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We just listen to our iPods during PE, Mom!
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 305265" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>I like your angle of working on your difficult child. After all, as with our study periods, there is a certain amount of personal choice and personal responsibility here. The kids Do have the choice to use this time to do other work. And if they choose to use the time to relax and listen to music - then they've had their break, as you say. Age-wise - we were 16 and 17, in the incident I described above. Kids as young as 15 got Study Periods back then at that school.</p><p></p><p>My concern would be - if you tell the teacher, "Take away the iPods," the teacher is likely to do just that, falling thankfully on your not apparently seeing the teacher's laziness. And the kids will be in exactly the same boat, but without their iPods either. Basically - worse off.</p><p></p><p>No, I'd be going first directly to the teacher and saying, "Is it true that t he kids are not actually doing anything? I thought you would need to know what I'm hearing. Can you explain to me what is REALLY going on? I realise that what I'm hearing is probably not the whole story."</p><p></p><p>This cuts straight to the chase. it allows the teacher to explain, without having to feel threatened (if the teacher has a legitimate reason for this, or if you've not got the correct story). A teacher who IS doing the wrong thing will know the jig is up and will have to start teaching. You haven't ensured the kids are penalised for confidung in you - losing their iPods for telling you what is going on, isn't really fair. (Mind you, I do think your insisting on no rest period on those days IS very fair!)</p><p></p><p>And if you're not satisfied with what the teacher says - go first to the subject master (again in person) and then if necessary, to the principal. If still no satisfaction, reconsider, but the next step would be to go to the next higher-up outside the school.</p><p></p><p>Along the way, if part of the explanation is, "We can't give the kids anything physical to do because the gym is being rebuilt/the teacher is recovering from open heart surgery/the kids are being punished for breaking the rules," then you can say, "Can we find another way of doing this? Because there is good teaching time going to waste here, curriculum requirements not being met. Punishing kids with boredom is NOT conducive to good education. However, giving kids the personal skills to study is somerthing very important, especially by mid-teens. Perhaps we could discuss some productive alternatives?"</p><p></p><p>Always keep the conversations with a supportive, constructive tone. But never make them think you are dumb, or a pushover. These are YOUR kids, their education and welfare is important. Idlensss is bad for them. School-sponsored idlness directly undermines effective parenting.</p><p></p><p>In other words - don't play games with this teacher. march up and talk. Ask to hear the teacher's opninion of what is happening. You might be surprised. And if not - you are a lot further down the road to being able to fix this.</p><p></p><p>One last thought - why do you think difficult child told you this was going on? I suspect because difficult child knows it is wrong for teachers to be so lazy (as he sees it). difficult child probably WANTS lessons to happen as they should. And there is this sense in difficult child of waiting for the other shoe to drop.</p><p></p><p>Try to not do anything that could seem to be punishing difficult child for telling you. Instead, see if you can get things put back to how they should be. Or failing that, find a way to explin in a balanced way what is going on, and to also help the kids have more efficient and productive use of tat time. I would congratulate difficult child on his openness and honesty over this. You need tihs in your kids, and they need to see a positive outcome from telling you.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 305265, member: 1991"] I like your angle of working on your difficult child. After all, as with our study periods, there is a certain amount of personal choice and personal responsibility here. The kids Do have the choice to use this time to do other work. And if they choose to use the time to relax and listen to music - then they've had their break, as you say. Age-wise - we were 16 and 17, in the incident I described above. Kids as young as 15 got Study Periods back then at that school. My concern would be - if you tell the teacher, "Take away the iPods," the teacher is likely to do just that, falling thankfully on your not apparently seeing the teacher's laziness. And the kids will be in exactly the same boat, but without their iPods either. Basically - worse off. No, I'd be going first directly to the teacher and saying, "Is it true that t he kids are not actually doing anything? I thought you would need to know what I'm hearing. Can you explain to me what is REALLY going on? I realise that what I'm hearing is probably not the whole story." This cuts straight to the chase. it allows the teacher to explain, without having to feel threatened (if the teacher has a legitimate reason for this, or if you've not got the correct story). A teacher who IS doing the wrong thing will know the jig is up and will have to start teaching. You haven't ensured the kids are penalised for confidung in you - losing their iPods for telling you what is going on, isn't really fair. (Mind you, I do think your insisting on no rest period on those days IS very fair!) And if you're not satisfied with what the teacher says - go first to the subject master (again in person) and then if necessary, to the principal. If still no satisfaction, reconsider, but the next step would be to go to the next higher-up outside the school. Along the way, if part of the explanation is, "We can't give the kids anything physical to do because the gym is being rebuilt/the teacher is recovering from open heart surgery/the kids are being punished for breaking the rules," then you can say, "Can we find another way of doing this? Because there is good teaching time going to waste here, curriculum requirements not being met. Punishing kids with boredom is NOT conducive to good education. However, giving kids the personal skills to study is somerthing very important, especially by mid-teens. Perhaps we could discuss some productive alternatives?" Always keep the conversations with a supportive, constructive tone. But never make them think you are dumb, or a pushover. These are YOUR kids, their education and welfare is important. Idlensss is bad for them. School-sponsored idlness directly undermines effective parenting. In other words - don't play games with this teacher. march up and talk. Ask to hear the teacher's opninion of what is happening. You might be surprised. And if not - you are a lot further down the road to being able to fix this. One last thought - why do you think difficult child told you this was going on? I suspect because difficult child knows it is wrong for teachers to be so lazy (as he sees it). difficult child probably WANTS lessons to happen as they should. And there is this sense in difficult child of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Try to not do anything that could seem to be punishing difficult child for telling you. Instead, see if you can get things put back to how they should be. Or failing that, find a way to explin in a balanced way what is going on, and to also help the kids have more efficient and productive use of tat time. I would congratulate difficult child on his openness and honesty over this. You need tihs in your kids, and they need to see a positive outcome from telling you. Marg [/QUOTE]
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We just listen to our iPods during PE, Mom!
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