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I hate homework!



 
 
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  #201  
Old April 10th 08, 05:12 PM posted to misc.kids
enigma
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Posts: 447
Default I hate homework!

Chookie wrote in
news:ehrebeniuk-5E73B2.21580010042008@news:

I find this absence of scientific writing for children
quite odd in a country as large as yours -- looks like I've
found a second career for you all.


well, we can't go offending the religious right with stuff
like science in the schools, you know. i mean, everyone knows
the earth is only 6000 years old & those heathen scientists
are just trying to lead the children straight to hell with
their evolution & whatnot.

lee



--
Last night while sitting in my chair
I pinged a host that wasn't there
It wasn't there again today
The host resolved to NSA.
  #202  
Old April 10th 08, 05:47 PM posted to misc.kids
Ericka Kammerer
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Posts: 2,293
Default I hate homework!

Banty wrote:
In article , Ericka Kammerer
says...


The other thing I found out belatedly that really
irritated me was that when my eldest was in first grade,
they only allowed his class in the "picture book" section
of the library, which effectively excluded access to any
non-fiction. It wasn't a big problem for us, as I was busily
providing whatever books he wanted, but that certainly seemed
an inappropriate policy.


In fifth grade, one of the books my son brought from home to propose for his
reading list was nixed for bad words. Because it did have some, well,
battlefield words.


Fortunately for us, the first grade policy seemed to
be an anomaly and my son found plenty of things in the rest
of the library once he was allowed to explore. The GT teachers
have also been good about keeping a good variety of books in
the classrooms. I did hear from a parent whose daughter was
in a different school and just transferred into the GT program
at our school in 6th grade (she'd been in a foreign language
partial-immersion program) that previously, she'd had a hard
time finding books. The available books were too easy for
her, and some of the books she brought in got nixed for
inappropriate themes/language. She was quite happy that she
is now rolling in both age- and reading level appropriate
books. It does, I think, go to show that the problem of
keeping all the kids supplied with interesting and appropriate
reading material really is out there.

Oh, and as an aside related to the grade acceleration
thing...the above mentioned child was in a regular classroom
previously (it was a partial immersion program, so the students
were self selected and probably represented a bit higher than
average ability level, but there were no ability criteria for
entrance). Despite some effort on the part of her teachers,
she wasn't being challenged and was getting in trouble largely
because she was bored. Socially, she was hanging out with
kids quite a bit older than her, probably because she didn't
share a lot of interests with her age peers, but that was
also quite problematic for her. Despite her being quite
socially adept, she was always a bit of a fifth wheel with
the older kids--sort of the cute mascot, and treated reasonably
kindly, but she just wasn't in the same place as the older
girls and that was rough on her too. It wasn't until she
was in a classroom with both her age- *and* ability-peers
that she really blossomed in a way that her parents didn't
even expect. She developed much deeper friendships, she
was happier, her behavior was at once more age=appropriate
(not affecting the behaviors of older kids) and more
responsible. Just one anecdotal tale...

Best wishes,
Ericka
  #203  
Old April 10th 08, 05:50 PM posted to misc.kids
Ericka Kammerer
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Posts: 2,293
Default I hate homework!

Chookie wrote:

You said this before. Now -- how do remote families exercise choice in their
use of vouchers? You've said they won't.


And while we're at it, start imagining the effect that a voucher system would
have on children who are disabled, at-risk, or don't have English as a first
language. When you've ironed out *those* problems, the NSW government would
like to hear from you.


I don't know. Sounds to me like vouchers solve the
problems rather admirably, don't you think? The "haves"
get the schools of their choice to themselves, and the problems
are no longer their problems ;-)

Best wishes,
Ericka
  #204  
Old April 10th 08, 05:56 PM posted to misc.kids
Banty
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Posts: 2,278
Default I hate homework!

In article , Ericka Kammerer
says...

Chookie wrote:

You said this before. Now -- how do remote families exercise choice in their
use of vouchers? You've said they won't.


And while we're at it, start imagining the effect that a voucher system would
have on children who are disabled, at-risk, or don't have English as a first
language. When you've ironed out *those* problems, the NSW government would
like to hear from you.


I don't know. Sounds to me like vouchers solve the
problems rather admirably, don't you think? The "haves"
get the schools of their choice to themselves, and the problems
are no longer their problems ;-)


'xactly.

Banty

  #205  
Old April 17th 08, 02:04 PM posted to misc.kids
Chookie
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Posts: 1,085
Default I hate homework!

In article ,
"Donna Metler" wrote:

Ah, so that's where Clive Cussler (and presumably his hero, Dirk Pitt)
gets his science from!


Well, they're hardly designed for a scientific audience-Magic treehouse is a
fictional series about two kids who find a magic treehouse filled with
books, and discover that they can go into the book and visit that time or
place.


But the Cussler books are supposedly set in the real world -- those are the
ones that I thought might be deliberately running scientific bloopers.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/
  #206  
Old April 17th 08, 02:09 PM posted to misc.kids
Chookie
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Posts: 1,085
Default I hate homework!

In article , Banty
wrote:

I find this absence of scientific writing for children quite odd in a
country
as large as yours -- looks like I've found a second career for you all.


I've actually thought about it.


PLease go ahead.

I spent yesterday with my two at the Australian Museum, visiting their new
dinosaur exhibit (*). Afterwards, in the shop, I found George's Secret Key To
The Universe, by Lucy & Stephen Hawking. It seemed to be a bit too
fictionalised, unfortunately -- exactly the sort of book you were complaining
about.

(*) We are having rather rainy school holidays, and the queue was vast!!

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/
  #207  
Old April 17th 08, 02:11 PM posted to misc.kids
Chookie
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,085
Default I hate homework!

In article ,
enigma wrote:

his school library? hah hah hah. they can't get enough staff,
never mind buy books that is one of the major reasons he'll
be going to a different school next year (they couldn't afford
the second Montessori certified teacher in the lower el, so
they replaced her with a woman working towards an education
degree (to teach high school) who has English as a (distant)
second language, with the result that none of the kids can
understand her. if she was teaching French, i'd be fine with
it, but not as a main elementary teacher.


Hope you are going to tell them precisely why you are moving on.

Ahhhh -- remember the How & Why Wonder Books? :-)


um, no. should i go look those up too?


He
http://www.rocketroberts.com/how_and...ow_and_why.htm

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/
  #208  
Old April 17th 08, 03:07 PM posted to misc.kids
Banty
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Posts: 2,278
Default I hate homework!

In article ehrebeniuk-EFE42C.23093717042008@news, Chookie says...

In article , Banty
wrote:

I find this absence of scientific writing for children quite odd in a
country
as large as yours -- looks like I've found a second career for you all.


I've actually thought about it.


PLease go ahead.

I spent yesterday with my two at the Australian Museum, visiting their new
dinosaur exhibit (*). Afterwards, in the shop, I found George's Secret Key To
The Universe, by Lucy & Stephen Hawking. It seemed to be a bit too
fictionalised, unfortunately -- exactly the sort of book you were complaining
about.


Haven't seen it.

I suspect one problem is that anyone who would review my books and consider them
for school libraries would think them too dry! Because of these built-in
expectations that they be cutsie or at least have a child as a character for
children to identify with.

I could use the literary devices, but with more meat and more emphasis on the
factual.

For younger kids, I greatly admire the books of Virginia Lee Burton. Who did
use characters (but she didn't cutsify the inanimate things that were featured -
they would get faces of sort sometimes and names, but not too characterized) to
present stories regarding urban sprawl, obsolescence (Mike Mulligan and his
Steam Shovel), civic action, civic maintenance.

Banty

  #209  
Old April 17th 08, 03:30 PM posted to misc.kids
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 125
Default I hate homework!

On Apr 17, 7:07�am, Banty wrote:


For younger kids, I greatly admire the books of Virginia Lee Burton. �Who did
use characters (but she didn't cutsify the inanimate things that were featured -
they would get faces of sort sometimes and names, but not too characterized) to
present stories regarding urban sprawl, obsolescence (Mike Mulligan and his
Steam Shovel), civic action, civic maintenance.


Have you read _Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type_?

--Helen
 




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