Who is your favorite Woman in Your Family Essay Assignment given to 3rd graders...

[Anonymous]

"8:45 and OP: What do you suggest teachers ask students to write about?"

8:45 here. I would suggest that the assignment be to draw a picture of you with an important man in your life and to write about a woman in your family who is important to you or who has influenced you in a positive way. It would involve the same thought process but would eliminate the anxiety and insensitivity.

[Anonymous]

... except at some point, the "older kids" need to move past drawing pictures and work on literacy, no?

It was an insensitive way to phrase the assignment. I would drop reference to "family" altogether. You could always ask for: a woman you know who is important to you or.... And then add, "you may pick a relative, a close family friend, or any one else important to you, but you must actually know her."

(they can pick their housecleaner if they want, but not Miley Cyrus)

[Anonymous]

OP here:
The assignment was given exactly as I titled it here. Thanks for your responses here. I was pretty ashamed of my level of disappointment. I just felt pretty hurt by my child's choice. I did not want to feel rejected by it, but I did. I think family dynamics are too sensitive and potentially intense to make children choose in this way. I can see how a girl child might naturally pick their mother or grandmother in "most" families. But male children might have some perfectly harmless reason for not picking their Mom and then find that they are very conflicted about the choice. My kid (like a lot of 8 year olds) loves to pretend to be very mature and above everything.

The assignment put my child into a frame of mind that was very unpleasant.

[Anonymous]

OP,
I could see a child this age interpreting the assignment to mean a relative besides your mother. I'm sorry you felt so rejected. I'm not following it but there you have it. I say this with heartfelt seriousness: It's good practice. You will feel rejected regularly when they hit 13 - 14!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,
I could see a child this age interpreting the assignment to mean a relative besides your mother. I'm sorry you felt so rejected. I'm not following it but there you have it. I say this with heartfelt seriousness: It's good practice. You will feel rejected regularly when they hit 13 - 14!

thanks.