Last night's homework was a Happygram. He had to write a few sentences about something that made him happy recently and then draw a picture to illustrate his story. Seemed simple and innocent enough. Oy, how wrong I was.
C: So, bud, what made you happy recently?
J: Nothing! Everything is awful! This was the worst day EVER!!!
Ever? Really? Not much has gone wrong in his short life, thankfully, but what could have made this particular day so bad?
C: Why, babe?
J: Because we were supposed to vote on our movie! The movie and popcorn party we earned with Score 4 points! But they wouldn't stop talking so Mrs. O told us all to put our heads down and that we couldn't have the movie!
C: What? Honey, maybe she meant you couldn't have it yesterday.
J: NO! She said never! She said that maybe we'd have it in first grade if we earned all the points again next year but we aren't going to have it this year! Mom, that's forever away! We earned the points and we were supposed to have it! I'M NOT ONE OF THE BAD KIDS!!! IT'S NOT FAIR!!! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!!!
Oh my God. What the fuck???
Okay, let me back up.
Score 4 points...I don't know the intricate details of the program but basically the kids accumulate points for good behavior and the class as a whole earns rewards when points levels are reached. Jack's class has earned days where they could wear jeans (big whoop, I know), stuff like that. One of the bigger rewards, maybe the biggest, is Popcorn and Movie Day where the kids vote on what movie they want to watch and then watch it with popcorn at school.
Jack has been excited for the popcorn/movie extravaganza all year. Since Christmas, he has been updating me several times a week on how many points they earned that day, how many points they have in total, how many points they need to reach the goal...it's a great math lesson from that perspective.
But the teacher taking away the movie after they earned it?
Shittiest lesson EVER.
Jack, in all his righteous anger over the injustice, hit the nail on the head, "We earned the points, Mom! I was quiet and I didn't do anything wrong but she is taking away my reward anyway!!!"
And that, my friends, is NOT FAIR.
We had a movie night here last night. He got to stay up past his bedtime and have popcorn with us. Not nearly as cool as popcorn at school but he was mollified.
I am not but I'm waiting to see what happens today. Maybe Mrs. O went home and realized that she spoke rashly and is punishing the good kids by taking away what they earned. I mean, go ahead and take the movie away from the bad kids. It's unlikely that they did much to earn it anyway. But the kids that followed the rules and did what they were told they had to do to earn the movie? Taking it away from them is wrong. Horribly wrong. Life-lesson wrong.
Teach my kid to read and write. DON'T teach him that working towards a long-term goal and following rules of good behavior are pointless exercises that will end in frustration and disappointment. That is a lesson that could have far-reaching repercussions and that is what makes me the angriest about this whole debacle. I mean, seriously, why trust anyone in authority when all you will get is empty promises? Why bother to act responsibly or respectfully? It's easier to be bad and you get the same result as if you made the effort to be good.
DAMNIT.
I don't need that woman undoing all the good that Tom and I have worked so hard to instill in him. Hopefully, she will make things right. I really don't want to have to get involved but if I have to, I will. Oh yes indeed, I surely will.
Oh and the Happygram? Completed as follows:
I was happy when my Mom and Dad let me have a movie night at home. It made me feel better about no movie and popcorn day at school. I was sad about that.
Out of the mouths of babes. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, lady.
2 comments:
So what happened the next day? Don't leave us hanging!!
So what happened?? Tell, tell!!
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