What is the possible reason for stupid projects at school?

[Saffron]

tw1nsmom ... in our area it's common practice for teachers to send home monthy news letters. They cover what's going in in the classroom, which includes deadlines, projects, holidays, class trips etc. A brief explanation is usually given about every subject mentioned in the news letter.

As you said, if the students/parents seem confused about a particular assignment, a little clarification/explanation can go a long way. Most teachers can be contacted during school hours and after school hours via email or voicemail. The teachers can answer questions when they can, that way no one is tying up anyone's time, the teachers aren't tied up and the parents aren't tied up.

This thread is great example of why parents should ask the teacher for clarification if one is needed. Some parents got the assignment that the OP talked about ... no explanation needed. Some people don't or didn't understand the assignmet but they do now after some explanation. And even if the assignment is explained seven different ways to Sunday, some will never except the explanation. LOL!

By the way, my earlier comment was meant as a tease to try to lighten up a bit of tension that occured on the thread. I'm sorry if it offended you, my attempts at humor fail miserably sometimes.

 

[BuckNaked]

You are right, I did not mean to insult your child and I sincerely apologize. I guess we all have days where we're tired and grumpy.

I personally don't see why you feel you should apologize - you didn't insult anyone, just said out loud what I, and probably others, were thinking.

If the OP thinks the project is useless, then by all means, she should talk to the teacher about it. But if the issue is the amount of time her DD took to complete it, well that's her and her DD's issue, not the teacher's.

 

[tw1nsmom]

By the way, my earlier comment was meant as a tease to try to lighten up a bit of tension that occured on the thread. I'm sorry if it offended you, my attempts at humor fail miserably sometimes.

That's okay, my ability to understand humor often fails I think I was defensive based on previous posts and I'm sorry if I took it out on you.

Because I'm a volunteer special education parent advocate and post on many threads offering advice about getting what your special needs child needs from the schools, I may have the reputation of being a teacher basher. Nothing could be further from the truth. I fully support my children's teachers and I'm amazed by the warmth and caring that the teachers in our little public school show for all of the children. Now, some of the CSE chairs and administrators make me go , but that's another thread.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Oh I PROMISE you there would be just as many parents complaining at a lack of assignments that tapped into the creativity of students as there are complaining about the creative projects. Probably more.

So, what would be your suggestion for a creative self-expression assignment that helps a student introduce him/her (and their current likes, dislikes, etc...)to a class?

Off the top of my head--2 I have seen recently as an adult and with students...

M&M's
Take as many as they want....but they can't eat it until they are told.


Toilet Paper (funny with teens I guess--that was what I saw it with).
Tell them to just take as much as they think they'll need.


For both--for as many items taken, they say one thing about themself. Gets clever when they realize breaking apart sentences...."I am wearing pants. They are blue. I have blonde hair. It is long". Will help pass the time quicker.

The only dilemma is that these are time consuming, but if each student has to do a presentation for class anyway, then it would all be a wash.

Other things I have done in school was interview a classmate I didn't know to well and introduce them to the class.

There are many getting to know you ice breakers that do not involve extensive projects.


**I do not have any issue with the assigned project. Yes the student probably took much more time than intended. But when you are given weeks to do an assignment, sometimes the assumption is that you are to put more work into it than if it were a basic overnight or weekend project.

 

[RitaZ.]

Toilet Paper (funny with teens I guess--that was what I saw it with).
Tell them to just take as much as they think they'll need.

That's a good one! Our Lamaze instructor had us do this (14 yrs. ago) when I was pregnant with my first. It was a lot of fun!

 

[disneyjunkie]

Off the top of my head--2 I have seen recently as an adult and with students...

M&M's
Take as many as they want....but they can't eat it until they are told.


Toilet Paper (funny with teens I guess--that was what I saw it with).
Tell them to just take as much as they think they'll need.


For both--for as many items taken, they say one thing about themself. Gets clever when they realize breaking apart sentences...."I am wearing pants. They are blue. I have blonde hair. It is long". Will help pass the time quicker.

The only dilemma is that these are time consuming, but if each student has to do a presentation for class anyway, then it would all be a wash.

Other things I have done in school was interview a classmate I didn't know to well and introduce them to the class.

There are many getting to know you ice breakers that do not involve extensive projects.


**I do not have any issue with the assigned project. Yes the student probably took much more time than intended. But when you are given weeks to do an assignment, sometimes the assumption is that you are to put more work into it than if it were a basic overnight or weekend project.

The M&M game sounds like fun. However, I sure some parents will complain about the teacher giving the students candy.

 

[paigevz]

You can't please everybody.........OP wants to complain, so do we all at times.

But to address a bit on preferences:

For every parent who complains about a creative project, there's one complaining of a lack of creative projects..........

For every parent who complains about too much homework, there's one who complains about too little.........

For every parent who says the spelling words are too hard, there's one who says they're too easy.............

In a perfect world, each and every child would have an individual educational plan that uses his strengths and shores up his weaknesses, and everything that is done would be something highly engaging to that child..............until our world is perfect, I teach my children that some of what they do they'll be good at and enjoy, some will be difficult and they'll hate...........much like the workforce, in which there are very few individual work plans........in which each employee is given tasks that are always highly engaging and they always enjoy.

 

[monsterkitty]

Actually, the OP's daughter is showing one of the classic signs of a GT child - she clearly planned what she was going to do, how she was going to accomplish the task, and she is not rushing through the assignment. Yes, she is also showing some prefectionist tendencies by making sure everything is just right, but that is also a trait of a GT student. This will tell the teacher a lot about the student.

momof2inPA, I know shoeboxes sound like a waste of time to you, but there is a very good reason teachers assign them. I once learned in a class that students who are poor readers cannot visualize what they are reading. Good readers have pictures of what they are reading playing in their minds. The pictures are kind of like a movie made for the book. By asking students to create a shadow box or gather items found in the book, the student is learning to make movies in their heads of the book, which increases reading comprehension. While this may seem like a waste for a strong reader, it is still forcing the student to think about the book in a way that a written report would not.

As for notes home regarding why the assignment was given: we are required to include what standard we are addressing on the rubric. Yes, there are cases in which we give assignments that do not fall under a standard as there are some topics we cover that just need to be taught.

 

[Miss Inga Depointe]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not complaining about creative projects. My kids had some great one, along with the stinkers.

There were teachers who gave some projects that we still remember very fondly, but here's a clue, teachers, if you've been doing the same project year after year, not changing anything, not trying to make it fresh, and the whole town kind of considers it a joke, and the kids clearly aren't inspired by it, maybe it's just not working.

I was at a dinner party last week and one couple had a middle-schooler and they were complaining about the horrible physics project last year. The rest of us just burst into laughter, "Oh no, they aren't still doing that stupid thing?" We all talked about how no one learns anything from it and what a pain it is. That's the conversation that always happens when it comes up, and the kids don't like it. I don't know, I think it's time to try something new.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

The way I see it is this: If you don't like what is going on with your child's class, assignments or teachers; you can always HOME SCHOOL them. That solves the problem. Then you design the class, determine who the classmates are, give out the assignments, and then if you don't like the teacher, shame on you!!!!!

 

[Miss Inga Depointe]

The way I see it is this: If you don't like what is going on with your child's class, assignments or teachers; you can always HOME SCHOOL them. That solves the problem. Then you design the class, determine who the classmates are, give out the assignments, and then if you don't like the teacher, shame on you!!!!!

Maybe you are just kidding, but what if I don't like my doctor, should I treat myself? If I don't like my lawyer should I represent myself in court? Of course you can complain about people who are hired to do things for you. In the case of a teacher, you can't even get a new one if you want (unless you want to be one of "those" parents.) We get these teachers and aren't allowed to say a word about them? That's alot to ask!

 

[Teacher03]

It also lets the teacher know who has the most artistic parents so he/she can call upon them for class projects, such as decorating bulletin boards, play scenery, etc.

Good point!

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Maybe you are just kidding, but what if I don't like my doctor, should I treat myself? If I don't like my lawyer should I represent myself in court? Of course you can complain about people who are hired to do things for you. In the case of a teacher, you can't even get a new one if you want (unless you want to be one of "those" parents.) We get these teachers and aren't allowed to say a word about them? That's alot to ask!

Actually I was, but at my church and basically in my local area, that seems to be the answer that is given when anyone shows the slightest concern about a school situation. I have never had this said to me, but many of my friends from church have had issues (and these are not necessarily related to the classroom or teacher, some are just that the kids don't like school or feel as though the other children pick on them), and suddenly they are all on the HomeSchool band wagon. I don't have the slightest desire to homeschool my kids so I was only kidding, but for some if this is a viable option, then go for it. BTW I was trying to make light of it, because I think everyone needs to lighten up on teachers, school has just started give the new teachers a chance.

 

[disykat]

As a parent I'm not looking forward to the projects either - mainly because I know my 6th grader will be starting his "Sail Car" tomorrow. Don't even get me started on homework.

As a teacher, I know those projects are necessary.

My 8th grader is great at projects. He plans, uses his time wisely, follows the directions remembering to include each element, enjoys trying to be innovative and creative, does it ALL himself etc. He had a class last year that was mostly made up of projects of his own choosing. He loved it!

My 6th grader struggles. Boy would he prefer a worksheet! He just wants to get it done in as little time as possible so he can watch tv. Guess who needs the projects more? Of course, it's my 6th grader.

 

[Miss Inga Depointe]

Some projects are great. My kids had one that they do every year where every kid gets a different country and spends the whole year learning everything they can about it. The presentations are so fun to watch. (And we know more about Albania and Ethiopia than you can imagine!!!!)

But the ones I HATE are the group projects. Really HATE. I hated them for me when I was a kid and I hated them for my kids. I don't care what good they are supposed to be good, it was always us doing all the work, and getting points taken off for the work someone else didn't do.

 

[golfgal]

Some projects are great. My kids had one that they do every year where every kid gets a different country and spends the whole year learning everything they can about it. The presentations are so fun to watch. (And we know more about Albania and Ethiopia than you can imagine!!!!)

But the ones I HATE are the group projects. Really HATE. I hated them for me when I was a kid and I hated them for my kids. I don't care what good they are supposed to be good, it was always us doing all the work, and getting points taken off for the work someone else didn't do.

Group projects that require any time outside school should be outlawed! I do have to agree with that. Again, everyone hates group projects but that is another fact of life, learning to work with others and learning to deal with people that don't carry their weight. How many posts do we have here about coworkers eating bon-bons all day while everyone else does their work, almost as many as we have bashing teachers!