Gabfest: And Thereby Hangs A Tail

It is a group project the kids did or individual? If group and friend didn't tell where, that is odd.

If it is individual project, then, is the science fair a competition or simply presenting of the projects? If competition, then, where to print the board is information related to a competition.

In any competition, unless all the work is done in class, and only by material provided by teacher, things are not fair. So, any advantage counts.

It is Friday, I am going to bring in working mom/SAHM into the discussion. : ) For one such activity loooong ago, (I was a fulltime SAHM then), I worked with my kid on the presentation part. One thing we looked into was the size and style of display board. Went to Target,Office Depot, Staples... Stood a few feet from each size/style/color of board... Imagined it placed on a low table/high table. Imagined kid pointing to parts of the board when responding to judge's questions. Checked how much of display board would be covered up by the actual project in front of it. We decided on a size, went back to the store that had that, bought it.

Come evening, a busy working mom calls me up to ask which board is best, and from which store can she pick it up on the way home. What can I say... my kid was listening to my end of the conversation. My adroit handling would have put to shame a career East European or Middle East diplomat. : )

TGIF!

 

ROFL TGIF indeed.

OK I am too lazy and wiped out from the week to go look for the right thread to post.. Read a news recently that had me wondering just how much technology has become an ingrained part of our lives.

Police use murdered woman's Fitbit movements to charge her husband - CNN.com
Woman's Fitbit gives police information about her movements, which contradict what her husband says happened.

 

Not just in India. Saw it with tenured teachers in my child's high school. Teacher said effectively the same thing ("will see that you get least marks ..."). Such a fine line to walk, telling child to speak their mind, ask questions, and how not to totally piss off teacher who has so much power.

I also could write a book. LOL already have a plot an an in media res starting. Me sitting late at night, listening to a Balamuralikrishna kriti (anugAlavu chintE ) that one friend sent me. She knows I am not a believer : ) I sit holding my head in my hands, that plays in repeat mode. : )

 

This inclusiveness applies to in-school activities. For events where the school is represented by a few or one student, it is often left to the teacher's discretion whom to choose. And teachers will take into account academic or related strength, but finally, like in the world of grown-ups, it comes down to which child is (also) more outgoing, and who can advocate for himself/herself. Mine can't LOL, and I don't hold it against the teachers for ignoring them........

 

I think I was ticked off because
a) Kids are in different schools and the other kid is a grade higher.
b) I can't do the above diplomatic handling and neither can DD. I'm a big mouth. That kid came home and got mock judged by me to go answer her judges. My DD helped her with what should go where on the board. I should have just shut up about my mock judging capabilities.
My thought process was that helping peers will only better her capabilities. I also thought that things like eliminating competition isn't relevant. How many such kids are going to be deterred by a mere project board? My DD went to nationals that year.

Yes. I see this all the time. I don't like this though. It's the teacher's job to look at all kids equally and treat them so. Just because one kid is socially adept, the others cannot be overlooked. I don't like the fact that honors placement, opportunities outside school, competition etc should be based on how well the child manages the teacher. That's just ridiculous. It should depend on the child's academic ability not social skills.