Soldato
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My GF is a primary school teacher and said her school has the same thing and has at the other schools she has taught. She thinks OP is overreacting.
School 'contract'
- Thread starter AHarvey
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My GF is a primary school teacher and said her school has the same thing and has at the other schools she has taught. She thinks OP is overreacting.
Why would any parent object to signing such a contract?
The contract is clearly intended for the parents and to remind them that school can only do so much and they should be contributing to the learning process, from making sure kids attend school to continuiing their learning after school. There are so many parents who think that kids only need to learn when they are at school and that responsibility lies with the teaching staff. Guess what? Teachers get paid whether your kids want to learn or not, why would they spend more time on those who are engaged versus those who are not?
The response on this thread suggests to me that there is definitely a need to remind parents that they are responsible for the raising of their children and not someone else, especially not those who you use to babysit your children while you go do whatever you want for 7 hours a day.
The contract is clearly intended for the parents and to remind them that school can only do so much and they should be contributing to the learning process, from making sure kids attend school to continuiing their learning after school. There are so many parents who think that kids only need to learn when they are at school and that responsibility lies with the teaching staff. Guess what? Teachers get paid whether your kids want to learn or not, why would they spend more time on those who are engaged versus those who are not?
The response on this thread suggests to me that there is definitely a need to remind parents that they are responsible for the raising of their children and not someone else, especially not those who you use to babysit your children while you go do whatever you want for 7 hours a day.
Don
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Wait wait wait.. You think parents have a choice to send kids to school?
Also, down what we want? Like... work to pay for living?
It's a legal requirement that they are in education. Teachers are not and never will be babysitters... In fact I think that's highly offensive to the teaching profession as a whole..
I think you have it wrong. I want to be in charge of my children's values and behaviour. The "Contract" could avoid all these issues by just renaming it to a set of expected values/behaviours, with an acknowledgement slip.
The very fact that it upsets a lot of parents suggests perhaps it could have been worded and put forward a little less divisively?
I think that it would be great if such “contracts” weren’t needed, but unfortunately there are far too many parents that forget that they too are part of their child’s education and they too have responsibilities. Setting out what those repsonsibilities are isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
If it really bothers you (and it seeems to have done) then go through it and highlight the ones that you dont agree with and discuss it with the school. Surely any decent parent would want a good relationship with the school responsible in part for your child’s education?
That said, it is from a primary school and so tends to be a bit on the patronising side, probably because the teachers spend their entire days dealing with small children and so sometimes forget how to talk to adults!
As to whoever said that it is the teacher’s responsibility to teach not the child’s responsibility to learn, I can teach as well as I wish, if they child doesnt want to learn, they wont.
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Caporegime
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Parents are the most mortally offended over next to nothing types going. As said, if it's causing concern or you're bothered about 'over-reach' or 'nanny state' or any of those other overly-used parental go-to's when someone actually tries to do well for your child, then speak to the school.
As, by the way, you should be doing anyway if you have any interest in their education and where they spend more time than they do with you.
signed,
A parent.
As, by the way, you should be doing anyway if you have any interest in their education and where they spend more time than they do with you.
signed,
A parent.
I get the feeling whoever is behind this is one of those people who is very organised and has a good head for business but not really in touch with the "softer"/human side of the equation.
It is why my old head teacher built up a reputation as he could blend both sides understanding the needs of the human side and a real desire to teach and see people do well as well as having shrewd business sense.
Don
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The simple fact is that to the parents that this is required for will not care or follow it and the ones who don't need it feel patronised, and find it divisive.
Do you honestly feel this "contract" will fix any perceived bad parenting?
Its laughable. Honestly if my kids turned up with one, it would be read, laughed at and then go straight in the bin. I will then explain to them my reasoning. What are they going to do, refuse my child a space in the school. I will happily talk to them to express my opinion on the matter like an adult if it becomes a larger issue.
A school is there to educate my child. Whilst my relationship with their management is not irrelevant. I am not frightened of telling them I disagree with something. If they can't deal with that they have the issue! I would far rather my children stood up and had an opinion than just roll over and sign a document because the school tells them to.
Questioning authority is healthy as long as you do it correctly and under the right circumstances.
As I said before, teachers are rarely the problem, I think they have a terribly difficult job. I am in no way bashing them.
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The OP is over 18 though. So if they had already signed the contract then this thread would have put them in breach of contract. What penalties would the school impose for breach of contract? It's suspicious that they don't mention that.
I suspect that it's just meaningless twaddle, but contracts are, well, contracts. They're binding if agreed to by a legally competent adult.
Soldato
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OP better watch out or he might be sued for breach of contract for not making his child do homework.
thats hardly a proper legal contract - lots of 'i will try my best' - its vague and would stand up to any legal scrutiny.
It strikes me as just a fancy way or getting the parents and kids to ACTUALLY read the School rules and requirements so that when something happens later on and the parent or child goes "I didn't know about that" I.E School uniform or none attendance, then the School have literal signed proof that you were told and read it.
That and to make the child feel included by doing something that the people they look up too and learn from, are doing.
That and to make the child feel included by doing something that the people they look up too and learn from, are doing.
Man of Honour
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Yes it is, everything that appears on Facebook appears here and vice versa.
This is like the male version of Mumsnet.
Soldato
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NVM
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Soldato
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Yep social media = content (media) created by users (social)
Unless i'm the only person here and Overclockers have created all the other content to fool me?
OCUK is more intellectual than your average social media though. To be fair you need a lot higher IQ than your average facebook group to understand.
Don't tar us all with the same brush!
It all seems reasonable if a little unnecessary and pointless for normal parents who take an active role in their kid's learning.
I can see why it might be irritating, it is clearly been drafted for the benefit of the lowest common denominator of Sharons and Waynes, but I would just sign it and forget about it. It's not going to be binding in any meaningful sense.
I'm not entirely sure why kids are having to sign up to the line "Work hard to develop a Growth Mind-Set" though. That teacher-speak will fly over the heads of most adults, let alone 6-year-olds. Looks like a bit of post teacher training course over-enthusiasm creeping in there...
They should have added at the bottom: "Required reading for all reception aged children and their parents: Li, Yu, and Timothy C. Bates. “Does Growth Mindset Improve Children’s IQ, Educational Attainment or Response to Setbacks? Active-control Interventions and Data on Children’s Own Mindsets.” SocArXiv, 7 July 2017."
I can see why it might be irritating, it is clearly been drafted for the benefit of the lowest common denominator of Sharons and Waynes, but I would just sign it and forget about it. It's not going to be binding in any meaningful sense.
I'm not entirely sure why kids are having to sign up to the line "Work hard to develop a Growth Mind-Set" though. That teacher-speak will fly over the heads of most adults, let alone 6-year-olds. Looks like a bit of post teacher training course over-enthusiasm creeping in there...
They should have added at the bottom: "Required reading for all reception aged children and their parents: Li, Yu, and Timothy C. Bates. “Does Growth Mindset Improve Children’s IQ, Educational Attainment or Response to Setbacks? Active-control Interventions and Data on Children’s Own Mindsets.” SocArXiv, 7 July 2017."