So tired of "my child is so bored in K"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only boring people are bored.

Naah. That's crap. It would be true if applied to a situation where a person said they were bored but they were allowed to entertain themselves. For instance, my kid is never bored as long as she has a pencil and paper and is allowed to write or draw. Or books. She's good with that. But if she's asked to sit there and find letters from a bin and put them on the spot where that letter is on her paper? Or count to 100 again? Yeah, that's really freaking boring. She's nowhere close to a boring person, but that shizz is boring once you already know it.
I'm not ever bored when left to my own devices. But I sure was bored today when I had to edit someone else's really boring brief.

It those situations she can always find a word for each letter. Choose a theme! Animal names? Count by 2s! Make a song out of it.

I'm not being contrary, PP. And, I'm not the PP above. Just sharing some of the tactics I've used to get through homework assignments. I was G&T tracked at a young age and learned to create fun for myself. I'd list a whole bunch of three digit numbers and add them up, while the other kids finished an assignment that I'd already completed. In high school, I remember using the end pages of the blue book to write out sonnets I'd memorized because we all had to stay in the testing room until time was up. You find a way, PP. I was taught that it was impolite to complain and unfair to those who needed that exercise or time, so I had to get creative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Sorry, bolded part is correct. Well, obviously not literally but the truth is really bright kids don't get bored typically.

That's a circular argument, though. Really bright kids don't get bored, therefore if your kid gets bored, your kid must not be really bright.

Really bright kids do get bored. Really bright adults also get bored. I get bored. I had to re-read the same 150-page document for the twelfth time (literally the twelfth time) the other day for proofreading. Was I bored? You bet I was.

Must not be that bright I guess. Wait, let me save you the effort to responding to me. Here is your retort: "I am profoundly gifted."

No, I am not profoundly gifted. I'm smart enough to recognize circular reasoning when I see it, though.

That's clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only boring people are bored.

Naah. That's crap. It would be true if applied to a situation where a person said they were bored but they were allowed to entertain themselves. For instance, my kid is never bored as long as she has a pencil and paper and is allowed to write or draw. Or books. She's good with that. But if she's asked to sit there and find letters from a bin and put them on the spot where that letter is on her paper? Or count to 100 again? Yeah, that's really freaking boring. She's nowhere close to a boring person, but that shizz is boring once you already know it.
I'm not ever bored when left to my own devices. But I sure was bored today when I had to edit someone else's really boring brief.

Sorry, bolded part is correct. Well, obviously not literally but the truth is really bright kids don't get bored typically. I previously taught elementary school. (Cue in someone to now comment thank goodness I don't teach anymore because her brilliant kid WAS bored.). Just as an example, one day after a science lesson on fruits (pumpkins), the kids (kindergarteners) were counting pumpkin seeds with a partner. Each child had a large chunk of seeds/pulp from a freshly carved pumpkin and then he/she would take one seed out of the pulp at a time and put in into a container. The first partner would say, "one" as she put her seed in the container and the second child would say, "two" as he out his seed in the container. This continued until the team of two finished counting. For a bright child, under your theory, he'd be bored out of his mind mindlessly counting seeds to 27 or 33, right?

When asking the kids later to share something's they learned that day, one very bright boy later stood up to explain that he realized we could have cut the time in half had both kids in each group put a seeds in at the same time and we counted by twos. He then said that we could have had 5 kids in a group or 10 kids in a group and counted by fives or 10s which would have taken even less time. He then said that it is "kinda cool" to think that a pumpkin can naturally decay, the seeds naturally scatter and new pumpkins can grow, and from this he learned just about how many could grow. All other kids who shared mentioned they learned how many seeds they had counted or that they had more or less seeds than this or that group.

Later his mom told me that now that he knows what "pulp" feels like, he asked her to find out now pulp is removed from OJ since he sees the cartons at the store that say pulp and no pulp on them.

This kid was never, ever bored. Typically very bright children are able to entertain themselves because they interpret information in unique ways. Yes, lots of kindergarteners can count by twos or 5s or 10s, but most wouldn't interpret the information as he did.

That has nothing to do with bright. He child could count by 2 because someone taught him him that prior to coming to your class. He had the skills that you are not teaching. My kid came into k knowing to count 2, 5, 10 as he had a great teacher prior to k as well asarents who worked with him. Now, if you took the seeds and taught him addition and subtraction like his previous teacher did, I could be impressed. That is 3-4 year old work, not k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No, of course not. I am equating teacher-talks-kindergarteners-sit-and-listen to a three-hour training session.

And, that is what started this conversation. PP did not want their child playing because he would be bored. FWIW, kids do need to sit and listen sometimes--but certainly not for three hours. And, in K fifteen minutes is a long time.

However, some kids equate not doing what they want to do with being bored.

Some parents use the "bored" word as an excuse for any behavior problems their child may have.

My kid likes school but asks for harder work. The teacher declines. He is not a behavior problem and the teachers adore him. Some stuff just comes more easily to him and he loves learning new things. B


I'm sure some parents do use the "bored" word that way. And many of us use it correctly. Signed, mother of bored K'er who never had any behavior problems in school, just learned to really dislike school and keep it to herself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only boring people are bored.

Naah. That's crap. It would be true if applied to a situation where a person said they were bored but they were allowed to entertain themselves. For instance, my kid is never bored as long as she has a pencil and paper and is allowed to write or draw. Or books. She's good with that. But if she's asked to sit there and find letters from a bin and put them on the spot where that letter is on her paper? Or count to 100 again? Yeah, that's really freaking boring. She's nowhere close to a boring person, but that shizz is boring once you already know it.
I'm not ever bored when left to my own devices. But I sure was bored today when I had to edit someone else's really boring brief.

It those situations she can always find a word for each letter. Choose a theme! Animal names? Count by 2s! Make a song out of it.

I'm not being contrary, PP. And, I'm not the PP above. Just sharing some of the tactics I've used to get through homework assignments. I was G&T tracked at a young age and learned to create fun for myself. I'd list a whole bunch of three digit numbers and add them up, while the other kids finished an assignment that I'd already completed. In high school, I remember using the end pages of the blue book to write out sonnets I'd memorized because we all had to stay in the testing room until time was up. You find a way, PP. I was taught that it was impolite to complain and unfair to those who needed that exercise or time, so I had to get creative.

Yes, I wouldn't doubt that my kid will come up with that stuff herself. And she doesn't complain except at home (which she absolutely should do). But when you're 5 you don't realize that it's okay to deviate from what the teacher is telling you to do (and that's what you're doing). I was GT as well, and it was really boring until I got to a school in 4th grade with small classes where they actually got to know me and gave me work that was challenging. When you're little and shy, you don't feel comfortable asking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only boring people are bored.

Naah. That's crap. It would be true if applied to a situation where a person said they were bored but they were allowed to entertain themselves. For instance, my kid is never bored as long as she has a pencil and paper and is allowed to write or draw. Or books. She's good with that. But if she's asked to sit there and find letters from a bin and put them on the spot where that letter is on her paper? Or count to 100 again? Yeah, that's really freaking boring. She's nowhere close to a boring person, but that shizz is boring once you already know it.
I'm not ever bored when left to my own devices. But I sure was bored today when I had to edit someone else's really boring brief.

Sorry, bolded part is correct. Well, obviously not literally but the truth is really bright kids don't get bored typically. I previously taught elementary school. (Cue in someone to now comment thank goodness I don't teach anymore because her brilliant kid WAS bored.). Just as an example, one day after a science lesson on fruits (pumpkins), the kids (kindergarteners) were counting pumpkin seeds with a partner. Each child had a large chunk of seeds/pulp from a freshly carved pumpkin and then he/she would take one seed out of the pulp at a time and put in into a container. The first partner would say, "one" as she put her seed in the container and the second child would say, "two" as he out his seed in the container. This continued until the team of two finished counting. For a bright child, under your theory, he'd be bored out of his mind mindlessly counting seeds to 27 or 33, right?

When asking the kids later to share something's they learned that day, one very bright boy later stood up to explain that he realized we could have cut the time in half had both kids in each group put a seeds in at the same time and we counted by twos. He then said that we could have had 5 kids in a group or 10 kids in a group and counted by fives or 10s which would have taken even less time. He then said that it is "kinda cool" to think that a pumpkin can naturally decay, the seeds naturally scatter and new pumpkins can grow, and from this he learned just about how many could grow. All other kids who shared mentioned they learned how many seeds they had counted or that they had more or less seeds than this or that group.

Later his mom told me that now that he knows what "pulp" feels like, he asked her to find out now pulp is removed from OJ since he sees the cartons at the store that say pulp and no pulp on them.

This kid was never, ever bored. Typically very bright children are able to entertain themselves because they interpret information in unique ways. Yes, lots of kindergarteners can count by twos or 5s or 10s, but most wouldn't interpret the information as he did.

Wrong. I was brilliant and bored. No question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few years back I volunteered in a kindergarten classroom for 1.5 hours each day. It was always the same time between 10-11:30. The first hour was spent in the classroom during literacy time. The teacher would have a group of 6 with her working on reading. The rest went to centers which were all play based. We had so much fun, every child that would come through my center was grinning from ear to ear the whole time. they all loved literacy time because it was playing, with of course learning hidden inside ! I also volunteered once a week during music in the early afternoon. Again all the kids were laughing and having a wonderful time. Kindergarten that year was truly amazing and I can't imagine 1 of those children saying anything different. The parties were awesome and frequent, the parent volunteers helped so much. After school for an he during nice weather almost the entire class played on the playground together.

Yes. I'm sure kids weren't bored in that setting. Unfortunately, that's not what K was like for my DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Sorry, bolded part is correct. Well, obviously not literally but the truth is really bright kids don't get bored typically.

That's a circular argument, though. Really bright kids don't get bored, therefore if your kid gets bored, your kid must not be really bright.

Really bright kids do get bored. Really bright adults also get bored. I get bored. I had to re-read the same 150-page document for the twelfth time (literally the twelfth time) the other day for proofreading. Was I bored? You bet I was.

Must not be that bright I guess. Wait, let me save you the effort to responding to me. Here is your retort: "I am profoundly gifted."

No, I am not profoundly gifted. I'm smart enough to recognize circular reasoning when I see it, though.

That's clear.

Not PP but I am profoundly gifted. And I was bored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It those situations she can always find a word for each letter. Choose a theme! Animal names? Count by 2s! Make a song out of it.

I'm not being contrary, PP. And, I'm not the PP above. Just sharing some of the tactics I've used to get through homework assignments. I was G&T tracked at a young age and learned to create fun for myself. I'd list a whole bunch of three digit numbers and add them up, while the other kids finished an assignment that I'd already completed. In high school, I remember using the end pages of the blue book to write out sonnets I'd memorized because we all had to stay in the testing room until time was up. You find a way, PP. I was taught that it was impolite to complain and unfair to those who needed that exercise or time, so I had to get creative.

Were you not bored while you were adding three-digit numbers and writing down sonnets you'd memorized? Or were you merely less bored than you would otherwise have been?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It those situations she can always find a word for each letter. Choose a theme! Animal names? Count by 2s! Make a song out of it.

I'm not being contrary, PP. And, I'm not the PP above. Just sharing some of the tactics I've used to get through homework assignments. I was G&T tracked at a young age and learned to create fun for myself. I'd list a whole bunch of three digit numbers and add them up, while the other kids finished an assignment that I'd already completed. In high school, I remember using the end pages of the blue book to write out sonnets I'd memorized because we all had to stay in the testing room until time was up. You find a way, PP. I was taught that it was impolite to complain and unfair to those who needed that exercise or time, so I had to get creative.

Were you not bored while you were adding three-digit numbers and writing down sonnets you'd memorized? Or were you merely less bored than you would otherwise have been?

I resorted to these things and spent time expanding on whatever the topic at hand was in order to stay occupied. I was really into fairy tales when I was a small child and read through our local library's shelves on stories from around the world. So, Aesop's Fables to the Greek and Roman gods, Swedish and Yiddish folk tales---I read them all. I'd take things from class and use what I was learning elsewhere to make it more interesting for myself. Later, I studied the ancient world at home and used that to add interest in class. I got in trouble for humming in class as a kid because I'd play classical music in my head while focused on handwriting. I'd use the periodic table to "play" in class when we did our spelling work. I can't remember being "less bored." From what I remember, this tactic saved me from ever being bored. I was content having my imagination to apply in these classroom settings. Call it a coping mechanism, if you will. I mean, how do any of us get through departmental meetings? As an adult, I enjoy watching office politics play out or working through a list in my head. I'm guilty of playing the country name game at work or naming books on a certain theme while sitting through a presentation. I did this with African motherhood the other day, while my (university) students prepped for an in-class assignment. What do any of us do when putting away groceries or vacuuming? Isn't it all the same thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It those situations she can always find a word for each letter. Choose a theme! Animal names? Count by 2s! Make a song out of it.

I'm not being contrary, PP. And, I'm not the PP above. Just sharing some of the tactics I've used to get through homework assignments. I was G&T tracked at a young age and learned to create fun for myself. I'd list a whole bunch of three digit numbers and add them up, while the other kids finished an assignment that I'd already completed. In high school, I remember using the end pages of the blue book to write out sonnets I'd memorized because we all had to stay in the testing room until time was up. You find a way, PP. I was taught that it was impolite to complain and unfair to those who needed that exercise or time, so I had to get creative.

Were you not bored while you were adding three-digit numbers and writing down sonnets you'd memorized? Or were you merely less bored than you would otherwise have been?

I resorted to these things and spent time expanding on whatever the topic at hand was in order to stay occupied. I was really into fairy tales when I was a small child and read through our local library's shelves on stories from around the world. So, Aesop's Fables to the Greek and Roman gods, Swedish and Yiddish folk tales---I read them all. I'd take things from class and use what I was learning elsewhere to make it more interesting for myself. Later, I studied the ancient world at home and used that to add interest in class. I got in trouble for humming in class as a kid because I'd play classical music in my head while focused on handwriting. I'd use the periodic table to "play" in class when we did our spelling work. I can't remember being "less bored." From what I remember, this tactic saved me from ever being bored. I was content having my imagination to apply in these classroom settings. Call it a coping mechanism, if you will. I mean, how do any of us get through departmental meetings? As an adult, I enjoy watching office politics play out or working through a list in my head. I'm guilty of playing the country name game at work or naming books on a certain theme while sitting through a presentation. I did this with African motherhood the other day, while my (university) students prepped for an in-class assignment. What do any of us do when putting away groceries or vacuuming? Isn't it all the same thing?

Sure, except you're describing a situation where a student isn't being taught anything. They're just entertaining themselves to pass the time. A useful skill, yes, but not an adequate educational environment

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Sorry, bolded part is correct. Well, obviously not literally but the truth is really bright kids don't get bored typically.

That's a circular argument, though. Really bright kids don't get bored, therefore if your kid gets bored, your kid must not be really bright.

Really bright kids do get bored. Really bright adults also get bored. I get bored. I had to re-read the same 150-page document for the twelfth time (literally the twelfth time) the other day for proofreading. Was I bored? You bet I was.

Must not be that bright I guess. Wait, let me save you the effort to responding to me. Here is your retort: "I am profoundly gifted."

No, I am not profoundly gifted. I'm smart enough to recognize circular reasoning when I see it, though.

That's clear.

Not PP but I am profoundly gifted. And I was bored.

Perhaps you shouldn't have been so "bored" during the lessons on proper sentence structure, oh gifted one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only boring people are bored.

Naah. That's crap. It would be true if applied to a situation where a person said they were bored but they were allowed to entertain themselves. For instance, my kid is never bored as long as she has a pencil and paper and is allowed to write or draw. Or books. She's good with that. But if she's asked to sit there and find letters from a bin and put them on the spot where that letter is on her paper? Or count to 100 again? Yeah, that's really freaking boring. She's nowhere close to a boring person, but that shizz is boring once you already know it.
I'm not ever bored when left to my own devices. But I sure was bored today when I had to edit someone else's really boring brief.

Sorry, bolded part is correct. Well, obviously not literally but the truth is really bright kids don't get bored typically. I previously taught elementary school. (Cue in someone to now comment thank goodness I don't teach anymore because her brilliant kid WAS bored.). Just as an example, one day after a science lesson on fruits (pumpkins), the kids (kindergarteners) were counting pumpkin seeds with a partner. Each child had a large chunk of seeds/pulp from a freshly carved pumpkin and then he/she would take one seed out of the pulp at a time and put in into a container. The first partner would say, "one" as she put her seed in the container and the second child would say, "two" as he out his seed in the container. This continued until the team of two finished counting. For a bright child, under your theory, he'd be bored out of his mind mindlessly counting seeds to 27 or 33, right?

When asking the kids later to share something's they learned that day, one very bright boy later stood up to explain that he realized we could have cut the time in half had both kids in each group put a seeds in at the same time and we counted by twos. He then said that we could have had 5 kids in a group or 10 kids in a group and counted by fives or 10s which would have taken even less time. He then said that it is "kinda cool" to think that a pumpkin can naturally decay, the seeds naturally scatter and new pumpkins can grow, and from this he learned just about how many could grow. All other kids who shared mentioned they learned how many seeds they had counted or that they had more or less seeds than this or that group.

Later his mom told me that now that he knows what "pulp" feels like, he asked her to find out now pulp is removed from OJ since he sees the cartons at the store that say pulp and no pulp on them.

This kid was never, ever bored. Typically very bright children are able to entertain themselves because they interpret information in unique ways. Yes, lots of kindergarteners can count by twos or 5s or 10s, but most wouldn't interpret the information as he did.

Wrong. I was brilliant and bored. No question.

Past tense. What are you now?

[Anonymous]

Anyway... back on track here. Isn't it sort of pretentious for a parent-- only 2 weeks into school -- to declare that her daughter will be bored for all of K? I think some people are really delusional about their own children's abilities.

Yes, there are some examples of true genius. But more rare than we think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyway... back on track here. Isn't it sort of pretentious for a parent-- only 2 weeks into school -- to declare that her daughter will be bored for all of K? I think some people are really delusional about their own children's abilities.

Yes, there are some examples of true genius. But more rare than we think.

Agreed.