Sonic'

Here is the homework

Part 1)

Research about the country China

Geographical location (where?)
Population
Weather & Climate
Language & Culture
Famous Sights
Things from China
History

Part 2)

Find out where Chinese people live outside of China

How many Chinese people live in USA, England, France etc?
Choose at least 5 countries and summarise your findings in a bar chart

Part 3)

Write a diary entry of your travels and adventures in China (where did you go, what did you see?)

Other things to choose from to do out of the tasks are

Make a model of a famous building in China
Compare China with England
Make a Travel Brochure
Research about a big city in China
Find a Chinese Recipe and write instructions on how to make the dish

SteveScooby

iTrader: (2)

7/8

worley

10 or 11, the bar chart gives it away, the travel brochure also pushes it into a higher age category.


Nik

zs_phil

iTrader: (1)

my daughter brought some homework home the other day i was amazed at doing x's table she's 6 years old and doing 6x table i didnt learn it until i was 16 and still struggle

Scoobyols69

homework should never been invented its stupid i think

PeteBrant

Yeah. Especially punctation and grammer homework.

Sonic'

Those are the sort of ages I would have put the homework, however it has been given to a 5 year old with Autism

His teacher has said if he doesnt do it, he will be made an example of, as all the other childrens homework will be put on display, and he will be the one that loses out, as he wont get a gift (all the other children will) and he will lose his 'golden time'

When we spoke to his teacher about it, and told her he doesnt even understand what is being asked, we got told to let his older sister do it for him, and us just to print out some information from the internet for him

She also said that when she was in America she had one or two Autistic children in her class and her professional opinion is that our lad doesnt have Autism, even though he has been officially diagnosed by the real professionals

I told her all autistic people are different, and she said she knows that, but our lad isnt anything like the ones she saw in America so he cant be Autistic

One of the other boys in his class is much higher on the Autism scale, and his teacher tells his mother it isnt his Autism that makes him do what he does, its just attention seeking

DCI Gene Hunt

Wow, she sounds like a GENIUS

If she has a minute you may want her to sort out third world debt, Iraq and the whole credit crunch thingy...... as it would appear she knows no limits to her own expertise....

Well it's either that, or..... she's just a complete **** in need of a good rogering

DemonDave

iTrader: (13)

wtf - she should be made an example of ... thats close to bullying ?

Sonic'

I agree, and she is the one who deducted house points from the eldest for asking if she worked in the chippy across the road

ScoobyDoo555

Complain to the head, via the board of governors.
Teachers like that give the Education sector a bad name


Dan

nickwrxstiV2

Bar chart - 5yrs old! She's having a laugh. I teach Y4 (8-9yrs old). My high ability would be able to do that. But really, I would expect that kind of volume and complexity to be for Y5 or Y6. She's asking a lot!!!

TopBanana

Is the teacher autistic too?

Chelspeed

> Yeah. Especially punctation and grammer homework.

And spelling too. Goes with the grammar. Double

Shark Man

Christ, I couldn't even write at 5yrs old, yet alone write a (presumably fictional) diary and make a bar chart. At that age, all I was good for was the first quarter of the alphabet, three letter words (I was told off for using four letter words ) and random scribbling - wrecking all the crayons in the process

What do the other parents think about it?

RB5_245

Given the rest of the homework I would doubt the trip to china is supposed to be fictional.

+Doc+

I wish I had the internet when I was at school, homework would take minutes!
Its scary to see how children are developing earlier, or maybe exciting also? My three year old amazes me how she can handle a laptop, play brain training on the DS, know letters and numbers at this early age.

Back on topic, it seems a bad way of teaching, maybe with help the homework would be achievable, however the reward and humiliation tactic is not the best way to bring the best out of children.
I would be tempted to have a meeting with said teacher.

the_msp

Punctuation. Triple

Simon C

Given what Sonic posted in an earlier post on this thread, I'd be more tempted to be having a word witrh the headmaster.

Lisawrx

iTrader: (1)

Sonic, I really think you need to go above this teacher to address the issues you are having with her. She ultimately is discriminating your son because of a genuine illness. I can't for a second imagine she is oh so qualified to write off what professionals within the correct field have said, purely becasue she has come across a couple of autistic children in her career.

Sonic'

Cheers for the comments, to be honest she isnt the first teacher to dismiss his diagnosis, quite a few of the teachers have said they are shocked and cant believe that he has been diagnosed at all, but then that doesnt surprise me as most of the school have done their utmost to stop him getting diagnosed

The best part of it is, is that the Psychiatrist has requested a meeting with all professional parties (including us) to have a meeting at the school to establish why the school reports are so different to all the professional reports

It did make me laugh when she said get his elder sister to do it for him, and for us to print stuff out from the internet, what good will that achieve and what will he learn by that ?


The board of governers are getting a letter, as last week he came out of school with a severe bruise and swelling above his eye and around his temple area, not one teacher spoke to us, he had a small note in his hand that said he had banged heads, after questioning him, he told us he got pushed by another child and hit his head on the floor

We have complained to the school as this had happened first thing in the morning, and at the very least we should have had a phone call to come collect him to take him to hospital to have him checked out, but they never even bothered telling us, I took photos of his head so I can print them out and put them in the letter to the board of governers

Back on the subject of this type of homework, the eldest does get these kind of projects, but not quite as involved, and she has struggled slightly with them, and she is quite bright, but also her teacher is really supportive and has gone out of her way to help with project work

RB5_245

Agreed, and possibly a reason why homework is tougher that we pre-internet kids would expect. It's supposed to be difficult. We may have only had the local library, they have the internet. To keep the same level of challenge requires more information.

Not to insult the OP, I have no knowledge of the situation. Autistics that I know would never be asked to do such a task by any sane person, let alone a teacher. I would assume then that the kid in topic is mildly autistic. Can he actually manage to piece something together and is not being overly protected by concerned parents?

I mention this specifically as I was diagnosed dyslexic as a kid (as was the trend at the time). I've always had a hard time with, well any language and hated english classes. Due to being dyslexic I had certain freedoms with that type of work, which I could have completed all be it at great stress yet took every chance I was awarded to get out of it (even at a very young age). I would say, if he's capable yet needs lots of guidance and struggles then get him through the project and chat privately with the school. Also think of his social situation, if he were the boy that didn't have to do it because he is (insert insult here) - you know how kids are at that age.

I also don't believe in homework. School is work, and given their is no choice it's slavery. Children's free time should be getting bruises playing football, or learning it's wrong to shoot catapults at sheep. The playstation generation is little wonder when you consider they spend as much time behind the desk as an office worker

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

I'd suggest some secret recording of future conversations with that teacher. Catch her on tape saying the things you claim she is doing. Get the evidence documented, and then when you have the proof you can decide what to do with it.

There are all sorts of routes you can take. A teacher bullying a child with medical problems would probably be of interest to your local MP and press. Politicians always like to look to be doing the right thing.

NotoriousREV

Steve,

My older sister is a primary school deputy head, I've asked for her advice. I'll let you know what she says.

Dave

Leslie

I think that teacher has got her head in an unpleasant place. Amazing how she is able to make a medical diagnosis which is different to the trained experts as well.

Feel free to tell her that from me Sonic.

Les

Maz

iTrader: (34)

This teacher sounds a very well balanced individual. She seems to have a chip on both shoulders. You have a diagnosis now so who is she to give you a differing 'professional' opinion?! I think you ought to show her this thread as a reflection of Scoobynet's professional opinion.

jods

NotoriousREV

Steve,

Here's my sisters response. Remember, she doesn't know you so don't take some of the comments to heart She wasn't quite as helpful as I'd hoped

Sonic'

Cheers Dave

We do sometimes have the odd problem with communication, sometimes what Andrew tells us, isnt always fact per se, but he is quite literal with his answers

Eg, the other day he told us he didnt have lunch on his school trip, so I asked his teacher and she told us he was given lunch and that perhaps he didnt eat it, but she would check, as he was so adamant that he did not have lunch

It would appear that both Andrew and his Teacher were correct, he 'was' given lunch, but he didnt eat it, so in his mind he didnt have lunch

Another incident was he wanted to wear his bedtime socks for school and I told him no, as he had worn them for 5 nights on the run and they were minging and needed washing, and he replied 'but I havent worn them for 10 weeks' his inflections implied that he 'hadnt' worn them for 10 weeks so were clean to wear for school, however he was very true with his statement, as he had only had them for a week, and so couldnt possibly have worn them for 10 weeks

I think with the homework is that they more just want the kids to hand something in, and its the effort not the content, he cant even read what any of the project says should be done, let alone understand it, as is the case with most of the kids in his class

He isnt on his own either, many of the kids parents have complained in his class regarding this and the previous project homework they had, we did have a big argument with his teacher about his previous project homework during parents evening, and said that he had spent the previous evening sobbing his heart out for 3 hours solid with absolutely NO reprieve because he couldnt do it, or could understand what he had to do

So she grabbed hold of him, pulled him towards her invading his personal space and stopping him from getting away, looking at him directly in the eye so close that he couldnt avert his eyes, and telling him he must do his homework and he does know about the subject as they all did it in class

With this latest Chinese project work, he told us yesterday that he was taken out and with another teacher whilst they did the Chinese material in the lesson, so we will be checking that tomorrow morning

ScoobyWon't

I asked my sister-in-law who teaches 9-10 year olds about the homework. She thinks only the "High Achievers" in her class would be capable of completing it.

I'm not sure if that's good or bad as she teaches in an inner-city school where at least one child is excluded every week.