is being asked for, that if any child cannot afford to participate, they just need to drop a note to the Principal and she handles it. Schools WANT to help your child.

Do you get to take a drink every time you use the term "sofa pillows"?

It's actually making me stabby....

Kid dropped this on me and I put blame on kid. I have no idea of the dynamics of the class. I emailed the teacher who assigned the project and she said all groups chosen, those who are not part of a group have to do all three. No exceptions. So Yes I blame the teacher for this silly assignment. Kid chose the menu, when she chose sofa pillows for instance, we had to purchase the ingredients as we do not have lard or flour in our house much less oil or a fryer. It was NOT some easy peasy project. Even if it was ONE item, trying to shop for the items, put it together and transport it was NOT an easy task for everyone.

Silly assignment offering zero educational instruction on how to speak Spanish. Come up with this at the end of the year okay but not FIVE weeks into the school year and also we had one week's notice.

Still she was proud of it and it all worked out. It looked good and I hoped it tasted good.

I'm oldish. Having at home projects isn't new. At all. My Dad and I built a Navajo hogan together when I was in third grade in 1984. This idea that learning must only every take place at school during school hours is totally foreign. Where do people live that large projects weren't a part of school and they're now surprised by this?

Your daughter was proud of her efforts. She learned to make Spanish dishes. She spent time with you. How is this a fail?

 

[mom2rtk]

It's actually making me stabby....

Maybe this will help?

 

[DanceswithDisney]

I fail to see how making a three course meal helps in learning to speak Spanish in a Spanish I HS level class. Want to have a party, do it at the end of the year and as a potluck.

Snowflake planned the meals found the recipes and had me shop for items we don't normally buy. Feeding 30 is not cheap and is time consuming .

She made the Guac, and rolled the enchiladas after shredding the rotisseried chickens. I just helped with the frying the sofa pillows but that was a pain as we don't own a fryer not do we have any oil. We had to make due on a gas stove. All early this am after some prep last night.

 

[msjprincess]

What the heck is a sofa pillow?

 

[3Gsandme]

They're. Not. Sofa. Pillows.

They're sopapillas!!!!!!!!!!!

Learning about Spanish is more than just learning how to count and ask for a beer. This i part of this teacher's curriculum. I suspect the kids really enjoy it. If you have a problem with the curriculum, you need to get a hold of the teacher and voice your concerns. If it was a financial or time burden, you need to let her know that. She may not realize it. Or, if she usually has all of her kids partnered up, it may not be a concern. If it was your kid who noped out of a group, you need to have a come to Jesus meeting with her about over obligating you. I've had to do that in the past with mine. She isn't fond of working in groups becuase she'd just rather do it all, correctly, by herself. We've had to have a talk about that because I was consistently over providing supplies for things because she didn't want to deal with anyone else. That's not life, dude. Suck it up.

 

[3Gsandme]

Maybe this will help?

No. Not at all.

 

[Dread Pirate]

The language classes at my kids' school did the food projects. I think the French, German, and Spanish kids had it easier. My kids were in Latin class. Most of these kids took in Italian food!

 

[wvjules]

For goodness sakes, are you just being obtuse about sofa pillows? Spanish class isn't just about the language. Your DD chose not to joining a group. Your DD chose a difficult menu of things you do not normally have on hand. Your DD didn't tell you about it until the last minute.

Problem isn't the teacher, problem is your DD.

 

[Dread Pirate]

I purposely didn't attend the classroom presentations that day but I heard from other parents and some of the class aides that the reaction was priceless-the kids couldn't figure out why/some were REALY upset old yeller was getting killed just for eating whipping cream-while the gathered parents and teaching aides were trying their best not to wet their pants b/c of laughing so hard. the teacher however didn't take it to well but it did open up a conversation between her/all the parents about reasonable expectations with class project that didn't entail the parents spending inordinate amounts of time (and in some cases money) to create these stupid bags.

OMG! I think I love you!

 

[Magpie]

For goodness sakes, are you just being obtuse about sofa pillows?

Reading through this, the OP hasn't acknowledged a single person's correction with regards to the sopapillas. So, my guess would be that "sofa pillow" is just a passive-aggressive kind of protest over being forced to make the darn things. Like when I'd sit down to do my French homework and deliberately mispronounce every word to myself. Childish, yes, but it always made me feel better when I was a child.

 

[DanceswithDisney]

The original point of this post is if you want to assign a project for class, do it durng school hours. Many original posters agrees with me.

I don't eat sofa pillows and the kid has only had them a couple of times at a restaurant. She chose the menu based on available choices from the teacher. This falls all on the teacher for this meaningless assignment!

 

[wvjules]

I don't eat sofa pillows either. No flavor and too much stuffing.