can't be 'polite' and good any longer....

[swallowedAfly]

ds goes to a village primary with all the subsequent over-reliance on parents wealth, education, time, etc. re: assuming sahms are the norm, money is plentiful for fanciful trips and activities, we all know how to sew up costumes at the drop of a hat etc.

that's fine. i chose to live here. however....

homework is way over the top in terms of quantity and right from day one of school. one part of homework (there is loads) is the 'learning log' which is pretended to be something children could do indepndently and consolidates learning. except in reality it is not, by a long shot.

i've put up with it and put up with and felt enslaven to doing it until today when i've had enough. this week for ds (6yo and one of the most able in his year) it says, "show me what you've learned about number bonds up to 20 and what patterns you can see". then there's a blank page.

i don't know why (because this is far from the worst that's come home) but today i've had enough and found myself writing on the page that i have no idea what the learning objective is, what outcomes they're hoping for or how the hell they see this as differentiated. i've also asked how they think a parent with numeracy or literacy problems would tackle this task and whether they would actually set this as a task in class to 6yos and expect a meaningful outcome.

there is no context, no structure, no literacy support, no prompts nothing. same as ever. sometimes the tasks don't even relate to anything they've been learning.

am i totally unreasonable or would you after a year or so be fed up too? i am (if it's not obvious) an ex teacher and i know what education is supposed to be about and this is not it. homework should be meaningful. how could a 6yo read that question and face a blank page and do something a teacher could look at and assess to see what they've learnt? they couldn't.

on top of this learning log (given on a friday and expected in by tuesday) daily reading and signing of reading book is expected plus other bits and bobs. he's 6! he's been getting this since 5 at a point where some kids couldn't even write let alone face a blank page and an open ended task and produce something yet they'd get in trouble if they didn't. this is just a test of parents surely? and an unfair one given it assumes knowledge and literacy that some parents won't have?

sorry for long random rant but help! i'm not playing this game anymore and i'm ready to speak up. it's a joke.

Bakingtins has the right idea: put it straight into the recycling bin without another thought.

I'd be amazed if they ever chased you up on it. And, if they did, just think how satisfying it would be tell them a few home truths from your legitimately, and rightfully high horse!

These are more than little advertising flyers for the local zoo or whatever. If private companies are misrepresenting themselves as official communications by demanding addresses in order that people might 'opt out', it runs the risk of schools not being able to collect the real information that they need to do their business, such as annual data updates for their records. Similarly there are ethical issues with advertising private tutoring through book bags, are there not?

exactly boffin - thank god someone gets it! they were presenting themselves as part of the school or lea and as an official document that needed to be filled - do people really think that's ok?

all kicked off today as the teacher made me come over to talk about why ds hadn't filled in his learning log.

explained and got a lot of defensive denial type stuff about how it was fine that it was totally undifferentiated and how it was fine that actually they'd be assessing parental input because that was 'natural and normal' and would always be the way she admitted happily it wasn't a log of learning but an opportunity to extend their learning and obviously those who had able parents would learn loads and those who didn't wouldn't which is the natural order of things it seems.

asked how on earth a 6yo would honestly produce any meaningful output to such an open ended task and she assured me she marks beautiful pieces of work and reams of pages etc - asked her if she didn't wonder if she was marking parental input over children's work and she said 'well that's how it is and it always will be'.

very sad. she also confirmed that no it isn't differentiated for any students unless they were 'very, very severely disabled'

her stock response was 'well we'll have to agree to disagree' on that.

then she kept aggressively saying, " so are you REFUSING to do the learning log?" over and over despite the fact i kept saying, yes i am, unless it's a differentiated piece of work with a clear purpose that relates to ds and his learning. "so you are REFUSING to do this?????" yes, i've already said that. "well other children will be doing it so you'll be disadvantaging your child...." etc.

ended with her repeatedly saying, 'well i guess i can't FORCE you to do it' and me saying, 'i guess i can't stop you from deciding i'm a rubbish parent because i don't see the educational value in doing this...'.

utter joke.

Find another school. The teacher sounds vile.

oh and whilst i encouraged ds to go off and play and not listen in to what we were talking about and kept smiling and making light she was rolling her eyes at ds as if they could conspire about me being an idiot. utterly unbelievable.

ds was looking back at her as if to say, why are you pulling that funny face at me instead of talking to my mummy?

odd.

We use learning logs and would set a task just like this. Only difference is we don't do it for homework. At this age I would expect the children to write some examples and a short (most likely jumbled) commentary or explanation Our learning logs are blank pages. At this age I would probably comment on the page after I had read it. Not in England but common here and what's expected by inspectors too.

perhaps unrelated and random but ds was always in group three for spellings and literacy - always got full marks. this year he's been put down to group two and still gets full marks obviously as it's easier and she gives him housepoints etc but doesn't put him up to group three.

in last weeks spelling book he'd attempted the words for group three despite not being in it purely because he'd practiced at my mum's house (i was busier due to training courses and work commitments so he spent time there) and my mum is of the learn it all and the more the better school. she wrote 'you don't have to learn these, you are in group two so don't do these' beside his answers to the test that corresponded to group three (presumably if you're at group one you're meant to just sit there and not write anything for the rest of the test, and likewise group two).

i have zero idea why he has gone down to group two when he'd got full marks all year in group three and zero idea why he virtually got told off for answering group three's questions.

i'm now paranoid that it's because of the 'learning log'.

really not feeling confident about sending him there with these kind of attitudes.

Do they test all the class at the end of the year? A commercial type test with spelling ages? I used the results of this to set my spelling groups and a few parents were surprised their kids were in group 2 now.

did he get most of the answers right of the group 3 questions?

I would really look for another school, it sounds somewhat pants. I hate to think what will happen if your son has a real problem or there is a family crisis or something.

The school is useless - find somewhere else if possible.

AND: write out a list of all the things you do with your child which you consider to be better thought out and more educational than the school's homework and which the school is preventing you from doing with your child because of their crass and silly demands.

i'm literally feeling sick at her attitude.

she was basically saying that their is no such thing as social mobility or equality and a child's educational attainment is based on the class and intelligence of it's parents and of course schools used that to educate kids.

i swear to god she was rolling at ds and expecting him to conspire with her and i have to say i'm pretty proud that he was looking at me as if to say, 'is she crazy or what?'.

i'm stunned by how backwards it all was. i kept saying well how would a child who was dyslexic access this task? or what if their parents had english as a second language (as a friend of mine does at that school and has had a nightmare trying to do phonics let alone this level of teaching)? she was like...??? what? so? they'll fail obviously - that's normal and natural. i am STUNNED.

rolling her eyes at ds that should have said.

i kid ye not -she really fucking was looking at him and rolling her eyes

Village school with mostly white middle-class intake turns out to be parochial and small-minded with lazy staff and a sense of entitlement, shock. In other news, bears found shitting in pope's hat.

Next time someone expresses surprise at hearing that tough primaries in hard-scrabble parts of town do astounding work, while seemingly idyllic village primaries are lazy and complacent, you'll be able to give an example.

Ofsted is, at last, looking at value add, mobility and progress for all children, which is why lazy suburban and village primaries are suddenly dropping from Outstanding (ie "the parents do the teaching, we take the credit") to a category.

i personally would report that to ofsted.

the arrogance was unbelievable and i am impressed at myself that i tolerated an adult entrusted with a position of authority in my child's life rolling their eyes at him about me. seriously wtaf????

she utterly refused to engage at an adult level or discussing the value/merit/educational evidence etc and went instead for a bad mummy i'll try and shame you and make your child think you're a twat approach.

to openly admit there is zero differentiation unless you are 'severely disabled' just left me open mouthed. i trained in 2000 so maybe i am a little out of date but i don't think i missed an update where it was ok to go back to 1952. she said 'well ofsted has changed a lot' when i said come on, let's be realistic saying 'differentiated by outcome' would have my lesson laughed at by ofsted.

just stunning arrogance i guess.

jesus - i've never felt this level of... oh my god i have to send MY child into your classroom tomorrow for you to be this unprofessional and confusing to him. if she felt comfortable trying to engage him in eye rolling in FRONT of me what will she comfortable with in my absence?

i personally would report that to ofsted.

I'd write, formally, to the head. Calm down, take a chill pill, and complain, both about the work and the teacher's responses to your concerns.

But be careful. The difficulty with "but it's undifferentiated" is that by the sound of it, your own child is probably in the ability band it's notionally targeted at. Talking about how it's not an appropriate piece of work for other children, who aren't yours, can be painted as somewhere between interfering and concern trolling ("well, Ms AFly, let's leave other parents to worry about their children and focus on your child"). I realise your argument is that the lack of differentiation is just another symptom of why it's an inappropriate piece of work to set for children of any ability, but articulating that is quite difficult.

The reason for her repeated "are you saying that you're refusing" thing is that she's too used to parents (and children) being reluctant to refuse in terms. Few mothers are willing to look a teacher in the eye and say "nope", so she's assuming that you'll stop before you get to that point. When you didn't stop, she'd run out of ideas...

are you refusing... YES... no but are you actually refusing YES!! her poor little brain couldn't compute that i was actually saying no and sticking to it.

village schools man! if you're thinking oh we'll move out to here so little johnny can go to a naice school think AGAIN! if you're thinking he'll be able to play out, have friends, go to the shop solo to buy sweets then yep you're onto a good plan. if you're thinking he'll get a decent education think again.

please talk to me because i'm so cross at this point and just do not know HOW i send my child back there tomorrow with a woman who was so keen to try and conspire against me with my child.

I've not read the responses but daily reading isn't unusual or onerous! It should be part of each child's day!

Also, 4 days to complete some number bond homework is not unreasonable if you ask me. Your response was unreasonable.

oh yes dreaming - and saying that the children of illiterate parents are bound to fail and that's just nature is also absolutely fine.

I've just caught up with the rest of the thread. My apologies. In context, teacher sounds horrific. :(

Goodness, you are working yourself up into a right froth. You need to calm down.

I might also point out that this phrase perhaps ds has sen or something that i'm unaware of and all teachers have been foisted into thinking him able when he is actually sub normal pretty much lost any sympathy I had for you anyway. It sounds disturbingly like you've just equated a child with SEN with "subnormal." The fact that you state you are a teacher makes it even more appalling that you posted that.

By going off about "how are other children going to deal with this" or "how will parents who are uneducated - unlike me - going to do this," you look like you are a know-it-all busybody who is demanding they alter their lesson plans to fit your idea of appropriate.

I'd suggest that if you or your child personally had problems with this homework, then you speak to the teacher. If someone else had problems with it, they will either speak to the teacher or it won't get done properly (or won't get done) and the teacher will have a fairly good idea who is struggling and who is not.

There's a reason for the notion that "doctors (and nurses) do not make the best patients." You are not the teacher. Stick to being a parent. You are not the advocate for all the other children in the class.

I personally would be quite cross if you had decided because my child has SEN or SNs that he couldn't cope with the homework assignment. None of your business. I can deal with it, thank you very much.