10th grade English student

Who had to spend the “last days” of vacation doing a project. Let’s begin with why did you wait until the “last days”? While the summer is truly short, perhaps better planning on your part would have eliminated your need to be inside. Further, I doubt that you were asked to read anything of epic proportions, or do a project of epic proportions.

Being in the gifted program is a CHOICE and a privilege. If you can’t handle the work this early in the year, or if you regret your choice, then you’d better bail out, now.

Better look around kid, there is something called real life, the real world, the way things are. You see there will come a point where your boss, financial obligations, spouse, various organizations, etc. will not care if you had a short summer or not, they will only care about results. You will have to think and plan ahead, you will have to do the work, you will have to show up, you will have to do many things you don’t want to, but that’s the real world, that’s life.

Rather than sarcastically thanking the teachers, you need to wake up and appreciate those teachers are preparing you for the real world. Yes the reading and the project was required, but you’re missing the actual point here, this is also preparation for real life, real deadlines, and real commitment, sorry to break it to you kid, but that’s how it is.

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Sophomore Summers
muddle's picture
Submitted by muddle on Thu, 08/10/2006 - 7:11pm.

Aw, I don't know....

I've taught at the college level for a couple of decades, and I am wondering what has happened to summer vacation for students. I wound up with a Ph.D from a first rate university, but I know that I would have resented required assignments over the summers. Smiling


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Muddle
Submitted by grendlemom on Fri, 08/11/2006 - 9:09am.

Truly hope you are feeling better, many were thinking about you.

Respectfully, I still doubt that the assignments were that difficult; actually we don’t know what was required, all we know is a kid whined and waited until the last minute. Reading a couple of books, 700 pages? 500 pages? 200 pages? whatever - should be an activity "gifted" students would do on their own. These classes are a choice, if kid isn't gifted enough to enjoy reading, perhaps it is a poor choice to be in the classes.

While I understand what you say about shortened summers, resenting required summer work, the real world real life theory remains; there are no options that you are sick, tired, short summer, not enough time, don't like this, that or the other, or whatever, real world option is results and bottom line. Ya gotta get over yourself and provide those results. Beyond the assignment is the principle of preparing these kids for the real world, quite commendable on teacher's part actually. If young folks can't see that there is more to this than reading or an assignment, then maybe they aren't gifted after all.

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Nothing else to say
Submitted by IMNSHO on Thu, 08/10/2006 - 1:38pm.

I could've written this, I agree with it so strongly. I thought all of it, when I read the student's "Poor Me" comments. Thanks for putting it in words.

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IMNSHO
Submitted by grendlemom on Thu, 08/10/2006 - 2:43pm.

My pleasure. Ya know these young people just don't seem to get the BIG picture. Life's tough, don't we know, and anyone, anyway, anywhere who can give them a heads-up is doing a wonderful service, be it a parent, teacher, or ole soul online!

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So True!
schnoodle's picture
Submitted by schnoodle on Thu, 08/10/2006 - 3:07pm.

They need to strive to be better and to learn more so they will always be ahead. I think most parents these days are afraid to really lead their children. They want to be their friends instead. It's tough sometimes, but the kids need the guidance and boundaries.


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