This morning, my 1st grader showed me his homework and swore to me that he had checked it twice.
He probably forgot to mention he checked it with his eyes closed and his computer games on. :-/
Now, I’m generally an understanding mommy; I will always give a second chance to re-check work. If there are still unacceptable mistakes (ie, careless idjut mistakes), I’ll rip up the paper and have my kids hand write the assignment out.
This morning, however, was a sheer “let’s test the mommy boundaries!” adventure. My son showed me one lame attempt, went back to fix it, brought it back and acted quite confused when I pointed out the 2 blank spaces and utterly incorrect answers. I refused to check it a third time and told him, he had dishonored his own abilities by trying to pass off half-buttocked work as something worthy of his skills.
Now, this is pretty heavy stuff for a 6 year old to hear, so I had to follow it up with a declaration of my utmost confidence in his abilities and how he can always shine when he puts his mind to it. We then went over the Ling Rules of Academic Success; he asked me for his own special copy so he could keep it with him always. (side note – I had devised the Ling Rules of Academic Success 4 years ago for his sisters). The tears dried, the smile returned, and my boy happily boarded the school bus.
This brings me to my rant of the day. It’s the parent’s responsibility, NOT the teachers, to ensure their kids put out their very best efforts…and hold them to the highest standards possible. Letting your kids slack off at an early age only encourages sub-optimal performances later on in school!
It might be tough, it might be hard, it might be really painful to watch your kid emotionally react to criticism…but done right, you’ve really helped your child reach beyond their personal boundaries and exceed past their own expectations. And that, of course, is always a good thing.
Enjoy,
Barbara
ps – the homework in question was math. Do you like math? How ’bout: