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Today, There Were Tears.

9/13/2016

4 Comments

 
Come home, toss off the backpack, head over to the toy bin, and play.

It's a daily routine, and one that I love watching. Tonight, though, there were tears.

After dinner, we played, went on a bike ride, and came back home to run through our routine: dishes, bath, homework, and books.

I've already written about the façade of optional homework, but my first grade son hasn't read it. In fact, he's so determined to do his optional homework that he wants it all done tonight.

Tonight is Tuesday.
Homework is due Friday.
But that doesn't matter to a perfectionist 6 year-old.

His eyes welled up with tears, his hand clenched the pencil, his muscles tensed up. He was so frustrated that he couldn't seem to spell his words correctly, write the sentence correctly, and he was tired. He was distracted.

Tonight is not the night I write his teacher.
Tonight is not the night I share Dr. Jo Boaler's work with him.
Tonight is not the night I let him learn to hate school.

But I don't know what to do. So I just gave him a hug.

Happy "Big Hug of Love" Fishing.
4 Comments
Robert Kaplinsky link
9/14/2016 06:25:21 am

Every parent in the world empathize with your experience. It's a tough on but good job for being there for your son.

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Jen McAleer link
9/14/2016 08:45:55 am

Sometimes all you need is a hug! Optional HW with a far off due date is a hard concept for many young students. Nice job!

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Bridget Dunbar
9/14/2016 08:51:38 am

I have this same issue. I am an educator as well and not a HW fan. I'd rather my kids come home to play, go to sports practice, be with their family, etc. I feel every bit of emotion that you wrote there.

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Amy Zimmer link
10/3/2016 10:30:47 pm

Big hugs coming, may you should get a dog. Dogs are way more rewarding than homework, and might be more of a draw? : )
Sorry, our tears were always the other way around, we cried, they procrastinated, unless it involved Harry Potter, then they wouldn't turn out the light.

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