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#201
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 |
#210
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I hate homework!
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