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Original poster

Thick as muck

78 replies

Kenlee · 02/01/2014 01:08

I was asked this question at a party when talking about our DC...

If your child was thick as muck would you have still sent her to private school or bother tutoring her if she was in state school?

I really didnt have an answer for that as I was rather dumbstruck at the question.

After some thought I think I would still send her private.As she maybe a late developer or she was not engaged with her teachers.

If I couldn't afford it I would most likely find tutors that could engage her and get her moving.

If couldn't afford either I would then read books myself and try to engage her...

But I would never give up on her....

I think the main reasons why children fail is because parents give up on their children. It doesn't matter what socio econmic background you are from but if you give up. Your children will do the same....

Although being a helicopter tiger mum is also not very helpful to your child either....

OP posts:
Original poster
Kenlee · 02/01/2014 04:20

Hmm a good point....I was just thinking along the lines of different approaches to help them understand..

But it does make sence to find something they are good at and develop that....I think being TAM is also conditioned into them. If they can build self esteem I think most can do well maybe not in academia but in other fields...

I just don't think any child should be written off because they can't compete with their academic peers...

In fact my brother was TAM until he reached University and now he is a chartered civil engineer... So its not all doom and gloom.

OP posts:
Magrug · 02/01/2014 02:43

Nothing wrong with being TAM. Just because schools measure academics (because they have to) doesn't mean that's the only worthwhile way for a child to develop.

If I had a child who was TAM (and I suspect I may have), I would do all I could to discover their 'thing'. I think they'd be more likely to find it at an independent school (in our area, anyway...) as there is more of an emphasis on extra-curricular activity, but as TheGervasuttiPillar says, why go over and over and over and over something the child simply won't ever grasp? Why set them up to fail?

TheGervasuttiPillar · 02/01/2014 02:35

A friend of mine is a teacher and one of her Y5 pupils is not proficient in single digit addition (esp. if the sum is above 10).

The child gets a great deal of help in school. I think your friend would describe this child as 'thick as muck' (TAM). I do wonder what the point is of going over, day after day, stuff the kid just does not get. Why not find something the kid does well instead and do that?

The monetary equation of private vs TAM would have more to it for me. t could easily be that the TAM would get loads more benefit from some paid for schooling than your run-of-the-mill kid of affluent parents.