I AM NOT SMARTER THAN A 4TH GRADER!

My boys are only in fourth grade and already I am pretending to go to the bathroom so I can look things up on the computer when helping them with their homework.  Really!  What would I do without Wikipedia?  And thank goodness I get the answer key for their math homework or I’d really look stupid!

I can’t be the only one having this problem, am I?  Let’s start with Math.  They are learning multiplication and division WAY differently than the way I learned it, so when I try to help them, they look at me like I’m an idiot.  My way makes sense to me, and it gets them the same answer, but they have no idea what I’m doing.  So now, at 40-something, I have to learn how to multiply and divide all over again, the “NEW” way.  Ugh!

Then I was helping them with Language Arts, another subject I THOUGHT I was good at.  They were supposed to pick out the subject, then the simple subject, the predicate, then the simple predicate.  Huh?  Run upstairs (be right back honey, I just have to go to the bathroom) and check the computer to see what the heck a predicate is.  Oooooh, okay.  Now, what’s the simple predicate?  Well, why didn’t you just say verb?  Now I get it.  Run back downstairs. (Okay sweetie, where were we?)

The best is when the teacher is giving me suggestions on how to help them, or what to look out for when they are doing homework, etc. and she is talking about things that are totally confusing me.  “Uh, now, refresh my memory, exactly what is that again?”  Yes, I feel like the biggest idiot in the world!  She’s teaching this stuff to my 9 year old and I have no idea what she’s talking about.  Don’t I feel like a LOSER!!!

So here’s an idea for teachers:  at the beginning of the year, write a little manual for the parents with ALL the answers for the entire year.  You don’t want our kids to think (know) that they are smarter than us, do you?

Karen

THINGS ARE A-CHANGIN’ THIS YEAR!

My boys are in 4th grade this year, so it’s time they do more, so  I can do less.  And really, it’s time.  Don’t worry, I’m not totally cutting them out on their own, but they need to start assuming more responsibility concerning getting ready for school each morning, remembering their schedules, doing their chores, etc.

So let’s start with school.  The night before, they need to pack up their backpacks after they finish their homework and I check it.  In the morning, they need to figure out if they are bringing lunch or buying.  (They are allowed to buy only twice per week.  Call me cheap, call me a health nut, whatever!)  They can get out their lunch box (are they still called lunch boxes, cuz they really aren’t boxes anymore – hey, I still remember my Partridge Family lunch box!), the blue ice thingee, and the “sides” that  they want.  I’ll make their sandwiches for them.  They also need to remember to bring a snack (I don’t actually know if 4th graders bring snacks, but they did in 3rd grade) if they didn’t already pack that.

After school, they need to unpack their backpack and give me whatever I need to see (of course I’ll double check this) and start on their homework at whatever time we agree upon.

Regarding their schedule, I’ll start putting their activities on the kitchen calendar so they can check it every night when they are putting their backpacks together.  So if they have a cub scout meeting or something else after school that they’ll need a note for, they will have to remind me to write it.

Chores.  Hmmm, that’s a tougher one.  As it is now, they earn their allowance by doing chores, but only if they remember, not if I have to remind them.  This hasn’t worked out so well.  I have an idea to keep the same concept, but tweak it a little bit.  I just hate having to remind them to do the same things, day after day after day.  (One of those little things that annoys the heck out of me!)

So I think I’ll start with these little changes and if all goes well, expand from there.  Wish me luck!

Karen