My kindergartner had homework over break. I made him do all the worksheets and writing assignments but let him cheat on reading. (My grandparents own a bookstore and so when we visit them for Christmas we are allowed to "shop" for our own presents. Dylan picked out an armload of Little Golden Books and I let him read those instead of forcing him to read the dreadful leveled reading books the school sends home. I do see the practicality of leveled reading in the classroom, but books designed by committee to contain a certain number of sight words are pretty much uniformly awful when it comes to actual storytelling, and since they're so repetitive, Dylan memorizes them after a single readthrough anyway which renders them useless as a learning tool!)

Newborns do that!

But that's not a newborn. It's a pre-born. Those don't grab so much, as far as I've been able to determine (admittedly cursory research here).

Speaking of research, I was looking for images of the lovely Tico Armand, and the difference in quality of results between Google's image search and Bing's is so remarkable that I'm going to start using Bing for provocateuse research.

For reasons that escape me I brought up the "cleaning up" of results to my father over break, and luckily he didn't dwell on why I might care beyond principle.

My kindergartner had homework over break.

So did one of mine. So we made a copy of it and gave it to the other twin as homework too! Equitable distribution of worksheets!

I do see the practicality of leveled reading in the classroom, but books designed by committee to contain a certain number of sight words are pretty much uniformly awful when it comes to actual storytelling, and since they're so repetitive, Dylan memorizes them after a single readthrough anyway which renders them useless as a learning tool!)

Most Dr. Seuss books started as an attempt for Geisel to prove that you can make fun books that are all leveled readers with sight words. Hence Hop on Pop which is nonsensical.

Noah and Grace are currently crazy about Magic Tree House books (we're on book 6) and Grace loves Beatrix Potter.

Okay, I have two pages written so far. This is going to be a write, then let it stew and revisit it to add in data paper.

Because I always think I might leave my job.

Yeah. I feel like I've been in stasis for the last year trying to decide what I want to do when I grow up. (With stretches where I just ignore everything.) My inability to make a decision is driving me a little crazy.

Reading is still such a struggle for mac. I had him start reading Where the Sidewalk Ends last night and he did not think any of the poems he read were fun. The fiction book he is reading right now is less than 150 pages and he fights about reading more than 3-4 pages at a time.

We don't even give our high school students homework over break. That's why it's a break. Sheesh

That's awesome. We always had finals in January, so there was tons of homework and catching up, over break.

And I don't want to see my OWN insides outside, but I would totally dig seeing other peoples'. Which is why I did sorta consider doctoring, but decided getting into med school and then going through residency and all that seemed awful difficult.

I've probably posted this before, but seeing a cow with its uterus outside (and inside-out) as a child is what made me decide not to become a doctor or vet.

body stuff on tv and movies rarely bothers me, but open bodies irl, hells no, and birthing is unto like Alien to me.

Most Dr. Seuss books started as an attempt for Geisel to prove that you can make fun books that are all leveled readers with sight words.

Judging by the books D brings home, nobody selling leveled readers directly to schools seems to have gotten the hint.

How do you moms (and dads, but it seems to be a mom thing with my friends) a) get your kids to do the homework and b) not explodiate with rage. I spent several days with my BFF, and almost the whole day was whining, whining, whining about homework- the content, the reasons for doing it, begging to wait until later, sneaking away from the table, getting distracted by music/tv/etc. And this is a 12 year old! I know I am not cut out to be a mom, but if that was entire evenings at my house, I would seriously lose it!