TheBook < Kitchen

08 Dec 2005 - 22:13

the book

So today, in Study Skills, Christopher had to Sign The Book.

This is one of their punitive things, The Book. Mrs. Roth has one, too. She's proud of it; she talked about The Book for at least 10 minutes on Back to School night, and held it up for all of us to see, then kept pressing both hands down on the cover, her fingers splayed out, to stress her points. When kids do something wrong, they have to Sign The Book.

Christopher had to Sign The Book twice today in Study Skills.

Once because he didn't have his Grade Contract, and once because he didn't have a Number Two Pencil.

sheesh, no pencil? Why didn't have a pencil?

I'm majorly unhappy with the school at the moment, but I do want my child to show up in class equipped with writing implements.

Turns out he did have a pencil; he had a mechanical pencil. The reason he had to Sign The Book was that the teacher couldn't tell if it was a Number Two Pencil.

Why did he need a Number Two Pencil?

Because he had to take a test on study skills.

He doesn't have any study skills, but he has to take a test on study skills, and he has to have a Number Two Pencil that says Number Two Pencil on the side in order to take a test on the study skills he doesn't have.

I was thinking about the Grade Contract.

Ken pointed out that a 'contract' in which only one party promises to do something isn't a contract.

In a contract both parties promise to do something.

Tonight I realized that document is more like a Signed Confession.

my contract to improve Christopher's grades
a Grade Contract that makes sense
the book
Grade Contract for married people
climb down
Smartest Tractor saves the day
KIPP Academy contract

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Why sign it?

Why not just stick your fingers in it -- and then have the teacher SLAM the book closed on them?

-- CarolynJohnston - 08 Dec 2005

Frankly this all sounds like the one-sided, emotionally-loaded "contracts" that were in vogue with Child/Family/Marriage councilors in the '70s (as I recall from personal experience).

-- BenCalvin - 08 Dec 2005

What kind of dedication did the teacher want?

(Sorry, I find this just a bit difficult to take seriously. It kind of reminds me of the one-day suspended suspension I got for returning library books early when I was a HS Senior.)

-- DougSundseth - 08 Dec 2005

Ben - what were those contracts like?

-- TracyW - 08 Dec 2005

Why not just stick your fingers in it -- and then have the teacher SLAM the book closed on them?

I BURST OUT LAUGHING WHEN I READ THAT

-- CatherineJohnson - 08 Dec 2005

Hi Ben!

ohmygod

you're kidding?????!!!!!

-- CatherineJohnson - 08 Dec 2005

who had to sign them?

why?

oh that's horrifying

I'm SO glad Christopher didn't turn his in; thank heavens.

This is going to be a HUGE shock to the principal; it was already a HUGE shock to the study skills teacher, obviously.

We're going __ ___ [censored] on this.

I'll bet we're the only parents in the entire school (in the entire history of the school?) who are going to refuse to submit our child to this.

Think about it.

Every child in that school has been asked to check off a canned list of Bad Things About Me.

Unbelievable.

-- CatherineJohnson - 08 Dec 2005

He can check off a canned list of Bad Things About Me when they send home a canned list of Bad Things About Them for us to check off.

-- CatherineJohnson - 08 Dec 2005

one-day suspended suspension I got for returning library books early

speechless

-- CatherineJohnson - 08 Dec 2005

It was a prank in the spring of my Senior year: Senior class members all check books out from the library, then all return them at (IIRC) noon on the same day. We buried the librarian's desk.

The principal gathered the most obvious perpetrators (about half the senior class, including most of the best students) in a classroom after school for a "talk". We were told that we were being suspended ... but the suspension would be suspended. If we ever again did anything wrong, the suspension of the suspension would be lifted and we would have bad stuff on our Permanent Record.

Heck, it might have worked to intimidate us if we had been in 8th or 9th grade. As seniors with less than a month of school left, we were impressed, but not, I think, in the way intended.

-- DougSundseth - 08 Dec 2005

Doug you were just lucky you weren't put on double-secret probation.....

-- BenCalvin - 09 Dec 2005

Senior class members all check books out from the library, then all return them at (IIRC) noon on the same day. We buried the librarian's desk.

SIGN THE BOOK

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

DOUBLE-SECRET PROBATION

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

Would you like me to add a sentiment, or do you just want the signature?

Oh, just the signature? I guess it is easier to sell it on Ebay that way.

-- DougSundseth - 09 Dec 2005

He can check off a canned list of Bad Things About Me when they send home a canned list of Bad Things About Them for us to check off.

Why not make your own form with your own canned catergories for the ~~teacher~~ teacher's mother to sign.

-- KDeRosa - 09 Dec 2005

Re: Family Contracts: My mom was a child/family/marriage counselor in the late 60's/early 70's. After she died in 1971 we had a few encounters with "family contracts" which were intended to hold family members to some standard of behavior. In my experience these rarely addressed core causes and focused on surface issues without changing the underlying dynamics. About as effective as your typical corporate "team-building" exercise.

A quick Google search failed to reveal any commentary on the practice, but I do see it referred to in several sites:

http://www.family-counseling.com/services/ Cinda Reimer-Christie, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor....coordinating success plans for children and their parents via the school environment and/or via private family contracts.

http://www.florence.boone.k12.ky.us/family_counseling.htm

COUNSELING WITH PARENTS Parenting Skills Communication Family Contracts Stress Management Community Resources

-- BenCalvin - 09 Dec 2005

Ben

golly

I'd love to see some of these

the thing about the 'contract' is that it's insidious

I signed it; I had Christopher sign it.

I didn't like it; it put me in a bad mood.

But I didn't think about it.

golly

the very thought of getting into a 'family contract' situation after the death of your mother; it's painful even to think about

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

Would you like me to add a sentiment, or do you just want the signature?

Oh, just the signature? I guess it is easier to sell it on Ebay that way.

don't get smart with me

just sign the book

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

or else

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

Why not make your own form with your own canned categories for the ~~teacher~~ teacher's mother to sign.

sign the book

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

ok, so they're predicting snow tonight

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

that'll give me time to make my own form with my own canned categories for the teacher's mother to sign

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

Did I mention that another newspaper delivery person got stuck in my driveway at 5 am this morning?

That makes 4 in 3 days.

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

Hey!

I have a great idea!

Ben made me think of this!

We should create a list of canned Bad Things About Me for Married Couples!

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

Report Card Evaluation and Contract to Improve My Grades
(form for husbands)

This/These past (check one)

year(s) my grades for this marriage were ___

I earned these grades because:

___ I completed all assignments.

___ I met all deadlines.

___ I came to class prepared to learn.

___ I participated actively and effectively in classroom discussions.

___ I am a wrestling GOD.

___ I am sometimes cold and critical.

___ I am sometimes scolding and condescending.

___ I am sometimes negative and unsupportive.

___ I am passive aggressive.

___ I have no idea what you're talking about.

___ other: __________________________

In order to improve my grade(s), I will:

1. 6.

2. 7.

3. 8.

4. 9.

5. 10.

I, ___________________, hereby, sign this contract, etc.

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

sign the book, guys bwahahahahaha

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

I suspect that if you check off "I have no idea what you're talking about", you aren't getting an A.

-- DougSundseth - 09 Dec 2005

You forgot:

___ I failed to give the correct answer to "does this make me look fat?"

-- KDeRosa - 09 Dec 2005

Doug

ding! ding! ding!

you are correct for 500 dollars!

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

Ken

ding! ding! ding!

You are also correct for 500 dollars!

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

Something tells me we've been hitting the medicinal red wine bottle with Kris again...

-- CarolynJohnston - 09 Dec 2005

Ken,

There ain't no correct answer to "Does this make me look fat?"

In my limited experience, a "Yes" means a sudden, painful, and violent death.

A "No" leads to "So you do think I'm fat" - also sudden and painful death.

-- VerghisKoshi - 09 Dec 2005

There ain't no correct answer to "Does this make me look fat?"

In my limited experience, a "Yes" means a sudden, painful, and violent death.

A "No" leads to "So you do think I'm fat" - also sudden and painful death.

sign the contract, Verghis

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

Something tells me we've been hitting the medicinal red wine bottle with Kris again...

Just a wee drop

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

The only right answer is to run away.

-- KDeRosa - 09 Dec 2005

The only right answer is to run away.

WRONG

SIGN THE BOOK

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

Here's a funny thing.

I'm sure other parents signed the contract on autopilot, the same way I did.

Well, it turns out my friend M's son did not sign the contract.

So M gets a call from the social studies teacher yesterday telling her her son has blown off three assignments, asking her to call back, and leaving her cel phone number.

I think that's pretty interesting. In fact, I'm thinking the social studies teacher may have called my friend after hanging up on me. I'm thinking the social studies teacher may have been in a wee bit of a panic at that point. A wee bit of a state of wanting to know: is this a parent uprising?????

Of course my friend M didn't know a thing about it. Her son is super-responsible, always does his work, always hands it in, etc., and I hadn't mentioned our own situation.

So she asked him what the 3 assignments were, and it turned out all three were I didn't hand in my contract.

He didn't hand in his contract 3 days in a row. That's 3 things.

M used to work on Wall Street; her husband's an attorney.

Now they're gonna be looking at the contract.

Instantly, off the top of her head, she's saying, 'Where's the consideration? If there's no consideration, there's no contract.'

and

'Minors can't sign contracts.'

etc.

This is fun.

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

However, Ms reaction is what I keep talking about: she doesn't care, too much, if the school stinks or not, and neither does her husband. She knows about ktm and never looks at it. They both think their kids will be fine no matter what the schools do, and they're probably right.

They also don't like meetings, don't like trying to change things, and don't think things ever do get changed.

This is my point.

This is one of my very closest friends in town, she thinks the schools are stupid, she doesn't care. Schools are stupid, they've always been stupid, you just get through with whatever you need to get into a good college and forget the rest.

It's hard to start a Movement in these parts.

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

We have to round up ALL the parents with Ph.D.s, every last one, and march on the administration building.

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

I think the engineering types might come with.

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

The Wall Street folks think the whole thing is ridiculous.

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

They're right.

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

you just get through with whatever you need to get into a good college and forget the rest

The "getting in" part is only the beginning of the battle. Getting in is easy especially if the kid is smart. Getting out is the tricky part if the kid hasn't been properly prepared no matter how smart they are. If they looked at things this way, they'd be much more concerned about what their kid was learning.

-- KDeRosa - 09 Dec 2005

Attached is a page from our Guide to the Provincial Report Card. It is not required we use it in our classrooms, but I find it helpful in focusing some students. At worst, it is an alternative to the page you have been handed.

* Analternative.pdf:

-- SmartestTractor - 09 Dec 2005

Smartest Tractor

oh my god———that is GORGEOUS

THANK YOU SO MUCH

ED LOVED IT

This is going to our meeting with us, and it's going out to Irvington parents & to the administration & school board.

Beautiful.

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

Are you in Canada?

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

THANK YOU

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

Oh, I really like that document too!!!

-- CarolynJohnston - 09 Dec 2005

they're gonna be SOOOOOO sorry they messed with us

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

by 'so sorry' what I mean is they're gonna SOOOOOO not want that document floating around Irvington.

and they're gonna SOOOOO know it wouldn't be floating around Irvington if they hadn't let things get to this point

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

like, for instance, if they were in control of their staff

-- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2005

WebLogForm
Title:	the book
TopicType:	WebLog
SubjectArea:	IrvingtonSchools, TeachersTeachingKids
LogDate:	200512081713

Attachment	Action	Size	Date	Who	Comment
Analternative.pdf	manage	9.1 K	09 Dec 2005 - 17:21	SmartestTractor

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