School projects...........

T has had a lot of projects this term and we have learnt some interesting things. As I am sure other mom's understand the schools keep giving projects, but a lot of the research and picture printing etc lands on the parent's already full plates. Lucky for me I work for an office automation company so I can scan and print and do whatever I need to at the office. I have Internet access too so it is relatively easy for us to help with these projects, but I do wonder how parents cope that don't have all these benefits?

Today T handed in his project on Tibetan Sky Burials: they had to do a project on rituals or traditions. The sky burial is an interesting one where the body is cut up and the bones smashed and mixed with barley flour then fed to vultures. The Tibetans believe that the birds are angel's and aid the passage of the soul to heaven. I know to some it will sound gross but we found it interesting. But apart from printing some pictures (which are not easily obtained as photography is not encouraged at these burials) and some information I left him to do it. T always does his own projects and he types the information in his own words saves it on his memory stick and I print it for him at work.

BUT..............

A lot of projects are so obviously done by the parents. There is a special section of marks for "own" work and i wonder how these projects are marked? it seems unfair to compare the work of a 12 year old to the work of a 35 - 40 year old parent? Last Friday the grade 6's had entrepreneurs day at school. We were encouraged to accompany them and help them at their stalls etc. I had some business to do at the bank etc so I took a days leave. T and I made chocolate covered marsh mellows and a LOT of water balloons. We also sold cold drink. My child worked hard, he filled ALL the balloons himself, he stood over a pot of melting chocolate and covered his marsh mellows and added sprinkles. We had a simple table with a cloth and sold most of our things. But glory it was an experience, while some other children also had simple stalls and sold simple things, a LOT of the stalls were run by the parents. They were set up like shops & sold expensive and fancy things, they had huge banners and chocolate fountains and were totaly overboard. I can't even begin to explain the contrast between the two sets of children. The ones with fancy shop like stalls were not even selling their own things rather running all over the place while "mommy" did it. T sold his own things and he even worked around the school hawking his wares as did a lot of other children. Now tell me HOW are the teachers going to mark that little exercise?? Who is going to get better marks? The kids that did their OWN stalls and made their OWN things to sell or the others??