Before I say a word, a disclaimer: I am not a parent. Nor do I desire ever to become one. Parenting is some hard work.
Yesterday, when Kyle was getting picked up I explained to his mom that he had a bag of books that he needs to read every day (he's a low reader) and that if he could read them at then end of the week he would get a prize. She turned to him and asked, "Well, are you going to read those books?"
Maybe things have changed, but when I was in elementary school my grammy sat me down and forced me through every damn worksheet and assignment, like it or not. She would have sat on me if that's what it took. Similarly, I can remember her dragging me out of bed (literally, by the toes) to get me to school. For all the things that mattered I had no choice.
What I'm trying to say is, maybe neither of these styles is perfect but I don't think six-year-olds should be trusted to make their own academic decisions and I'm not really sure how to politely say that to a parent.
Sadly, this is a big part of what's wrong with schools. There are too many parents that are so tired and stressed out trying to make life work that they don't have the energy to help their children with school. They are happy to just leave it to the teacher which is not fair to anyone. And then there are those who have no clue. l, g
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