Nice book report, Mister.
My oldest child is in Kindergarten. A few weeks ago, she turned in a project on Inventors. Each child was instructed to read a book about an inventor, write a report on him/her and make a posterboard showing what they learned.
My daughter chose the inventor of Legos. We talked with her about the inventor and helped her print out a picture of him. Beyond that, she was responsible for her own report.
I didn’t say a word as she repeatedly changed her mind about where to glue Legos and ended up with glue spots all over her poster. I sat by quietly as her sentences floated up higher and higher on the poster, instead of staying in a straight line. I even let her “make it fancy” at the end, putting way too much glue and glitter all over the report.
She was proud of her report. My husband and I were proud of her. She’d completed her first school project!
It was interesting, then, when I saw all of the kids’ reports hanging in the school hallway a week later. My daughter’s was there, sparkly and adorable, a bit messy, and clearly made by a child. Quite a few of the other reports, though, were much better. Much, much better. Too much better.
As I stood looking at all of the reports, I felt a little bit sad for my daughter. Was she that far behind in writing and art? Was she just not as coordinated as other kids her age?
After a couple of minutes, a group of parents walked down the hall. They stopped beside me and began talking about the projects. One mom joked about how her son wanted to do the inventor of the light bulb, but *she* made him do something else. Another mom was laughing about how annoyed her daughter had been when she kept helping with the project. A father walked over and pointed to one, saying “This one’s mine”. He started explaining to the moms how he decided on an inventor, the machine he used at his office to print the amazing background on the poster, etc.. I never once heard him mention his child. Don’t even know if he has a son or daughter, but I’m assuming that child didn’t spend one minute on the project.
I’m all for helping our children get ahead. I want my child’s teacher to be proud of her and give her good grades. Doing her work for her, though, is something I just can’t do. Even if it means her project isn’t even close to being the best. I’m sad for those children that didn’t get to work on their very first book reports and didn’t get to be proud of themselves for finishing a difficult task.
Nice book report, Mister.
The Reason You Come says
You did good in letting your daughter do the work herself. You’re teaching her a valuable lesson that she can take with her into adulthood.
Janae says
Too crazy! Hopefully, that guy was just joking around.
I saw the same thing happen when my daughter was in Kindergarten last year. The kids were suppose to combine two animals to make a their own unique animal. My daughter’s project was…unique, a lot of ripped paper and a Kleenex box, but some of the projects were AWESOME!
I’m sure my daughter’s class was just extra talented. 😉 –
Jenny says
I agree with you. I think it only hurts the child when the parent does the work for them. My kids get so frustrated when I won’t ‘do’ their work for them and instead encourage them to do it themselves. We don’t want lazy children who can’t think of how to finish a project on their own.
Brenda says
I totally think you did the right thing in letting your daughter do her own homework. When a parent does a child’s homework the child is cheated, you are encouraging her creativity, and also allowing her work to stand on its own merits.
Becky says
Nice job holding yourself back from ‘fixing’ the report. I agree parents help kids too much. I work for a design firm and watch all of our productn room materials go home with the owners for their kids projects…those are some amazing results! But not helping kids become independent.
**stopped by from BlogHop
Debra says
Hi, I’m visiting from the I “heart” Blogging hop. Have a great day.
Debra
http://thecookbookdiva.wordpress.com/
Laura says
Great story!
Jen HaHA says
You know why I never learned how to cook? Because my parents would take over when I tried. That and they are critical. They don’t offer constructive criticism, just criticism. I am determined not to be like that. I’ve tried to help my 3rd grader clean up his projects so they look nice, but he does the project himself. If we assist, we do just that–assist, not take over.
I’m sure your daughter’s project looked great for a Kindergartener. Not a 20/30/40 year old. And, she chose the inventor of Legos! She would be cool in my kids’ book. Even though she’s a girl 😀
Kristen LaValley says
UGH. My parents refused to help me with my projects in school. And when I would ask a question, they would respond with a question. “Well what do YOU think the answer is?” “Does that sound right to you?” “DOES 2 times 9 equal 18?” I would get crazy frustrated. But I learned to think for myself and do things on my own. Darn you parents that care more about your kids’ self satisfaction and education than your own desires to vicariously live through your children! 🙂
Ashley D. says
I agree! Children should be allowed to create and produce work they can be proud of on their own! Way to go! 🙂
I’m just stopping by from WOB Wednesday! Great blog!
Annery Pino says
Hi!
Great Blog!
I am your newest follower from the MBC Blog Hop!
Can not wait to read more!
Annery
http://everytopicunderthesun.blogspot.com/
Noelle says
N is for……. Noelle
No, just joking…
I totally agree with this post…
I get so annoyed that they think they are “helping” but are actually hurting them…
They are not learning…
thanks for the reminder to those parents…
Sharon (Real Life Deals) says
I just came over from Real Life Deals! Thanks for visiting earlier. (I became a GFC follower too). As a mom of 3, sometimes I can’t believe the way other parents handle school and life. Good to see there are other moms with perspective. Our kids will grow up and someday thank us!