Question for parents

[Wildcard Ky]

WHAT IF your child came home from 6th grade with the following assignment:

Write a letter of congratulations to ________ ( a person that won a political race yesterday). In this letter you must congratulate them for their victory. You CANNOT say anything negative in this letter. You can only praise and congratulate them.

Failure to write this letter per the instructions will result in a zero.

These letters will be mailed to the winning candidate.

Would this bother you as a parent? What if your kid didn't care for that candidate? What if you didn't care for that candidate?

 

[fieryjen]

Yep. I'd be pissed. "Praise this person you don't get to pick" is a bad excuse for an assignment.

 

[sr71plt]

Umm, yes. I'd be sending a note back to the teacher about keeping partisan politics out of my child's education--with a copy to the principle. (Same with anything bordering on the religious.) Since my children went mainly to British expatriate schools, I did send several letters in this vein.

Now, if it was a letter to each of the candidates thanking them for taking the effort to serve and putting themselves on the line, I'd probably let it ride.

 

[lisa123414]

“A person that won…” KY, isn’t there anyone who won yesterday that you can get behind writing a letter to? How about Mitch McConnell, or one of the four house seats won? It seems to me there could be a lesson in here somewhere? I don't believe politics should be kept out of school. The kids in our middle school voted two weeks ago, and they discussed who they backed and why. My kid took a lot of stuff, being in the minority.

 

[Wildcard Ky]

“A person that won…” KY, isn’t there anyone who won yesterday that you can get behind writing a letter to? How about Mitch McConnell, or one of the four house seats won? It seems to me there could be a lesson in here somewhere? I don't believe politics should be kept out of school. The kids in our middle school voted two weeks ago, and they discussed who they backed and why. My kid took a lot of stuff, being in the minority.

I think you misunderstand....... The teacher picked the person. The students didn't get to choose. They were told to write a letter to a specific person that won a race yesterday.

The teacher picked the person, but I left the name blank for the purposes of this discussion.

 

[cloudy]

I think you misunderstand....... The teacher picked the person. The students didn't get to choose. They were told to write a letter to a specific person that won a race yesterday.

The teacher picked the person, but I left the name blank for the purposes of this discussion.

Even if it's someone you didn't back (which, I'm assuming is the case, or you probably wouldn't be asking the question), it does teach a lesson in being a gracious loser.

Just a thought.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

If this is a real assignment, I wouldn't stop at the teacher or the principal, I'd take it to the school board.

That's just wrong.

 

[sr71plt]

Partisan. It's the partisanship I'd want kept out of it. Parents and children could be as partisan as they wanted to be at home, but I don't think it should be required to be so in school. This isn't the same thing at all as learning the political process, or even the positions of the ALL of those running for an office.

And I wouldn't be in favor of wording such a letter on the win at all (this is like praying to win a high school football game); in a school situation, I'd want it worded as appreciation for their willingness to stand for office and serve--whether or not they won.

 

[Wildcard Ky]

If this is a real assignment, I wouldn't stop at the teacher or the principal, I'd take it to the school board.

That's just wrong.

Yep, it's a real assignment. Letters will be mailed to the candidate that won on Monday. Anyone that doesn't write a lotter that conforms to the instructions gets a zero for the assignment.

 

[fifty5]

...
These letters will be mailed to the winning candidate.

That takes it out of the classroom.

As a purely classroom exercise all the rest could be forgiven. Adopting a foreign point of view as a writing/thinking exercise ought to be a growing experience.

Mailing the submissions to actual candidates makes the assignment unforgivable.

 

[fieryjen]

I would have no problem if the assignment was, say, for a fictional candidate with a lot of faults that none of the students would probably have liked much, to teach them to be polite and gracious even when one doesn't like the person in question.

But the fact that the letters will be mailed is what bothers me the most. That'd be like me tying you to a chair and saying: "Write a love letter to your boss as a harmless writing excercise, and once it's done I'll give it to them to read."

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Partisan. It's the partisanship I'd want kept out of it. Parents and children could be as partisan as they wanted to be at home, but I don't think it should be required to be so in school. This isn't the same thing at all as learning the political process, or even the positions of the ALL of those running for an office.

Exactly. I don't mind BOTH sides (or all sides ) being presented. But just one? Uhhh no.

I took on something similar when my kids brought home a ditto of Michigan with the story of "How God Made Michigan"... (something about God putting his hand down on the Earth...)

There was no way I was going to let that one go, even if that particular kindergarten teacher (Mrs. Beaver. No I'm not kidding) was as old as God and thought it was completely harmless...

 

[fifty5]

Exactly. I don't mind BOTH sides (or all sides ) being presented. But just one? Uhhh no.

I took on something similar when my kids brought home a ditto of Michigan with the story of "How God Made Michigan"... (something about God putting his hand down on the Earth...)

There was no way I was going to let that one go, even if that particular kindergarten teacher (Mrs. Beaver. No I'm not kidding) was as old as God and thought it was completely harmless...

So what did you do? I'd love to know.

 

[jomar]

I think I'd process it with my kid and try to frame it as Cloudy mentioned, but also talk to the teacher because he/she's on a slippery slope and not thinking things through.

A "...don't fuck up the landing" type of line comes to mind in the case of a candidate the kid doesn't like.

 

[lisa123414]

Yes, KY, I did misunderstand, and I also agree with fifty5, that the mailing of the letters takes this to an entirely different level.

This one is tough. In general, I give my middle school teachers a lot of slack. The classes are large and the salaries are low and the expectations are often insurmountable, dealing with the local, state and federal government regulations, and the idiosyncrasies of every parent who has a complaint.

There is a large pressure to get the grade, however, when you feel that strongly about something, it is also character building in a child to take the hit.

Have your child write a gracious letter to the teacher, without saying anything negative, communicating why she/he cannot in good conscience complete this assignment. Make sure it is written to the level of the grade (a,b,c..) that your child is capable.

If that assignment receives a zero, that is what I would take to the guidance counselor, principal, school board, whatever it takes.

 

[sr71plt]

Yes, KY, I did misunderstand, and I also agree with fifty5, that the mailing of the letters takes this to an entirely different level.

This one is tough. In general, I give my middle school teachers a lot of slack. The classes are large and the salaries are low and the expectations are often insurmountable, dealing with the local, state and federal government regulations, and the idiosyncrasies of every parent who has a complaint.

There is a large pressure to get the grade, however, when you feel that strongly about something, it is also character building in a child to take the hit.

Have your child write a gracious letter to the teacher, without saying anything negative, communicating why she/he cannot in good conscience complete this assignment. Make sure it is written to the level of the grade (a,b,c..) that your child is capable.

If that assignment receives a zero, that is what I would take to the guidance counselor, principal, school board, whatever it takes.

This makes sense to me. And I step back from saying I'd get the principal involved from the get go. I think I'd take it up with the teacher and try to keep it from becoming a bigger issue if that teacher backed off a bit.

On going ahead and writing the letter, though, I think I'd try to do the teacher one better and ask my kid to write letters to the loser in addition to the winner (and again to make it about their willingness to serve rather than winning) and send those in with a separate letter of my own to the teacher noting my reservations about the assignment.

Then, if the teacher didn't back off a bit . . . BaBammm!

 

[fifty5]

Yes, KY, I did misunderstand, and I also agree with fifty5, that the mailing of the letters takes this to an entirely different level.

This one is tough. In general, I give my middle school teachers a lot of slack. The classes are large and the salaries are low and the expectations are often insurmountable, dealing with the local, state and federal government regulations, and the idiosyncrasies of every parent who has a complaint.

There is a large pressure to get the grade, however, when you feel that strongly about something, it is also character building in a child to take the hit.

Have your child write a gracious letter to the teacher, without saying anything negative, communicating why she/he cannot in good conscience complete this assignment. Make sure it is written to the level of the grade (a,b,c..) that your child is capable.

If that assignment receives a zero, that is what I would take to the guidance counselor, principal, school board, whatever it takes.

Yo, Lisa! That's an appropriate response.

 

[PrincessErin]

.....

 

[Wildcard Ky]

As of now, I've instructed my kid to write two letters.

The first letter is to the standards that the teacher laid down.

The second letter is in my kids own words. I told my kid to write exactly what they wanted to write to the winning candidate. I told my kid to write it politely and with good grammar, but say what she wants to say.

I've decided that I'll be calling the teacher in the morning. I'm not comfortable with this at all. If the teacher is forcing them to write a letter that will be mailed, my childs freedom of speech will not be ignored. My kid will be turning in the letter that she wants to write.

 

[off2bed]

WHAT IF your child came home from 6th grade with the following assignment:

Write a letter of congratulations to ________ ( a person that won a political race yesterday). In this letter you must congratulate them for their victory. You CANNOT say anything negative in this letter. You can only praise and congratulate them.

Failure to write this letter per the instructions will result in a zero.

These letters will be mailed to the winning candidate.

Would this bother you as a parent? What if your kid didn't care for that candidate? What if you didn't care for that candidate?

My daughter would take the zero for the assignment, at my direction.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Yes, KY, I did misunderstand, and I also agree with fifty5, that the mailing of the letters takes this to an entirely different level.

This one is tough. In general, I give my middle school teachers a lot of slack. The classes are large and the salaries are low and the expectations are often insurmountable, dealing with the local, state and federal government regulations, and the idiosyncrasies of every parent who has a complaint.

There is a large pressure to get the grade, however, when you feel that strongly about something, it is also character building in a child to take the hit.

Have your child write a gracious letter to the teacher, without saying anything negative, communicating why she/he cannot in good conscience complete this assignment. Make sure it is written to the level of the grade (a,b,c..) that your child is capable.

If that assignment receives a zero, that is what I would take to the guidance counselor, principal, school board, whatever it takes.

Man, that is the advice I would be glad to have gotten-- advice that, today, i'd be incapable of giving

Thanks Lisa.

 

[off2bed]

Even if it's someone you didn't back (which, I'm assuming is the case, or you probably wouldn't be asking the question), it does teach a lesson in being a gracious loser.

Just a thought.

That's fine, as long as the letter never leaves the classroom, and is preferably addressed to a fictional candidate.

 

[lisa123414]

Man, that is the advice I would be glad to have gotten-- advice that, today, i'd be incapable of giving

Thanks Lisa.

come over here, I'll whisper some advice in your ear honey.

 

[Stella_Omega]

come over here, I'll whisper some advice in your ear honey.

Whoo!

 

[lisa123414]

As of now, I've instructed my kid to write two letters.

The first letter is to the standards that the teacher laid down.

The second letter is in my kids own words. I told my kid to write exactly what they wanted to write to the winning candidate. I told my kid to write it politely and with good grammar, but say what she wants to say.

I've decided that I'll be calling the teacher in the morning. I'm not comfortable with this at all. If the teacher is forcing them to write a letter that will be mailed, my childs freedom of speech will not be ignored. My kid will be turning in the letter that she wants to write.

This is a seriously respectable approach, good luck to you both, and good job, Dad.