Have been stereotyped as a 'Tiger Mom.' Strangest note from teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm shocked the teacher was dumb enough to put these thoughts in writing. I volunteer in our school's office where you hear all the teachers talking. I have been shocked about how they stereotype parents and how much animosity there is towards parents who teach their kids at home. Its just bizarre and sad how they dismiss kids who are really smart because their parent must be prepping them or working with them.

I do not get this perspective that it is bad for parents to do educational things with their kids at home. The curriculum is very, very easy now. It takes next to nothing for many kids to be far ahead. Should we be teaching our kids to act dumb so that the school system is happier? Makes no sense.

"Sloth Bear" mom here. This is precisely the reason that my kids are silent about what they know.

My kids have an affinity to Math and it would be great that they could get a chance to participate in Math related competitions like MathCounts and Math Olympiad etc in MS. I am not holding my breath that MCPS or even private schools have the capacity to teach them that. So, I teach and enrich them outside of school, and they know to keep it quite in front of the teachers.

There is no lack of math resources online. Cheap and affordable. There is no reason to rely on MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

"Sloth Bear" mom here. This is precisely the reason that my kids are silent about what they know.

My kids have an affinity to Math and it would be great that they could get a chance to participate in Math related competitions like MathCounts and Math Olympiad etc in MS. I am not holding my breath that MCPS or even private schools have the capacity to teach them that. So, I teach and enrich them outside of school, and they know to keep it quiet in front of the teachers.

There is no lack of math resources online. Cheap and affordable. There is no reason to rely on MCPS.

Either your children's teachers are stupid, or they are not paying attention, or they know more about what you're doing than you give them credit for.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you Russian?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I'm shocked the teacher was dumb enough to put these thoughts in writing. I volunteer in our school's office where you hear all the teachers talking. I have been shocked about how they stereotype parents and how much animosity there is towards parents who teach their kids at home. Its just bizarre and sad how they dismiss kids who are really smart because their parent must be prepping them or working with them.

I do not get this perspective that it is bad for parents to do educational things with their kids at home. The curriculum is very, very easy now. It takes next to nothing for many kids to be far ahead. Should we be teaching our kids to act dumb so that the school system is happier? Makes no sense.

I agree with this poster. The only thing shocking is this teacher put this in writing, if the OP's story is true. The sentiment itself is well known.

I don't get the whole anti-intellectual and anti-achievement position that MCPS embraces so badly. I do understand that not everyone values learning or achievement. If this is your perspective fine but go get a job at the DMV not supposedly educating students.

[Anonymous]

OP if only parents from specific nationalities received this letter I think you should send a formal compliant to the state superintendent copy the BOE of education and then copy the MCPS chain of command. I would complain about the inappropriateness of a teacher requesting that a parent not engage in educational activities outside of school, the discrimination of singling out parents/children of particular nationalities, and the abysmal state of the curriculum if a teacher think she needs to dumb down students to keep the, engaged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm shocked the teacher was dumb enough to put these thoughts in writing. I volunteer in our school's office where you hear all the teachers talking. I have been shocked about how they stereotype parents and how much animosity there is towards parents who teach their kids at home. Its just bizarre and sad how they dismiss kids who are really smart because their parent must be prepping them or working with them.

I do not get this perspective that it is bad for parents to do educational things with their kids at home. The curriculum is very, very easy now. It takes next to nothing for many kids to be far ahead. Should we be teaching our kids to act dumb so that the school system is happier? Makes no sense.

I agree with this poster. The only thing shocking is this teacher put this in writing, if the OP's story is true. The sentiment itself is well known.

I also agree with the two PPs.

I'm not quite sure why this is. I think some of it has to do with the large class sizes and how it's tough for teachers to differentiate within a classroom. It's a million times easier to have 3 reading groups versus 5 or 6.

Or, maybe because MCPS has reiterated over and over how important it is that they 'close the achievement gap'. If they offer extra challenges to the more advanced learners, that most definitely doesn't close the gap!

I've found it a bit frustrating. Sorry to hear about that email OP. I'd be pretty upset too - even if it's not a race issue. The fact that a teacher would email about me teaching my kid at home would make me livid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally offensive! And racist.

I have been stereotyped as a tiger mom because I am Indian-American and have a naturally curious and inquisitive advanced child (who I did not prep or push!). I was highly offended that someone thought that without even knowing me.

At least mine wasn't by a teacher. Your situation is even worse.

1) OP is a troll

2) even if OP was not a troll, the teacher did not refer to anyone as a Tiger Mom, OP did

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I've found it a bit frustrating. Sorry to hear about that email OP. I'd be pretty upset too - even if it's not a race issue. The fact that a teacher would email about me teaching my kid at home would make me livid.

It would make me livid too -- if it actually happened.

[Anonymous]

I've heard school staff and teachers make similar disparaging comments about parents.

Its very sad that some parents think they need to have their kids hide what they know so the school staff doesn't get upset. This is really damaging to kids. Girls are just emerging from a time when you were supposed to hide being a smart female. This social pressure is still on them for math and science which are sadly still seen as boy subjects. A school system where kids must hide what they are learning outside of school is disgusting.

[Anonymous]

Total troll.

You are saying the teacher asked you specifically to stop supplementing without proof that you were? He/she put that in writing?

Ok. What area is your school located?

[Anonymous]

don't want to comment on the teaching's doing, but math is math, there is no "common core" math or old-fashioned math. Parents out there, teach your kids math whatever way that works. "Common core" way is not the only way to learn and is not necessarily the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Total troll.

You are saying the teacher asked you specifically to stop supplementing without proof that you were? He/she put that in writing?

Ok. What area is your school located?

Not OP. Why do you people think this is a troll? Yes, it sounds weird, but why would someone actually post something like this if it wasn't true? What would be the purpose? OK, maybe I'm just naive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Total troll.

You are saying the teacher asked you specifically to stop supplementing without proof that you were? He/she put that in writing?

Ok. What area is your school located?

Not OP. Why do you people think this is a troll? Yes, it sounds weird, but why would someone actually post something like this if it wasn't true? What would be the purpose? OK, maybe I'm just naive.

Because that's what trolls do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:don't want to comment on the teaching's doing, but math is math, there is no "common core" math or old-fashioned math. Parents out there, teach your kids math whatever way that works. "Common core" way is not the only way to learn and is not necessarily the best.

Well... I got fed up with some of the strategies for addition and subtraction from the common core that I didn't understand, and I just taught my kid the usual way how to add and subtract. Then the next time he did an assignment he just added and subtracted my way and didn't show his work, and the teacher (rightly, I suppose) marked him down for it. She never specifically asked me not to teach him (I am not OP) but I can imagine it did make her life more difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think anyone thinks of Russians as Tiger Moms.

Teacher sounds naive. I would just ignore.

I do. I live in a predominately Asian and Russian area. Totally Tiger Moms.