Saturday, January 03, 2009

Jail Warden Would Be An Easier Parent


Having a teacher for a mom can be hard on kids. My son would be the first one to attest to this.

The year he finished fifth grade, he brought home a report card with a fairly low English grade. When I found out it was due to poor homework, I hit the ceiling. He had to be punished but, the punishment had to fit the crime.

After much thought it hit me, BOOK REPORTS!!! What better way to teach him the error of his ways than to have him make up the work he did not do all year. Since reading and writing were not his forte, this assignment tortured him. He had to complete a book and a report every two weeks. He toiled away at the computer, cursed me under his breath and did the work I demanded.

You might think he learned something from this, but that was not the immediate case. Every year after, there was always some class his work was not complete in. In the long run, I think it helped. He graduated from a prestigious university as a computer engineer and is currently a few credits away from completing his masters degree. He loves to read and is a wonderful writer. I however got immediate (and slightly sadistic) satisfaction out of watching him toil away. His friends (he is now 26) still laugh at his summer of book reports.

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