Muscatine

Forgat to add...

this happened with MIL's kid, too.

Just my opinion

Very good suggestions and comments by everyone who posted. I can see the strength of argument in all the comments but I'd like to offer my insight only because I believe this topic is relevant. My hat is off to Joey3 for the post.

The planner issue is something I've never quite been able to figure out. Exactly what is the purpose of a planner in the first place? Why is the onus placed upon the child to plan for tomorrow's subject? What happened to the teacher making assignments and the children taking notes? Oh I get it, thus the use of a planner. How stupid of me.

Has the teaching profession lost the confidence in their ability to teach the importance of taking notes during class? I'm certain the planner has it's purpose in keeping the parents abreast of their child's daily activities but isn't it a little overboard to expect an 8,9 or 10 year old child to carry a planner with them? What's next? Mandatory blackberries for all students?

Most 8, 9 or 10 year old children are exactly that, children. Their minds are still developing as they soak up the wonderment of socializing, learning, and understanding the importance of being responsible. Yet today's educational system saddles the children with a responsibility, in my opinion, they are not quite ready for. Carrying a planner and being responsible for it is just another burden put upon the child to keep the child from being a child.

Don't get me wrong I respect anyone who is a teacher. It is a thankless job and many teachers go unrewarded and unrecognized for their work. But let's stop and think about these planners for a moment and remember what being a child is all about. Discovery, recognition, social interaction, learning, asking questions, studying. These are traits which are normal to children as they progress through school. The use of a planner, to me anyway, indicates the child cannot be trusted or the teacher can't be relied upon to remember the next day's study.

I guess my opinion is do away with the planners and you'll do away with stress. Both for the teacher, student and the parent. Get back to what's important. Direct interaction with the students. This includes all you parents as well. Drop a note to your child's teacher and inquire how your child is doing, is there room for improvement, what trends is the teacher noticing. You're paying for their education so why not ensure their getting it besides initialing a planner everyday?

It's up to the parent to stay involved. Yes we can all complain about detentions over forgetting a planner. But if the school's were to do away with what I consider an unnecessary tool, teachers could be held more accountable for their abilities rather than their tenure, and more attention could be focused on the bullying child and ways to correct that behavior.

Let the children be children. There's always going to be a bully or loud mouth who doesn't know any better. Eventually the children end up shunning the bully and he's left to his own means with no friends. It's been like that for ages and ages.

about planners, etc.

First, I have to state again that in a school the size of MHS, there has to be consistency in enforcing rules. If you let one kid run out to their car to get their planner, pretty soon you have 100 kids having to ''run to their car'' to get something they forgot...and who knows what some (not all) of those kids will be doing in the parking lot besides gathering their planner, etc.

I don't know exactly when all kids in this district are introduced to planners, my daughter got her first one in middle school. It's used for writing down assignments, and also signed by a teacher should the student need to leave during class time. Any student wandering the halls during class time should have his/her planner signed by a teacher. Otherwise, we have students roaming the halls...some with good reason, some without. That's where trouble starts.

Anyway, I use a planner at home faithfully... as busy as everyone is, it's important for keeping track of everyone's schedules and appointments. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a teenager, or even a middle schooler to get used to the idea of organization. I also don't think they hand out detentions in middle school for forgetting planners, but they do in high-school. That's fine with me. I think by the time a child enters high-school, they should learn a little something about accountability.

I guess if you get a detention for forgetting your planner, you're likely to remember it from now on.

Again, just my opinion.

Lil

question...

Did she leave at home as you stated in your original post, or did she leave it in her car? If your child is old enough to drive to school, then she's old enough to remember the ONE item they are required to bring.