to think that it is extremely eye-rolly indeed to award top prize to a Year 4 school project which was done on a Mac Book Pro?

[effedorf]

Especially given that I am not talking about wealthy independent sector, but London state primary in very mixed area?

[CloudsAndTrees]

Yes, it does suck for the children whose parents don't give a shit, but the blame for that lies with the shitless parents. The blame doesn't belong to the school, nor the child who has done a good project, nor the parents who bought a mac.

Do you expect schools to lower their expectations of children to the lowest they possibly can? Or do you think that parents shouldn't engage with their own children's education in case someone else's parent is a lazy arse?

[effedorf]

"I don't think this is mac issue. It's either an issue with the school, about the homework they set or an issue with parents, who cheat and help their children and make it unfair."

Yes. I am not making comment on the fact that Mac Books exist and that some people have them and some people have cheaper computers and some people have none at all and have to go to the library if they want to use one.

I am making comment on the way homework is assessed. Or, at least, has been assessed in this case.

[FadedSapphire]

Computers aside...
Homework projects that rely on an element of parental input DO suck for children whose parents couldn't give a toss. Sometimes schools try to counteract this with carefully targeted homework clubs.
However, our homework project displays are quite a laugh sometimes with parents openly asking for a certificate for huge effort they have put into model or whatever. [I avoid the model options as far too lazy and computer options as IT dumbo].

[WilsonFrickett]

Teachers know when a parent did the project. If they then go ahead and award a prize to that child, I humbly suggest your beef should be with the teachers rather than the child or their parents.

[FadedSapphire]

AND I would like my little darling to make some effort on his own..

[effedorf]

"Do you expect schools to lower their expectations of children to the lowest they possibly can? Or do you think that parents shouldn't engage with their own children's education in case someone else's parent is a lazy arse?"

No, I expect schools to take into consideration the resources available to the children when they set projects and mark them.

[CloudsAndTrees]

Well, actually you were making a comment about the mac book.

If you had been commenting about the assessment method used in this competition, the responses you received would probably be very different.

[Prawntoast]

But that's not how your original post read though to be fair.

How do you know how the homework was assessed, what was the criteria used? You can have a bloody flashy computer to make it look pretty but it's the content that counts.

[RedPencils]

It's always the way though isn't it.
In DS's class The Christmas hat/Easter bonnet/fancy dress competitions have always been won by the child who's mother is a professional costume maker. Every year.

[effedorf]

DebsMorgan - call it lazy shorthand on my part.

[CloudsAndTrees]

What exactly is it that makes you think the school didn't consider the resources available to children?

Do you think they would have automatically chosen the mac book user over the child who used a pen and paper?

Presumably they didn't set the task with the specification that it must be done on a mac?

[ecclesvet]

Now I'm really interested in what the Mac-exclusive software was!

[effedorf]

"Teachers know when a parent did the project. If they then go ahead and award a prize to that child, I humbly suggest your beef should be with the teachers rather than the child or their parents."

Yes, it is with the teachers. Not sure why you would think otherwise.

[EduCated]

What?! I am so confused. So your thread about MacBooks isn't about MacBooks?

[RubyGates]

Panic over, I've had a dig and come up with a BBC micro, a couple of Amigas and a pile of semi-disassembled PC detritus that DS1 left behind when he left home (7 years ago).

Is DS2 allowed to his homework on any of them? Would that sufficiently lower the bar?

[DumSpiroSpero]

I think you are doing the staff at your child's school a great disservice if you think that the teachers are not well aware of which children have more parental support and those whose parents are disengaged.

Certainly at our school it is something they are very on the ball about and do everything they can to stress the importance of learning at home together, as opposed to a child sat at a table doing it's homework alone.

is an interesting video on the subject of parental involvement with learning.

Based on that, I'd liked to think staff would take this into account when assessing homework, but at the end of the day I'm not about to start not giving a shit about my child's education and refuse to get involved just to even the playing field.

[Prawntoast]

Does the BBC Micro still work? If it does, take random keys from the keyboard, that bar should be sufficiently lowered.

[CloudsAndTrees]

at the memory of BBCs and Amigas!

[YoniMaroney]

Eh?

Macs are nothing special.

Anything you can do on a mac you can do on Windows.

[BrittaPie]

People used to get annoyed when I won prizes, and I did it all alone, I just bloody loved projects

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Perhaps you should have written; "AIBU to think that the prize for Best Project should go to one done by the child not by the parents?" effedorf.

[Prawntoast]

You look more poncy in a coffee shop with a Mac.