News 4: Since when was it the school's responsibility to teach kids how to tie their shoes?

[Anonymous]

I dunno, I taught mine how to tie shoes, ride a bike, and tell time (with a learner watch with the minutes printed by 5s) between pre-K 4 and kindergarten. My kids aren’t geniuses, but I was raised to be self sufficient and raise my kids that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it sounds silly when you pick a single example like this, but everyone working in ECE or 1st grade with kids who missed school last year knows this is a bit of an issue.

This is what “learning loss” looks like for kids who did virtual K or PK. Alongside literacy and some very basic math, most of what kids learn in ECE are basic life skills. Tying shoes, putting on and taking off clothes, cleaning, how to stand in line, how to wait your turn, how to choose between a menu of activities, sharing, experiencing disappointment, following a schedule, communicating clearly with adults, etc.

Yes, parents can and should teach their kids these things. But the process is slower and more uneven when kids learn them at home. School is like magic fir acquiring these skills, because school has major advantages over parents. They can utilize peer learning, since kids can watch each other. Seeing a child their own age perform a skill is much more useful to them than watching an adult do it. Kids are also often more open to learning these skill at school— at home they are more likely to resist or refuse, or lean on having a parent do things for them. ECE teachers have training and experience in overcoming those things, plus also tend to have a special kind of authority with the kids that is hard to replicate at home. ECE classrooms also often introduce skills and then let parents know so they can reinforce at home. It’s a collaborative approach and it works really well.

Kids who didn’t get that last year are at a distinct disadvantage, because these are skills schools build on as a child advances to another grade. If 90% of your class doesn’t have some of the basic skills they should have learned previously, you are going to have to take time that would be spent on literacy and other academics, and dedicate it to life skills. And 1st grade teachers have less experience teaching these things and may be less effective.

This is why “they’ll catch up, it’s not a big deal” was an irresponsible position last year, especially for ECE and early elementary. And anyone teaching these grades knows it. They do catch up, but some kids may slip through and there may be consequences to these delays.

Really? Teaching ONE child to tie his/her own shoes is slower than one teacher trying to teach 25 kids? Nope. Stop trying to pass the buck and teach your kid yourself. You taught them how to get dressed so finish the job!

You’re assuming they taught them how to get dressed and are not dong it for them at home. My kids pre-k and K teachers would often give me kudos for teaching my kids what I assumed where basic life skills that parents taught at home (tying your shoes, zipping/buttoning your jeans, coat, getting dressed on their own). I kept saying thank you but secretly thinking it was really odd until I ask someone at work and found out they were still laying their kids clothes out every night and making sure they got dressed correctly in the morning. After that I started looking more closely and understood just why the teachers were so surprised. I was FLOORED at the things most kids couldn’t do and that parents didn’t seem to be actively practicing and trying to get their gets to do on their own.

I volunteered in a K classroom and came home telling me husband that every K-2 teacher should get an immediate raise because they clearly do God’s work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

On News 4 this morning, one of the anchors pretty much blamed teachers and schools for the fact that some first graders didn't know how to tie their shoes this year after the pandemic. It showed a school in Alexandria that was helping students to tie their shoes.

Since when was it the schools' responsibility to teach this? Teaching kids how to tie their shoes is a parent's job. Kids were home at that time and parents didn't teach their kids how to do this? This shouldn't be blamed on the schools.

I wasn't teaching my kids to tie shoes while schools were closed in 2020 and 2021 (or ride their bikes, or read, or anything). I was spending the day trying to get my 5 and 6 year old to stop fighting and pay attention to this torture they called DL, then staying up late to catch up on all the work that I didn't do, plus doing all the extra household work and cooking for 4 people constantly at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

On News 4 this morning, one of the anchors pretty much blamed teachers and schools for the fact that some first graders didn't know how to tie their shoes this year after the pandemic. It showed a school in Alexandria that was helping students to tie their shoes.

Since when was it the schools' responsibility to teach this? Teaching kids how to tie their shoes is a parent's job. Kids were home at that time and parents didn't teach their kids how to do this? This shouldn't be blamed on the schools.

As we’ve learned in the past two years, NOTHING is “a parent’s job” anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

On News 4 this morning, one of the anchors pretty much blamed teachers and schools for the fact that some first graders didn't know how to tie their shoes this year after the pandemic. It showed a school in Alexandria that was helping students to tie their shoes.

Since when was it the schools' responsibility to teach this? Teaching kids how to tie their shoes is a parent's job. Kids were home at that time and parents didn't teach their kids how to do this? This shouldn't be blamed on the schools.

Schools refused to open for a year and a half. Of course it’s their fault that kids don’t know how to do tasks they learn at school.

Luckily tying shoes isn’t one of them. Don’t be a lazy parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


On News 4 this morning, one of the anchors pretty much blamed teachers and schools for the fact that some first graders didn't know how to tie their shoes this year after the pandemic. It showed a school in Alexandria that was helping students to tie their shoes.

Since when was it the schools' responsibility to teach this? Teaching kids how to tie their shoes is a parent's job. Kids were home at that time and parents didn't teach their kids how to do this? This shouldn't be blamed on the schools.



Schools refused to open for a year and a half. Of course it’s their fault that kids don’t know how to do tasks they learn at school.

You didn't teach your kids how to tie their shoes at home?

NP. I spent the solid 362 days of FCPS virtual school ensuring my 1st grade could read, write and stay on track in math. Shoe-tying eluded me during that year, while DH and I also worked FT. Sue me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like the bar for parenting is getting lower.
Rreally? Pushing this responsibility off on the schools? Are schools also supposed to teach kids how to brush and floss?

We have a dentist that comes to our ES for two weeks each school year. The tooth decay in students' baby teeth shows that parents aren't teaching their kids to brush and floss. Many of them have caps on their baby teeth. It's sad.

That a dentist comes to the school might be addressing a different issue. Tooth decay in student’s baby teeth might actually show that the kids aren’t being seen for regular dental check-ups and dental cleaning. Lack of dental check-ups and regular cleaning by a dental hygienist is quite likely to be related to the extreme difficulty finding dentists who accept Medicaid or MCHIP for children, and the very limited and relatively high cost of dental insurance. It IS sad. And it’s one more reason to support a policy of providing adequate health care for everyone— that includes dental care and comprehensive mental health services.

[Anonymous]

There are reasons kids may be delayed in the ability to tie shoes or tell time or ride a bike. They also aren’t necessarily reasons that you can tell by the sight of a child. So maybe parents are working on it but it is a much longer process for some children. Have some kindness for others, you truly don’t know what people have going on in their lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


On News 4 this morning, one of the anchors pretty much blamed teachers and schools for the fact that some first graders didn't know how to tie their shoes this year after the pandemic. It showed a school in Alexandria that was helping students to tie their shoes.

Since when was it the schools' responsibility to teach this? Teaching kids how to tie their shoes is a parent's job. Kids were home at that time and parents didn't teach their kids how to do this? This shouldn't be blamed on the schools.



Schools refused to open for a year and a half. Of course it’s their fault that kids don’t know how to do tasks they learn at school.

You didn't teach your kids how to tie their shoes at home?

NP. I spent the solid 362 days of FCPS virtual school ensuring my 1st grade could read, write and stay on track in math. Shoe-tying eluded me during that year, while DH and I also worked FT. Sue me.

Exactly. Working parents of young kids are burnt out. Our mental and physical health really took a hit from the school closures.

[Anonymous]

I actually bought a Melissa and Doug shoe tying board. None of my kids had shoes that tied.

You’d be shocked at what her peers in kindergarten don’t know. A lot still can’t write their names or speak English. Some kids didn’t know how to hold a book or that we read from left to right. It’s way beyond remedial teaching.

I will say though that my daughter had never been in school before either. We had a nanny and her preK never opened. I think this past fall was the first day of school for the majority of her classmates. No one had been to preschool that I talked to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like the bar for parenting is getting lower.
Rreally? Pushing this responsibility off on the schools? Are schools also supposed to teach kids how to brush and floss?

We have a dentist that comes to our ES for two weeks each school year. The tooth decay in students' baby teeth shows that parents aren't teaching their kids to brush and floss. Many of them have caps on their baby teeth. It's sad.

That a dentist comes to the school might be addressing a different issue. Tooth decay in student’s baby teeth might actually show that the kids aren’t being seen for regular dental check-ups and dental cleaning. Lack of dental check-ups and regular cleaning by a dental hygienist is quite likely to be related to the extreme difficulty finding dentists who accept Medicaid or MCHIP for children, and the very limited and relatively high cost of dental insurance. It IS sad. And it’s one more reason to support a policy of providing adequate health care for everyone— that includes dental care and comprehensive mental health services.

And many physicians who see children with Medicaid for vaccinations, annuals, etc. really drop the ball by not talking about the importance of regular dental visits.Many missed opportunities to talk about the dangers of frequent bottles of juice and milk, when the children should be on to sippy cups of water. Lots of poor parents believe that baby teeth are not important because they will be replaced by adult teeth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


On News 4 this morning, one of the anchors pretty much blamed teachers and schools for the fact that some first graders didn't know how to tie their shoes this year after the pandemic. It showed a school in Alexandria that was helping students to tie their shoes.

Since when was it the schools' responsibility to teach this? Teaching kids how to tie their shoes is a parent's job. Kids were home at that time and parents didn't teach their kids how to do this? This shouldn't be blamed on the schools.



Schools refused to open for a year and a half. Of course it’s their fault that kids don’t know how to do tasks they learn at school.

You didn't teach your kids how to tie their shoes at home?

NP. I spent the solid 362 days of FCPS virtual school ensuring my 1st grade could read, write and stay on track in math. Shoe-tying eluded me during that year, while DH and I also worked FT. Sue me.

Exactly. Working parents of young kids are burnt out. Our mental and physical health really took a hit from the school closures.

Teachers are parents too and I’m sure they aren’t making a zillion excuses for not teaching their kids basic life skills like how to tie your shoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We learned to tie shoes in K. Half day Kindergarten and the teacher had time to make sure everyone learned. All my siblings learned in K too.

Yes, and this was taught in K 40 years ago!

[Anonymous]

Parents are pretty lazy these days in general. Anyone who works in a school knows this. Flame away. But nothing is ever their fault or responsibility, or their kids. This is our education crisis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents are pretty lazy these days in general. Anyone who works in a school knows this. Flame away. But nothing is ever their fault or responsibility, or their kids. This is our education crisis.

Interesting perspective. I think that what the school expects of me as a parent and what the school expected from my parents are completely different. My parents were responsible for getting me on the bus.

As a parent, I'm responsible for homework, charging chrome books, spirit days, snacks, other dress up days, and a never-ending parade of extras. I do it and I support the teachers 100% but, seriously, my parents just had to get me on the bus.