Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school doesn't do this unless it's a very recent change.

Our two elementaries do not either, unless it is new.

I would be very put off by it too OP and my kids volunteer and do other things that would fulfill the requirement.

It would irritate me in the same way mandatory reading logs irritate me (my kids read for pleasure).

I don't look at service requirements like reading logs. They are, or can be, requirements, part of the required curriculum. Many high schools require service hours. Along with civics classes, service requirements should be a requirement to get a diploma, as part of learning to be a good citizen.

I think parents should teach values as they see fit. Not schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no reward. It's like when they take strings or band. They have to record their practice hours. You're teaching them that one has to practice to get better at things. The teacher has no way of knowing if they practiced, so you sign off. Surely you're clarifying this to your kids.

Of course you teach them that normally one does service and good deeds without boasting or calling attention to it. This is just documented because the schools are trying to encourage service, because a lot of people do not do service or teach anything to their kids. Isn't this obvious?

But band and strings are not required parts of the FCPS curriculum. I see what OP is saying. My issue is that the county is requiring students to do something, but not providing the opportunity to do it. This is different than anything else the students are required to do to pass a class.

The problem with it is that most 11 year olds aren't desired as volunteers and can't really do anything useful. It's hard to find opportunities. Also, they aren't old enough to go around looking for opportunities or driving themselves there, so the parent has to do that too. My suggestion would be to look for community cleanup activities. Check the Nova parks pages online for things like stream monitoring. Those are good activities for kids and also fun and educational.

5 hours for an 11-12 year old over a year is very minimal. 1 hour/quarter helping out at their school, and they are mostly there (DD did 3 hours at a food packing event at Dulles expo with a parent, and spent 2 hours volunteering at the school fun run. NBD).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no reward. It's like when they take strings or band. They have to record their practice hours. You're teaching them that one has to practice to get better at things. The teacher has no way of knowing if they practiced, so you sign off. Surely you're clarifying this to your kids.

Of course you teach them that normally one does service and good deeds without boasting or calling attention to it. This is just documented because the schools are trying to encourage service, because a lot of people do not do service or teach anything to their kids. Isn't this obvious?

But band and strings are not required parts of the FCPS curriculum. I see what OP is saying. My issue is that the county is requiring students to do something, but not providing the opportunity to do it. This is different than anything else the students are required to do to pass a class.

The problem with it is that most 11 year olds aren't desired as volunteers and can't really do anything useful. It's hard to find opportunities. Also, they aren't old enough to go around looking for opportunities or driving themselves there, so the parent has to do that too. My suggestion would be to look for community cleanup activities. Check the Nova parks pages online for things like stream monitoring. Those are good activities for kids and also fun and educational.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no reward. It's like when they take strings or band. They have to record their practice hours. You're teaching them that one has to practice to get better at things. The teacher has no way of knowing if they practiced, so you sign off. Surely you're clarifying this to your kids.

Of course you teach them that normally one does service and good deeds without boasting or calling attention to it. This is just documented because the schools are trying to encourage service, because a lot of people do not do service or teach anything to their kids. Isn't this obvious?

But band and strings are not required parts of the FCPS curriculum. I see what OP is saying. My issue is that the county is requiring students to do something, but not providing the opportunity to do it. This is different than anything else the students are required to do to pass a class.

The problem with it is that most 11 year olds aren't desired as volunteers and can't really do anything useful. It's hard to find opportunities. Also, they aren't old enough to go around looking for opportunities or driving themselves there, so the parent has to do that too. My suggestion would be to look for community cleanup activities. Check the Nova parks pages online for things like stream monitoring. Those are good activities for kids and also fun and educational.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no reward. It's like when they take strings or band. They have to record their practice hours. You're teaching them that one has to practice to get better at things. The teacher has no way of knowing if they practiced, so you sign off. Surely you're clarifying this to your kids.

Of course you teach them that normally one does service and good deeds without boasting or calling attention to it. This is just documented because the schools are trying to encourage service, because a lot of people do not do service or teach anything to their kids. Isn't this obvious?

But band and strings are not required parts of the FCPS curriculum. I see what OP is saying. My issue is that the county is requiring students to do something, but not providing the opportunity to do it. This is different than anything else the students are required to do to pass a class.

Anonymous wrote:What happens if your child doesn't do it? Do they make your child repeat 6th grade?

Anonymous wrote:No skin in this game (not FFX) but I don't like required or mandatory community service or service learning. Also don't like when parents give kids an allowance but then require them to donate part of it. I think they send all the wrong messages about why we should do service, help communities, and donate. THis just makes them show up somewhere and maybe do something. No consistency. The idea of kids getting "credit" for helping the janitor or the office staff is downright offensive (to the janitor and the office staff).

I think a great class assignment would be to have groups of kids plan and implement some event or the like that benefits the community -- all the way from finding out what the community needs, figuring out a budget, and implementing a plan. Could be repeated in different years and expanded when the kids get older and need more challenge. Much more meaningful than just being told where to go and what to do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school doesn't do this unless it's a very recent change.

Are you FCPS? We are being told it's a FCPS requirement.

My son is a junior this year and he had to do 15 hours of community service for his honors civics class in 8th grade.[/quote

Can these hours for 8th be completed in 7th?

There was a project that went along with his hours so I do not know the answer to that question. To my knowledge the hours needed to be done while he was taking the class in 8th grade. I'm not sure if they still do it like that or not. But those were the rules when my son did it.