UnschoolingDiscussion ยท UnschoolingDiscussion@yahoogroups.com


From: "Vesna" <duonexus@tds.net>
Date: Thu Sep 8, 2005  1:54 pm
Subject: Accusations -- a student's reward for good work [Was: Re: I need some help]
Glena,

I can relate! Similarly, in the seventh grade I was accused of
plagarism because my book report seemed (to her) so good that it had
to have been copied from the dust jacket. The teacher didn't bother to
look at the dust jacket before leveling her charge.

At first, I thought it was a compliment. I was trying to write the way
"real writers" wrote, so being compared to the pros who write blurbs
for the publishing companies is a good thing, right? But it was a
failing grade. I went to the teacher and found out that she meant her
note, "Sounds like dust jacket," literally!

You can imagine how much I tried to write "like a real writer" in that
teacher's class after that little episode.

Vesna


--- In UnschoolingDiscussion@yahoogroups.com, rubyprincesstsg@a... wrote:
>
> In a message dated 9/8/2005 8:51:22 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> debra.rossing@m... writes:
>
> Often I would "talk" her through how I came to my answers and so
quickly,
> often I was accused of cheating somehow.
>
> I learned to really hate math because of that. I could find answers
inside
> my head for the questions but I couldn't put those steps on paper
and I was
> branded a cheat and liar for it.
>
> glena
>

From: rubyprincesstsg@...
Date: Thu Sep 8, 2005  6:02 am
Subject: Re: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Re: I need some help.....(sorry it's long)

In a message dated 9/8/2005 8:51:22 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
debra.rossing@... writes:

So he can do math mentally? Why is that a problem? Did you ever think
about how young kids begin learning to manipulate numbers mentally
(and using their fingers and toes lol) then they go to school and have
to stop doing things mentally and write it all down. And THEN after
they've been thoroughly trained to write it all down, they have to
start "working on" mental math skills


It was a problem for me because I was a schooled kid. I could figure out
complex algebra problems in my head. I reasoned myself through them in my
mind, but couldn't for the life of me get them down on paper in the same amount

of time, so I'd just write the answers.

WRONG thing to do , you MUST show your work. It's hard to show the "work"
that went on in my head because it was nothing like the teacher set it up on
the board.

Often I would "talk" her through how I came to my answers and so quickly,
often I was accused of cheating somehow.

I learned to really hate math because of that. I could find answers inside
my head for the questions but I couldn't put those steps on paper and I was
branded a cheat and liar for it.

If I had been unschooled I might have used that math skill for some good
purpose in life, now I hate even thinking about working a math problem in my
head (the only way I can work anything other than simple math)

glena


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