Friday, August 11, 2006

Is Project Child a Tribulation?

I think not. Last night I attended the Project Child Parent-Teacher conference. Bombshell use to be in it and now the Princess is. It is an interesting concept wherein each child sets his/her own goal and then works to reach that goal through a variety of "stations."

From the Child brochure: there is a computer station for technology based learning; a textbook station for written work; a challenge station for activities in game-like format; a construction station for creative expression; an exploration station for hands-on activities; and finally, a teacher station for additional instructional support.

After homeroom the students start their rotation through the three classrooms in their cluster. Then after some group lessons from the teacher, the students break up into the station they have decided to work on during that period.

While the brochure has the list as a reading class; a writing class and a mathematics class, the cluster the Princess belongs to has a Language Arts class; a social studies/science class and a reading/spelling/mathematics class.

According to her language arts teacher they will have written a five paragraph essay by the time Christmas vacation rolls around. Right now in Social Studies they are learning about laws and how they affect our lives. At one of the challenge stations they get matchbox cars to drive around; if they go to fast they are issued a ticket and after three tickets their license is revoked and the car confiscated.

In reading if their achieve their point goal, their reading level goal and 85% or better on their AR tests, they get to have a candlelit lunch with the reading teacher.

I guess what I really like about this is that the Princess is not going to be held back because someone else in the class is slower than her; nor will she be subjected to ridicule if she is lagging behind in something. I was most grateful to hear about this since last year she was told not to read advanced books as it would put the other kids at a disadvantage.

In addition to being about to contact any of her teachers, Bombshell, ex1 and I will be able to check her grades on-line.

She seems to be enjoying, especially since the teachers don't believe in a lot of homework, lol. Though they send the week's worth of homework on Monday, she can't turn it in until Thursday so she has plenty of time for it.

Shhhh. I was informed that the Princess topped her spelling test. Of course, that means her teachers will be expecting more from her. But I know she is cut out for it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was most grateful to hear about this since last year she was told not to read advanced books as it would put the other kids at a disadvantage.

WTF? That's the stupidest thing I have heard so far today.

That's the problem with schools these days. No child can be special because that means another child is not special.

ComfyMom~Stacey said...

That sounds like a very interesting class set they have.

I can't believe they told her not to read advanced books!

Mrs_Who said...

Yeah for Princess Z! But I too can't believe they told her not to read advanced books. I've always had varying ranges of abilities in my classes, but never have I told a child that. Sounds like maybe the teacher didn't want to work to meet all her students' abilities.