Teacher here. I know this school, although I don’t teach there. This is a school with a lot of students who are under-achieving and have family stressors. When a teacher takes the time to teach a kid to tie their shoes, they are working on fine-motor skills, and are helping the child develop independence and a sense of mastery. These things matter to a child’s educational progress. Having an adult take a few moments with a child individually is key to that child attaching to the adult and the school, and learning to trust. This can only be a positive thing. I’ve helped so many kids with shoelaces over the years, that I think it should be part of undergraduate teacher training.

Many schools are also taking on the burden of clothing children. You see coat drives all the time ( as well as school supply drives). I’m not criticizing this at all, it is what it is. I’m also sure some teachers pay out of pocket to help kids.

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.

Same in the early 80s.

It was a skill on my report card.

I went to half day K in 1987.

We had a shoe tying area. We also learned how to sew with a giant needle, crack and make scrambled eggs for “green eggs and ham” day, make homemade play dough and other basic things. No one accused my parents of being slackers because I couldn’t tie my shoes or thread a needle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Agree with the first PP. The spirit days, class parties and snacks, dress ups etc. are optional and what wealthy schools districts do to make bored SAHMs feel involved. Kids don’t need these and you don’t have to participate. Send your kid in regular clothes on “crazy clothes” day. No one cares, truly.

But schools now are expected to provide all the necessities that really and truly are a parents responsibility: clothes, food, medical and psychological care, more.

Must depend on the school district but I don't see any of this. Clothes?
I don't think the lunch programs have changed significantly but the food can barely be called food at any rate. At my school, a soft pretzel with nacho "cheese" is lunch. Obesity problem, anyone?
Medical care? What?
I can see that there's more psychological support, though. I thought that was a result of SEL.

Low SES schools are trying to take on as much of all of these as they can. Our school has donation drives that help stock closets for local schools with students that need them.

Millennial parents are laaaaaaazy.

Schools used to consider teaching shoe tying part of the K curriculum.

Now they don’t. Not sure how that makes modern parents lazier then 1980s parents....

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Shouldn't your child be doing these things?

Sure, my 7 year old boy remembers these things 100% on his own.

Not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Agree with the first PP. The spirit days, class parties and snacks, dress ups etc. are optional and what wealthy schools districts do to make bored SAHMs feel involved. Kids don’t need these and you don’t have to participate. Send your kid in regular clothes on “crazy clothes” day. No one cares, truly.

But schools now are expected to provide all the necessities that really and truly are a parents responsibility: clothes, food, medical and psychological care, more.

Must depend on the school district but I don't see any of this. Clothes?
I don't think the lunch programs have changed significantly but the food can barely be called food at any rate. At my school, a soft pretzel with nacho "cheese" is lunch. Obesity problem, anyone?
Medical care? What?
I can see that there's more psychological support, though. I thought that was a result of SEL.

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.

I was in half-day kindergarten in 1978 and they taught us, too. Some kids already knew. Some didn't. We worked on it just like any other fine motor skill. The teacher also taught us how to snap our fingers; I remember that being super fun.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I think you both have good points. But I think your parents did a lot more than just put you on the bus. I’m sure they taught you basic manners, how to tie your shoes and personal responsibility. I also think today’s parents have a lot more school related responsibilities then they did in the past.

I also think the overall message here is that some parents no longer do any parent at home teaching. It started off as big stuff like sex Ed , Which I was always surprised to learn that some parents didn’t bother teaching the kids. And now it’s basic little things like handwashing, properly brushing your teeth and tying your shoelaces. The state is raising the kids, people just pop them out.

If your child's class is spending time on learning shoe-tying, that's time they're NOT spending learning other things, like, you know, how to read, or other stuff that school is really for? My parents taught me to tie my shoes before kindergarten. I can't believe schools are wasting time on this crap.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Agree with the first PP. The spirit days, class parties and snacks, dress ups etc. are optional and what wealthy schools districts do to make bored SAHMs feel involved. Kids don’t need these and you don’t have to participate. Send your kid in regular clothes on “crazy clothes” day. No one cares, truly.

But schools now are expected to provide all the necessities that really and truly are a parents responsibility: clothes, food, medical and psychological care, more.

My first grade teacher taught me to tie my shoes, and I’m 55, so it’s not new. Today, with Velcro, my own kids didn’t learn until later, like 3rd grade. Peer pressure got them at that point - the embarrassment of not being able to tie their shoes. My youngest learned the “bunny ears” method from a friend. It is much easier for kids to learn to tie shoes that way!

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.

Shouldn't your child be doing these things?