Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho

Sorry I haven't written lately. I could come up with a bunch of excuses, but I'll spare you.

So, I've been mulling over a subject lately, wondering if I should write a post on it, but thinking that I might rock the boat needlessly. But the more I think about it, the more I want to write about it, if for nothing more than to make myself feel better for having said what I have to say. So, here goes...

Leyden has attended a private school since the second semester of second grade. I pay a lot of money every month to send her to this school, and overall I am pleased with our experience. There are some things with which I do not agree, but there are pros and cons to every situation. So, I overlook the things that I do not like, and praise God for the good friends that Leyden has made.

Since Leyden started school, I have always been an advocate for the teacher. Teachers get a lot of flack from parents these days, because Little Johnny certainly would not do any wrong, and so it must be the teacher's fault. I feel like the teacher is there to teach my child, and if my child does anything to distract or prohibit the teacher from doing her job, it is my job to support the teacher in whatever behavior modification is necessary. I realize Leyden isn't perfect, and I certainly will discipline her if need be.

In all the time Leyden has attended this private school, she's not made many bad grades. Usually, when Leyden makes a bad grade, it's because she was busy chatting with her friends instead of doing her work. Leyden gets distracted sometimes, and if she doesn't refocus to the proper activity, she wastes time. I realize this about my child, and I do my best to give her the tools (and skills) she needs to get her through times like these.

This year Leyden started sixth grade. Since the first week of school, everyone in my house has been stressed out about school, and even my parents (who pick Leyden up from school every day) are stressed out about school. The reason? Leyden has an unbelievable homework load. She has always been in bed by 8:30 on school nights; now we are lucky to get her to bed by 10. My Mom picks her up at school at 3, they go straight to Mom's house, get a snack and start on homework. When I pick Leyden up around 6, there is usually still work to be done. So, we go home (eat supper in the car on the way home or grab a quick bite when we get there) and do another hour or two of work. And that's not including reading 300 pages every nine weeks and additional projects.

There is no time for eating dinner as a family, practicing piano, Wednesday night church, or just plain old free time. Sometimes she has homework on the weekends, too. We all feel like we're running on a treadmill that won't turn off. Before sixth grade, Leyden goofed off at Mom and Dad's house after school, then she did homework when she got home. We had dinner and watched a little TV before she took her bath and got ready for bed. Now she works on homework after school for two hours, and then we rush home, wolf down our supper, rush through the remaining homework, grab a quick shower and the day is done (way past our bedtimes!).

Leyden brought home signed papers last week, and glaring up from the math test was an "F". WHAT?! How could someone make an "F" on a math test when they do more math homework than anyone I've ever known? Well, I've been speculating as to the reasons, because the teacher has not responded to my request for a conference.

Theory #1: The teacher is doing a fine job of teaching, but Leyden is chatting with her friends, so she doesn't hear the teacher. (This theory is very likely, and I realize it.)

Theory #2: The teacher isn't teaching the math until AFTER the kids have tried to do it on their own. Leyden doesn't always understand her math homework. From what I can tell, the teacher gives the homework assignment after reading over a little yellow box that gives directions on how to do the math. The kids take the work home, do their best to understand the concept and get the work done, and then the teacher goes over it in class the next day. Brad ends up teaching Leyden how to do the math at home so she can get her homework done. And if he teaches her the wrong way, she has to re-learn it at school the next day. How confusing is that? Like I said, this is from my observation on the home front. I'll know more about the method of teaching and the process when I have a conference with the teacher.

Theory #3: The teacher is spending too much time talking about "current affairs" (a/k/a internet rumors and urban legends, including false "truths" about presidential candidates and news that scares my child) and not enough time teaching math. Don't get me wrong - I'm all about kids learning to be aware of their world, staying abreast of current events and reading the news. However, there are websites out there that have searchable databases of internet myths, legends, and rumors, and I believe that someone in a position of authority should check their sources, or at least these websites, for confirmation before giving a bunch of sixth graders false information. I also think that it would be prudent to keep potentially frightening news to yourself, like the story about the possiblity of a black hole swallowing the earth. It's hard for kids to concentrate in school when they have nightmares about the "news stories" their teacher told them during school.

Theory #4: The teacher is aiming to finish the textbooks by the end of the year - that is a fact. So, theory #4 is that the teacher is teaching, but the pace is swift because she's getting everything in. (Does anybody ever finish all the textbooks by the end of the year?) If she's teaching at a faster pace, Leyden may not be absorbing all the information. Personally, I'd rather my child actually learn and remember a few things from sixth grade and not fly through all the books and remember nothing more than the work load.

Over half the class attended a "help class" for math either after school or during P.E., which tells me that over half the class is having trouble. That's not good, especially coming from a group of kids who have always done well in school.

When Leyden came home last week, worried about the black hole swallowing the earth, I told her that no matter what we face in life, God will give us the strength to get us through. She said, "You mean like homework?" I replied, "Yes, Leyden, like God giving you the strength to stay up late to get your homework done every night, and the strength to get up early every morning to go to school." So, I will hold on to the promise of God's strength as we all trudge through this homework bog.

Hopefully I can get a conference scheduled with the teacher and figure out what's going on in math. Until then, hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go...