This morning before my 9 year old headed out to school I assured him that we had signed all his work, and he happily grabbed his book bag and headed out the door.
We have to sign his agenda (funny ask me why, because I have no idea), and his reading log ensuring he actually read the pages he logged into his reading log for the night. (He must read 20 pages every night.)
The little man congress through the door this afternoon very agitated. Apparently, mom and dad must have missed something that needed signing and because WE missed something, he was punished today with no recess!!
This is something I have deemed unacceptable over and over again because that recess time is the only time they have in school to release. (This crazy school has a 20 minute, silent, yes, silent lunch period…so no talking just eating and reading, which I wrote about in a previous post)
With no release time they really would deserve a meltdown and a kick in the shin!!! Well as a child that would have been my reaction, but the little man held it together long enough to walk into the front door.
I was very annoyed and wanted to see what we had missed signing, maybe there was some test, it form, in his folder that we missed? Well, he opened his book bag to realize he left his homework folder in school!! That’s when he completely began to fall apart.
The tears welled up, because nite he knew he would lose recess tomorrow too because he forgot his folder and would be missing a homework assignment! The book bag got thrown across the room, the laundry basket was getting ready to be tossed when hubby started to yell at him…then came the tears.
Hubby drove back to the school to attempt to retrieve the left behind folder.
When he arrived home, we found a lone test paper that was buried in his filter behind other papers that apparently we missed. The truth is though, both hubby and I saw the test, but didn’t notice it needed to be signed because they send a folder home in Friday’s with the week’s test scores, which we signed already so why would I have thought the test needed to be signed separately!!!
I’m so angry that I have to continue to address the same issued over abd over again! Very frustrating!!!
It does appear the School has rather unrealistic expectations of children’s behaviour.
I agree with you Kim, and I am rather furious because it caused a spiral of frustration, meltdowns, and his leaving his homework folder in his classroom that day. That, caused him to miss a “real” homework assignment and lose his recess again today! A spirally snowball effect that no-one seems to want to acknowledge. Very very frustrating.
Your school district sounds pretty rigid. It feels like the system sends homework for parents, as well as students. It’s like, we have jobs, people! (Be they inside the home or out.) my 9-year-old was making sure my husband signed his papers this morning, and my hubby started to get perturbed, because he felt micromanaged. I explained to him that my son was being responsible by making sure he had everything before things got tense. I also hate redundant documentation! What’s the point? I already knew we had a lot in common, but this is getting eerie.
Hi hessiafae,
Redundant documentation drives me nuts! I did not even look for or have any idea that I needed to sign that test because I already signed the Friday folder with all the grades in it!!! The little man told me that his teacher let him know that morning that we had to sign it, and of course, he forgot. We had a talk with her the first few days of school about everything needing to written down so I know what needs to be done. She agreed she would help him and ensure he wrote assignments and instructions down. This was not written down AND she said that if he misses assignments he loses recess. He did all his homework, his reading, everything. How was this an assignment?? I am as literal as my son is, and it needs to be very specifically spelled out.
This is the kind of situation that caused me to become an unwelcome sight at my son’s school. Punishing the child for something beyond their control. I am raging inside my head right now. Words like; bloody idiots, power mad dictators, unfeeling automatons! Maybe it’s time to let a hint of your frustration SHOW.
Hi Chris,
You made me laugh! I have been referring to his teachers at school as power mad dictators since reading your comment! I am sure they will love me on Monday when parent-teacher conferences happen. They are going to very very unhappy to see me coming after they see me Monday because I am very very unhappy. Their policies and practices are completely unacceptable to me.