|
|
Caretaking Parents, Entitled Kids
Demanding children – children who have entitlement issues – seem to be common these days. Like the obnoxious child, Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, who was constantly demanding that her father get her whatever she wanted...
If I Hurt You, Then I'm Sorry
This statement has stopped many a war in my house. My oldest two children are two years apart in age and would fight about everything and nothing when they were little. One would anger the other and then deny that it ever happened. One would...
Parenting Styles - Overcoming Your Differences
If you spend any time in the parenting section of the library or your local bookstore, you will find hundreds of books on disciplining and raising your children. All the leading experts have their own ideas about what works and what doesn't. ...
The Family Bed: A Story in Generations
If I had been born at home, surely it would have been into a family bed. As it was, my parents brought me home from the hospital, where I was promptly given a place aside my mother in the bed which slept us all: mom, dad, my brother and I. I nursed...
The John Wayne vs Apron String Approach to Parenting
My husband and I have different views on parenting.
He likes to recount a scene from an old John Wayne movie, "Hondo", where a young boy doesn't know how to swim. Raised solely by his mother who was never able to teach him, the boy was afraid of...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The "B" Word
Former students would probably attest to the fact that few things tried my patience as much as did the statement, “This is boring!” As I reflect back on my many years in the classroom, I can’t help but feel a tad bit sorry for the first kid who made the mistake of uttering those words each year. (It was rare to hear the phrase a second time because most kids vividly recalled my “sermon,” and they didn’t want to risk a repeat performance.)
The sermon went something like this. “Nobody is BORED in my classroom. I work hard to plan fun and interesting activities that will allow you to learn. When you finish your work earlier than others, there are many choices of quiet things to do. You may use the book nook, puppet theatre, computer, writing center, art center, or the manipulative math corner. Now please, do NOT let me hear the word “bored” again!”
I suspect that each school year’s first offender felt like Calvin in one of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes cartoons. In the first two frames Calvin is sitting at his school desk looking totally bored, but saying nothing. In the third frame Calvin screams, “BORRRING!” In the final frame Calvin is heading for the Principal’s office muttering, “Yeah, yeah…kill the messenger.”
Although not many kids made the mistake of verbally uttering the “B” word a second time, I suspect they thought it (or mouthed it to their friends) more than once. Why do all teachers – and many parents - hear this complaint on a somewhat regular basis? Is it because most kids find the day-to-day classroom work too easy? Not hardly.
Contrary to popular opinion, the “bored” child is not always the academically gifted child who is not being challenged. As a matter of fact, that is rarely the case. More often than not, the “bored” student is one who is frustrated because he is not really understanding the material being presented, or does not yet possess the skill that he is being asked to demonstrate. (None of us like to admit that we aren’t up to doing a task that we’re expected to accomplish, or that we haven’t the foggiest notion about what is being explained to us. And for most of us, it’s easier to say,
“I’m bored” than it is to say, “I’m struggling.”)
When a student of any age - that includes the high school kid - says he is bored, he oftentimes means something quite different. He is really saying, “This isn’t fun. This is work and I don’t want to work. I want to be entertained! Furthermore, I don’t understand what she (the teacher) is talking about or what I am supposed to do. ” In the mind of the student (albeit subconsciously), his cry of boredom shifts the blame and the responsibility from himself to the teacher.
If the child is unlucky, the “boredom syndrome” will give the parent a hook on which to hang criticism of the teacher, and no one will win. The parent blames the teacher, the teacher reacts defensively, and the child continues to flounder. An opportunity for helping a kid gets lost somewhere between the pointing fingers of the parent and the defense mechanisms of the teacher.
And what do I suggest you do if your child says, “School is boring”? Run (forget walk) to the telephone and request a conference with your child’s teacher. Advise the teacher of your concern. Assure “him” that you are not requesting a conference to assign blame to anyone, but rather to get his opinion as to what is really going on in the classroom that might prompt a declaration of boredom. I can assure you that your child’s teacher will appreciate your concern and do everything possible to work with you to determine the cause, and work toward a solution.
“Boredom, after all, is a form of criticism.”
-William Phillips
*This article is an excerpt from Chapter 8 in my book, From the Teacher’s Desk. http://www.booklocker.com/books/
Jacquie McTaggart is a recently retired 42-year career teacher and author of, "From the Teacher's Desk." She currently travels throughout the country speaking at teacher and parent conventions. You can find more of her teaching and parenting tips at http://www.theteachersdesk.com.
mctag@indytel.com
|
|
|
|
|
Pregnancy | Baby | Child | Mom | Advice Tips & Resources for ... |
Parenting magazine has everything you need to raise a happy, healthy family. Get expert advice on child development, the best in baby names, our pregnancy ... |
www.parenting.com |
  |
Pregnancy & Parenting: For Today's Mom - iVillage |
From trying to conceive through your child's teen years, iVillage Pregnancy & Parenting offers up-to-date and informative articles, features, expert advice ... |
parenting.ivillage.com |
  |
Parenting.org – Help and guidance for parents! |
Answers questions about parenting and has resources for better parenting. |
www.parenting.org |
  |
Parents |
Expert advice about pregnancy, your kids, your life, and family time from the editors of Parents magazine. |
www.parents.com |
  |
BBC - Parenting |
Practical solutions to help with the challenges of everyday parenting - including expert advice as well as tips from other mums and dads. |
www.bbc.co.uk |
  |
Parenting, Pregnancy,Conception, Babynames - Parenthood.com |
Information regarding parenthood and parenting. Find the meanings of Baby names and useful articles on parenting. |
www.parenthood.com |
  |
Parenting advice, child development and family reference at ... |
FamilyEducation.com provides parents with educational printables, games, activities, parenting ideas, tips, family advice, and information on learning ... |
www.familyeducation.com |
  |
MedlinePlus: Parenting |
From the National Institutes of Health; Adventures in Parenting (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) ... |
www.nlm.nih.gov |
  |
The National Parenting Center |
Support site for parenting. Dedicated to providing parents with comprehensive and responsible guidance from the world's most renowned child-rearing ... |
www.tnpc.com |
  |
About - Parenting & Family |
Parenting advice from moms and dads who know what's up. Whether your babies are still actual infants, or about to enter college, our Guides will give you ... |
about.com |
  |
Positive Parenting - Main Menu |
Debbie Critzer Positive Parenting is dedicated to providing resources and info rmation ... Welcome to Positive Parenting online! For our long-time readers, ... |
www.positiveparenting.com |
  |
Parenting Tips and Information on Baby Care and Pregnancy. |
This parenting and baby care resource center offers essential pregnancy, baby care and development information, tips, and articles. |
www.parenttime.com |
  |
Parenting, Children's Health and Education, Family Crafts and ... |
Parenting, Children, and Families - ParentCenter is the most trusted online resource for parents of young kids. ParentCenter offers free weekly newsletters, ... |
parentcenter.babycenter.com |
  |
Parenting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
The term "child training" implies a specific type of parenting that focuses on ... Parenting measures can also be observational, such as the Parent-Child ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
  |
Today's Parent |
At Todaysparent.com you'll find a parenting community to call your own, with a library of information on all the ages and stages of your growing family, ... |
www.todaysparent.com |
  |
Indian Parenting - The Definitive Guide |
Comprehensive website for Indian parents with topics ranging from pregnancy to raising children, including articles on infertility, health and medicine, ... |
www.indiaparenting.com |
  |
Exceptional Parent Magazine - Eparent.com - parenting those with ... |
Magazine for parents of children or young adults with disabilities. Includes reports, forum, products links, books. |
www.eparent.com |
  |
Parenting: information, advice and support from toddler to teenage |
Parenting advice, information and support to help you with your family, from toddler to teens. |
www.ivillage.co.uk |
  |
Parenting-QA.com - Parenting Questions and Answers For Parents in ... |
All parents have questions about their children’s behavior, growth, and development. The challenges of parenting seem never-ending and constantly evolving. |
www.parenting-qa.com |
  |
Parenting Teens - Troubled Teen Help Information. |
Information for parents of teens, including troubled teens, parenting tips, teen education, and more. |
www.parentingteens.com |
  |
|