What is the possible reason for stupid projects at school?

[Southern4sure]

But this is the major characteristic of a crappy parent.

I thought I was the perfect parent until I joined the disboards, little did I know I was a crappy parent.

 

[Mom21]

Ok. A clarification. I wasn't criticizing any teacher. This a project required by the entire 4th grade..not just dd's teacher (that I think is going to be a good teacher). I wasn't trying to talk about my dd being in a gifted class. I wasn't trying to prove anything by this post. TO BE HONEST...........I was just *****in". I just don't want to do it anymore. Just a simple little ***** fest going on here. That's it.......... nothing more. No secret agenda. No saying who is a good parent and who is a bad. No trying to decide if my dd is a perfectionist (anyone that knows her would laugh their butt off if they heard that one). Just complaining and moaning on a Sunday afternoon about spending hours trying to get dd to finish her project and knowing another one was coming on Friday.

 

[Tanuki]

Here's a novel idea.

Make sure your child has the materials at hand that they need to complete the project - shoe box, scissors, glue, paper, something to write with. Tell her to do the best she can to follow the directions the teacher gave her. Then send her to a room in your home with few distractions and let her have at it. Tell her you will give her until bedtime and whatever she has by that time, put it in her book bag to take to school in the morning.

If she doesn't get a good grade - it's her responsibility. And maybe the teacher may find out he or she is assigning tasks above the ability of the child. This also may be a way for you to find out that your child has some sort of learning disability if she can't complete the normal tasks expected for a child her age.

You already went to school. Now it's your child's turn.

 

[DisneyGirl]

Here's a novel idea.

Make sure your child has the materials at hand that they need to complete the project - shoe box, scissors, glue, paper, something to write with. Tell her to do the best she can to follow the directions the teacher gave her. Then send her to a room in your home with few distractions and let her have at it. Tell her you will give her until bedtime and whatever she has by that time, put it in her book bag to take to school in the morning.

If she doesn't get a good grade - it's her responsibility. And maybe the teacher may find out he or she is assigning tasks above the ability of the child. This also may be a way for you to find out that your child has some sort of learning disability if she can't complete the normal tasks expected for a child her age.

You already went to school. Now it's your child's turn.

I'm sorry, but this post is incredibly rude. Nowhere did the OP say she helped her daughter with this project. She probably took her to Michael's, but last I checked, 4th graders can't drive. Also, unlike many parents out there, the OP is actually showing an interest in her child and her child's schooling (unlike a lot of parents out there), which is a huge indication of success in the classroom and life. How is she supposed to always "have the materials on hand" when the project is unknown and requires things like clipart, magazine pictures, articles, old photos, etc.? The answer is, she can't.

I remember awful projects like this in school. I am *not* artistic. The teachers used to grade as if we all were. Therefore, if old-non-super-artistic-me would want a good grade, I would have to put in more time, more effort, and sometimes "spice it up" with things like glitter to get over the fact that my artistic abilities are lacking. It sounds like the OPs DD may be like I was. You can't expect every child to be super at everything, yet they grade that way. It's horrible.

OP-- you are *not* a bad parent. Good for you for recognizing that not every project may be "useful." The teachers out there are *not* perfect, and do *not* always know what is best, no matter what they think of themselves.

I did the same things your daughter did, spending a lot of time on useless stuff (and even though I didn't realize it then, I know now that they were USELESS!!) I turned out ok-- think of it as a learning experience-- there will be tons of waste-of-time things that could be done a lot easier if they were done better by the person who makes you do them-- like taxes

 

[The Mystery Machine]

 

[grlpwrd]

By 4th grade in the gifted class should they really be spending 25 hours cutting and pasting?

Yes, there is virtue in doing projects like this one. mickeyfan2 makes a great point.

Mystery Machine, I guess this is just another spiraling DISboard thread...

 

[Mom21]

Here's a novel idea.

Make sure your child has the materials at hand that they need to complete the project - shoe box, scissors, glue, paper, something to write with. Tell her to do the best she can to follow the directions the teacher gave her. Then send her to a room in your home with few distractions and let her have at it. Tell her you will give her until bedtime and whatever she has by that time, put it in her book bag to take to school in the morning.

If she doesn't get a good grade - it's her responsibility. And maybe the teacher may find out he or she is assigning tasks above the ability of the child. This also may be a way for you to find out that your child has some sort of learning disability if she can't complete the normal tasks expected for a child her age.

You already went to school. Now it's your child's turn.

UMMMMMM. Nowhere did I say I was doing the prject. Just getting dd to do it. She is doing it on her own. But i really don't like staying home while she does it or keep making her do it on a weekend. She needs downtime. That is sadly lacking these days in school. I am not doing my dd's project for her and no where did I say that. Do you really think sending a child to their room for 4-6 hours (which I am assuming most people think this should take) is accomplishing anything. I can't imagine that anyone thinks that a child can cover a large box (triple size of shoebox) in paper, cut out pics, label pics, write a paper and everything complete with artist work should take an hour. Come on. Perfectionist or not, no way I could even do that in an hour and I am 40 years old.

 

[Mom21]

I'm sorry, but this post is incredibly rude. Nowhere did the OP say she helped her daughter with this project. She probably took her to Michael's, but last I checked, 4th graders can't drive. Also, unlike many parents out there, the OP is actually showing an interest in her child and her child's schooling (unlike a lot of parents out there), which is a huge indication of success in the classroom and life. How is she supposed to always "have the materials on hand" when the project is unknown and requires things like clipart, magazine pictures, articles, old photos, etc.? The answer is, she can't.

I remember awful projects like this in school. I am *not* artistic. The teachers used to grade as if we all were. Therefore, if old-non-super-artistic-me would want a good grade, I would have to put in more time, more effort, and sometimes "spice it up" with things like glitter to get over the fact that my artistic abilities are lacking. It sounds like the OPs DD may be like I was. You can't expect every child to be super at everything, yet they grade that way. It's horrible.

OP-- you are *not* a bad parent. Good for you for recognizing that not every project may be "useful." The teachers out there are *not* perfect, and do *not* always know what is best, no matter what they think of themselves.

I did the same things your daughter did, spending a lot of time on useless stuff (and even though I didn't realize it then, I know now that they were USELESS!!) I turned out ok-- think of it as a learning experience-- there will be tons of waste-of-time things that could be done a lot easier if they were done better by the person who makes you do them-- like taxes

Thank you. I think you got what I was saying. I wasn't criticizing, but my dd stuggles with these artistic things. I find also that kids don't always do the work. My dd will spend hours doing the work and then gets a bad grade because "Little Timmy's" parent's did his and it looks so wonderful. Really these things have no bearings on whether she has any intelligence or not or can learn what they teach. And these things usually count for multiple grades. I do agree with the poster that talked about the presentation. That is why I would rather her do a paper only and present it to the class. She has to do a paper in addition to the other stuff.

Sigh. I am just a tired, tired mommy these days.

 

[MushyMushy]

Ok. A clarification. I wasn't criticizing any teacher. This a project required by the entire 4th grade..not just dd's teacher (that I think is going to be a good teacher). I wasn't trying to talk about my dd being in a gifted class. I wasn't trying to prove anything by this post. TO BE HONEST...........I was just *****in". I just don't want to do it anymore. Just a simple little ***** fest going on here. That's it.......... nothing more. No secret agenda. No saying who is a good parent and who is a bad. No trying to decide if my dd is a perfectionist (anyone that knows her would laugh their butt off if they heard that one). Just complaining and moaning on a Sunday afternoon about spending hours trying to get dd to finish her project and knowing another one was coming on Friday.

I hear you on the whinefest! I always hate when my kids come home with projects like that too. It seemed to be torture for my DS because he wasn't at all creative, but DD enjoys them even though she can't really do a great job on them.

That said, wait until you hear about the project I'm assigning the 10th grade English class... To go along with a novel, I'm having them make a poster where they have to research the day they were born. It ties in with the book, gives them something personal, and also ties in with history. I figure the more creative kids can go to town with it, but it also shouldn't be too bad for the non-creative ones since they can just print things off the computer and paste it to the poster.

I'm working on my own poster this weekend. I won't assign classes any project that I'm not willing to demonstrate myself.

 

[ilovepcot]

Thank you. I think you got what I was saying. I wasn't criticizing, but my dd stuggles with these artistic things. I find also that kids don't always do the work. My dd will spend hours doing the work and then gets a bad grade because "Little Timmy's" parent's did his and it looks so wonderful.

Exactly what I was saying in post #19.

 

[Sparx]

I did that in 6th grade. I actually had fun with it.

 

[kendall]

Well, I agree 25 hours is waaay to long on this project, but learning how to mangage multi-step tasks is part of the learning process.

As others have said, this is most likely the "get to know each other" activity - and while not ideal for the non-artistic students, it certainly is better than the "go around the room and everyone talk for 2 minutes," after which everyone forgets what has been said or is bored after the first couple students.

I think this type of project will also be used for multiple things in the classroom. With this project, I can see the teacher may, once the projects are done....
*have students present their box, allowing the students to get to know each other in a more interesting way than going around the room and simply speaking.
*during the creation of the box, each student has to synthesize his or her information and put it on the box in a way that is meaningful to himself and others (and will serve as talking points) - lots of self expression here, too.
*the boxes can stay in the room to use as a springboard for other activities, whether they be oral, written (writing about your box or another student's box), math (how many students like.... - the students would be able to make charts and graphs based on the information - reading the other boxes and summarizing, analyzing, etc.), etc.

I encourage anyone who doesn't know why a school project was assigned, to ask the teacher. The teacher should be able to explain how the project will help student learning.

Yes, I was a high school teacher (currently working with teachers instead of students in the area of professional development). And, I always knew how any activity I assigned was going to impact student learning. I encouraged my students to ask "Why are we doing this?" because if I couldn't give them a good answer, then perhaps we shouldn't be doing the activity.

As a parent and mother of two teens, I hear what you are saying about watching your child spend a ton of time on an assignment where (1) you aren't sure how the assignment is going to be valuable to learning and (2) you know the assignment could be done more efficiently than how your child may be approaching it. I understand your frustration and have been there - probably will be there again this year. DS hates activities such as the box you describe, and DD absolutely loves them and can't wait to do them. DS would rather take a test or complete a worksheet, and DD will opt for the projects any day.

Long enough for this post! May the rest of your school year go well!

 

[MELSMICE]

Really these things have no bearings on whether she has any intelligence or not or can learn what they teach.

I'm not a huge fan of these projects either, but my DD's all did them. When they complained I would tell them that I'm sure the teacher had a reason for assigning the project.

That being said, as far as a project having no bearing on intelligence........

--She is learning to do research on a computer
--She is learning to do research with magazines
--I'm assuming she is expected to spell correctly, have correct grammar & punctuation on the written part of the assignment

Being able to do this, & put the "presentation" together in an eye-appealing & mentally appealing manner is all part showing her intelligence.

 

[Saffron]

I can understand why people thought you were doing the project, OP. Your words in a previous post could lead some to believe that:

TO BE HONEST...........I was just *****in". I just don't want to do it anymore.

"It" seemed to mean to some, the project, not coaching your DD.

And I can also understand why people think you are are being critical of teachers, just by the title of your thread:

What is the possible reason for stupid projects at school?

The title of your thread could mean this particular project you are talking about or ANY project a teacher assigns. Teachers usually don't like the word "stupid" attached to them in some way, nor does anyone in any profession. LOL!

Anyhoo ... for Allison. Threads and posts complaining about teachers, the school, the administration of the school, school bus drivers, PTAs, homework, uniforms, homeschooling, etc. always show up on the CB this time of year. It's what people are currently dealing with.

When I was in college working on my dual certification in elementary and early childhood education, I was shocked and sometimes angered by some of the posts about teachers etc. Now I open such threads, think, "Eh, same stuff, different year" and move on, usually without answering, but this time I could agree with just about everybody's point of view to some degree or another. I think, like the OP of this thread, some people just want to vent about what they're dealing with and do it here on the CB.

Great post, kendall!

 

[Mom21]

Yes, I was a high school teacher (currently working with teachers instead of students in the area of professional development). And, I always knew how any activity I assigned was going to impact student learning. I encouraged my students to ask "Why are we doing this?" because if I couldn't give them a good answer, then perhaps we shouldn't be doing the activity.

Somehow I get the impression you were a wonderful teacher. I can only hope dd gets one like you. Kudos to all the great teachers of the world. Please don't take this as another teacher bashing thread. I in no way meant it that way. Just a little tired this weekend and wishing dd and I could relax instead of doing yet again another project. I miss summer.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

In School i NEVER factored in time spent shopping, being online and such. This is quite a stretch.

The teacher has a reason for it, it's that simple. If you are interested in WHY they have to do it, why don't you contact the teacher and ask.

 

[pbnjrockette]

I think the parent dialoguing on this thread is amazing.
If only teachers could get inside parent's heads and parents inside teacher's heads! Usually teachers bristle when questioned as to the 'whys' of their assignments and parents move to the 'not my child' defense.

I think it is reasonable to want to know the whys of a project--- "I always knew how any activity I assigned was going to impact student learning. I encouraged my students to ask "Why are we doing this?" because if I couldn't give them a good answer, then perhaps we shouldn't be doing the activity."--- (sorry Kendall I don't know how to do quotes!) So true! Every teacher needs to know the reason for each and every activity or it just becomes "busy work".

I've taught Special Education and my problem with projects has always been the supplies needed (most of my students were not able to afford posterboard or markers or even magazines)---any projects assigned were sent home with the supplies. But projects can be hard to grade when one comes in messy and poorly put together but clearly the child's work and another comes in near perfect but obviously well-done by the parent. I soon learned that any home projects were not graded with A,B, C but with completed or not-completed and lots of praise and well-dones to all the completed ones. Students were given other opportunities in class to complete assignments to demonstrate their abilities.

I would love to have many of you as parents to my students! Whining and all!!

 

[peachgirl]

Is there always so much criticism of teachers and schools on this board or is it a beginning of the year thing?

It's pretty much a year round thing, but it does go into overdrive the first few weeks of school.

 

[schlepsnort]

I guess I'm a crappy parent too because I really look forward to these projects. My 4 yr old did his first one last year in preschool, the All about Me poster. I let him fingerpaint, pick out pictures and glue them on the poster and he was so proud to talk about it in front of his class. I'm sure we will do another one this year.

Working as a classroom aide the teachers always have a reason for the assignments. It's based on 'whole child' educating. They have to use many different aspects of themselves to complete the project.

And as much as you are tired and would rather spend your weekend relaxing, I imagine that the teacher would like to do the same but will spend NEXT weekend grading the classwork that was generated this past week.

Summer is over for everyone, it's time for work and the joy of learning!
And maybe instead of letting the child spend THAT much time on one project, set aside a specific amount of time that is solely for schoolwork on the weekend. Perhaps it's time for the child to learn more about time management. These projects are simply not meant to monopolize THAT much time!

 

[declansdad]

I did the same things your daughter did, spending a lot of time on useless stuff (and even though I didn't realize it then, I know now that they were USELESS!!) I turned out ok-- think of it as a learning experience-- there will be tons of waste-of-time things that could be done a lot easier if they were done better by the person who makes you do them-- like taxes

I'm sorry but if you did all this useless stuff and still turned out ok, they must have taught you something. Even you state to think of it as a learning experience.