Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Dear Teachers, I Want My Thanksgiving Break Too!


Teachers all around wait for the holidays just like students, but I believe they have a different reason, a more sinister reason. I believe they plan their revenge for their holiday excitement. Revenge for all the kids who drive them crazy during the first weeks of school with their incessant talking, back talking, late assignments, crazy questions, and rudeness.

How do they do this? Over the holiday projects!! Oh, I hate them (projects... not the teachers)! Since Big Guy started school I have dreaded this part of the holidays. I dread opening his backpack and seeing the words "Project Due Date" at the top of the page.

Wednesday Big Guy has to recite "The Pilgrim's Came" for a major test grade in his history class. Maybe I am being petty, but when I was in school we had to memorize "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost, The Preamble to the Constitution and The Gettysburg Address. Those things seem a little bit more relevant and educational to me, but that is just me.

As of right now, Big Guy has two major projects that are due as soon as we come back from the Thanksgiving holidays. Get that? They were assigned to be worked on during the Thanksgiving holidays. As if I want to do think about or encourage my boys to do homework over the break.

The other thing that drives me crazy? If they are going to assign a project, I think they should have a reason. A point. An educational purpose.

One of Big Guy's project to create a poster about dirt. The theme is "Dig It" and it is for the Hinds County Soil Conservation Project. They don't have to do any research on any particular theme. Just draw a poster that fits the theme. This is a MAJOR test grade. Why have they been assigned this project? Honestly? Because teachers who have a student with a winning posters will earn rewards and recognition for their classroom.

The other project is for Big Guy to create an autobiographical timeline including a writing and a timeline creation. This has to include milestones from their birth to present and predictions of their life through 2013. The purpose of this project? I have no idea, but whatever it is did it have to be done over Thanksgiving?

Maybe Scholastic Scribe can shed some light on this situation since she is a longtime teacher.

All I know is that parents want their Thanksgiving break too! Waaaahhhhhh!

9 comments:

Sharon said...

You poor thing, and yes I couldn't agree with you more. It's more stress for the parents during the fast paced holiday, and with everything that is going on today, you would think they would see that most parents are in need of this break as well.
I pray that things will work out ok for you, and everything comes easy.
Be Blessed

black betty said...

that sucks! why can't kids just have fun on break. i would NEVER assign a project over the holidays. that is family time.

:(

Dr. Wifey said...

the teachers just don't want them forgettin' all their learnin' during the break! LOL

From the Doghouse said...

I see lots of parents doing homework over the break, just so they don't have to put up with the kids' whining.

Wilson said...

That stinks. It's hard to enjoy the holiday and family when you have to worry about projects being due.

Supermom said...

Whew! I'm glad I haven't had to deal with that yet. Our school hasn't done that to us... YET. It might come as he gets older.

Heck, it might even come this very next week. ACK!

but in year's past (grades 1-3) there hasn't been any but who knows now with 4th grade...

K Storm said...

Lots of families go on vacation that week. Seems very unfair to expect kids to create projects...if they have to do something, how about read a few chapters in the next required reading book? Not all this other stuff.

mayberry said...

I keep hearing horror stories about the projects that are due from kids these days. I know Mini-me is smart enough, but her Mama is probably gonna be the whiner when it comes time for homework! =)

Anonymous said...

I'm a high school English teacher.

Projects are the biggest waste of time. I rarely assign them, let alone over a long holiday weekend. I have always had a policy of doing my level best to not assign anything over a break. Why? I know what it is like to have grade essays, quizzes, and plan over a long break. (Deanna, lots of teachers will be doing work on Thanksgiving. I wish they wouldn't. I made myself ill being one of those teachers.)

That all said, sometimes there is pressure from the higher ups to give homework, projects, and all other kinds of assessments to appease the parents of overachievers who think that having off the day after Thanksgiving is a waste. (Oh, it is true in my district.)

My heart breaks when I ask my kids if they have a lot of homework over holiday breaks. Let them have two days off for goodness sake. I've learned over the years to plan ahead and make sure I'm doing what I need to do without robbing kids of some time off for good behavior.