She might be the next Miss America
18 VIPs have spoken »
If you have kids in school, you are probably bombarded with a paper trail of school work. Obviously that’s a good gauge on what’s being taught at school and how well your kid is doing. And as the kids grow older the paper trail grows as well.
So our third grader routinely brings home three to five sheets of old school work each day, in addition to three or four pages of homework. I give a cursory glance to the work being sent home each day and occasionally I find something interesting, like I did yesterday.
This sheet was from a reading comprehension review. I’m not sure if the teacher read the story to the kids or if the kids read the story themselves and then answered the questions.
Regardless, from the papers I could see this was a story called “Prudy’s Problem” and was about a chick named Prudy who hoarded junk. At the end her family and friends helped her create a museum to showcase her stuff.
The last three questions were open-ended and required a written answer. I have scanned the actual sheet because:
1. The drawing of the kid on the bottom holding the stop sign made me laugh,
2. Visuals in a post are a fun way to punctuate the commentary, and
3. I wanted you to get the full experience before I give you my thoughts.
Question 18: Why was Egbert worried when he saw Evie collecting things?
Answer: He was worried because he thinks Evie will collect too much and end up like Prudy.
Question 19: Why was the setting at the end of the story important?
Answer: The setting at the end of the story was important because it is all clean at the museum.
Question 20: Why was Prudy’s museum a success with visitors?
Prudy’s museum was a success because it was amazing to see.
First and foremost, I wondered if the teacher thought all three answers were great and garnered a star or if she was especially impressed with the answer to number 18. She wrote “Great!” next to 18, but I guess it really doesn’t matter.
More importantly, I noticed a trend in my kid’s answers. She restated the question at the beginning and then gave her answer. Kind of how the Miss America contestants reply in the Question and Answer segments.
When imagining my daughter on the stage — knowing she was exploiting her looks with the express goal of earning scholarship money to hone her mind — I think of this scenario.
Somber, ominous music plays as she reaches into the clear fishbowl to choose her question. The B-list celebrity in a tuxedo opens the paper and reads into his hand held microphone: “If you could accomplish one thing during your reign as Miss America, Katie, what would it be?”
Katie wraps her hand around the mic, above his hand since he will not release the microphone into her custody, leans forward and begins her answer.
“If I could accomplish one thing during my reign as Miss America, I would like that one thing that I accomplish — during my reign (pauses and smiles) as Miss America — it would be to create a Utopian society of people who always wear Converse low tops.”
Then she smiles proudly as she screams into the microphone and waves, “I love you Mom!”
It could happen.
hahahah. too funny. i hate the ****** paper trail. not only is it of work, but advertisements.i had to set up baskets based on matter of importance for all the paper she brings home or i would go out of my mind trying to keep up with it. kid gets home and dumps out her back pack and sorts the papers in the basket. i look at it once i prepare myself. sometimes this includes a drink.
my kid routinely checks and corrects her teacher’s work (or even books we are reading on how the author could have worded the sentence better, excuse me 3rd grader. annoying. when it comes to her work? she answers questions like your daughter and she gets a star.
Isn’t it crazy the amount of stuff they send home. Every other week we get a 9×12 envelope of JUNK! It’s advertisements and stuff I always throw away. It just seems like such a waste of paper to me. I guess I should recycle that stuff, shouldn’t I?
Damn, Natural, I’m impressed that you kid will suggest how the sentence could have been re-worked! Way to go Natural-ette! No wonder, though, since her mother is a talented writer.
He he : )
I was just thinking that she got that ‘great’ for writing in complete sentences, which looks like a weird way to answer a question to an adult, but is how they have to teach kids to do it. Then you flipped it on its head with the Miss America thing – brilliant!
True, Cate. I hadn’t thought about teaching the technical structure of the sentence. It’s been too long since I was a third grader.
I’m glad you liked the ending! Truth be told, I enjoyed it myself :)
I think the teacher is schmoozing you. I thought the answers were “good”, but not so sure they were “GREAT!”. I think the teacher is sucking up, big time. Maybe she wants the very talented mom writer to mention her by name on the blog. Or perhaps write a whole book about her. Maybe she thinks mom will make “an appearance” at school like a movie star or something.
It does seem a tad excessive to me as well. I mean like you said she did answer the question, but I didn’t see the flair that warranted a “Great!” this time. This is not my kid’s best work, let me just throw that out there.
Lin, Lin, flattery really will get you pretty far in life. You earn the VIP Lounge Star of the Day award.
But don’t expect to earn it again with mere flattery — it only gets you so far.
It could totally happen. I do have a hard time picturing a daughter of yours interested in something like a Miss America pageant though!
We too get the 9 x 12 white envelope every Friday stuffed with school work and various ads for karate classes, art classes, etc… What a waste
Between you and me, I would be flabbergasted and actually disappointed if any one of my kids expressed interest in pageantry. No offense to the parents out there who are promoting it (although I don’t know if that demographic would be interested in my blog, but just in case…)
It’s just not my bag — I’d rather my kids focus on using their noggins to help themselves with logic, wit and humor.
He he he. Awesome post. Your daughter could certainly win Miss America :) Especially because my daughter is young and will clearly be Miss America when she’s old enough :)
Paul
Thanks strugglingwriter, you’re very kind. I have no doubt your daughter will receive the crown. I think it might be time to start teaching her the Miss America wave.
btw, when people answer the question without answering the question, i say they are “speaking politician” – that’s actually a language in my head. my kid is good at that. wonder where she gets that from?
teachers don’t always pay attention, the star, sometimes is for effort. probably more so on the teacher’s part.
I love that! I know a few folks who speak politician in my real life.
“If I could accomplish one thing during my reign as Miss America, I would like that one thing that I accomplish — during my reign (pauses and smiles) as Miss America — it would be to create a Utopian society of people who always wear Converse low tops.”
Man, that’s AWESOME. I busted out laughing right there because I could see that happening in my mind so vividly. And you know, maybe one day it will come to pass! I look for Converses that will fit my feet every time I see a pair, but I am regulated to the kids’ sizes. Do the One-Star Converses that they sell at Target count? I can get into some of them.
Regarding your comment on my post: Yeah, it would probably make sense to talk about one book in depth. I might do that when I get done with all of my shelves. But I have eleven more shelves full of books, plus my hope chest. That should keep me busy for about three months.
Blue, you are too good to me!
I have to say, in my snooty opinion, the One-Star Converse shoes sold at Target do not count (cringes). I know, that’s a really uppity statement, actually. I’m sorry. I am trying to be true to my opinion however. But they are definitely much, much better than Crocs.
Wow! I am so surprised you have that many books. I’ll be interested to see the shelves as they appear on your site.
p.s. Thanks for answering that question!
I remember being taught to answer questions in that format! I still find myself wanting to restate the question in order to answer. Just writing the answer seems incomplete to me. I stick to the rules too much I guess!
I, too, would be shocked to hear if one of your girls wanted to do a pageant. I watched a show on TLC about very young pageant girls and their mothers recently. The disturbing thing is not just making a 4 year old look like a 18 year old, but it’s also how much these children care about winning money, but yet they don’t actually get any money. I noticed a trend of “We will use this money to enter the next pageant!”
And why is a car a prize? None of those little ones needed a car, so who really won? The mother. Ick.
I do think those pageants for children are really pageants for the mothers who wanted to be contestants. I see that Ick and raise you a Yuck!
Hey CG!
Lol….I love your imagination. One question, in your vision was your daughter wearing high heeled converse lowtops with her gown (kinda like those high heeled work boots they make now)? :) That would cement her commitment to her utopian dream.
Although I don’t have any kids myself, I have been a Big Sister to a teenager and as a result have come to realize just how poor our education system can be (not in all instances but in many). My little sis who is now 18 some how managed to graduate high school with probably a B average and is now attending a local community college.
She initially had to take a year worth of remedial classes just to be able to start on college level courses. Based on her textbooks, I think she is covering junior high level material in these classes. However, she just got a D in her writing course and has to retake that class, so she will have another semester of remedial coursework. Did I mention that she wants to be a writer?????
Based on your daughter’s answers above, she is already writing at a higher level than my little sis! My little sis could not read and comprehend the material well enough to give such a thorough answer much less write such a clear answer. Well my long-winded answer was just my way of saying that while you may not think your daughter’s answers are “great” they may be in relation to other kids in her class.
Hope your new year is off to a great start.
Buf I just had to Google high heel Converse when you mentioned that and this is what I found (shudders violently as the shudder threatens to become a panic attack).
Oh my yikes. I can’t even speak.
I’m going to have to get back to you on that. I truly cannot look away from the train wreck that is that shoe and it’s actually impeding my ability to think right now.
****
The next morning: Hi Buf. That shoe seriously haunted my thoughts for the rest of the day.
Now on to your actual comment. That’s really sad and amazing at the same time that she was pushed through high school without actually learning. I am not so naive that I don’t believe that it happens, but to consider the future of those students who are sent through without learning really is tragic, I think. And even more so to realize it happens routinely.
I suppose the upside is that she is being taught now and is required to learn those things before advancing to the next level.
Despite that nasty shoe, my year has started off on a very positive note. I hope you’re enjoying 2009 as well, Buf!
I am in awe of your child’s super-neat and legible penmanship. And the spelling! I’d have given her a billion stars and ‘greats’ just for neatness.
I’ve sort of wondered when the children slide into messy handwriting and when the teacher starts to accept it. Maybe in junior high. But right now she actually has to practice on that old paper with the lines and the dotted line in the center. Remember that paper? It’s always on that flimsy newsprint. It was that way when I was learning to write in the Stone Ages. Seems like they would have upgraded the technology on the paper, doesn’t it?
I didn’t think (I do that often) that I had anything useful or funny to say today but the last two comments have changed my mind, Today is another landmark two shoe day in CG land and the first of 2009.
Way back in the stone ages (when I was in grade school), the nuns made us write so THEY could read it and to answer questions (on paper) by including the question – to rebel meant ruler slap, eraser smack or worse –
THAT hideous shoe is not a product of a Utopian society unless you think the book 1984 was about a Utopian society. Stuff of nightmares.
Finally, for some reason I have the vision of seeing your little girl at the mic for the National Spelling Bee
(Can you use that in a sentence ? Language of origin ?)
wearing her lucky pair of Converse low tops (no heels)
Frank you always have something useful and funny to say here in the Lounge. Even saying hi is useful. And you’re right, I was so distracted by that shoe I didn’t even realize today was a two-shoe day. And the first in 2009! OH! I might have to strive toward a doodle in the comments! You are my muse, Frank. Thank you!
Whenever I hear about the mean nuns for some messed up reason it makes me feel like I missed something by going to public school. I always wanted to participate in a Spelling Bee but they didn’t offer them or I had cauliflower in my ears when they mentioned them. So maybe I will become a typical stage mother and force my kids to do the Spelling Bee on stage. Definitely wearing classic low tops.
It could!
Alright, some validation from my favorite flower-named blogger!
That school paper trail is a killer! Every day is a folder full of wasted paper.
Lol about the pageant. Do you remember that commercial from a few years ago, it might have been for beer. It had a pageant “final question” line-up, and the announcer asked the women “what would you do to bring peace to the planet?” The first two women gave the stock pageant answers, and the last woman said “Which planet?” :)
I don’t remember that commercial but it sounds like it was a good one. I bet it’s at Youtube, I’ll have to search it out.
WASTED paper, not WASTER. Geesh.
I’m very tired this morning, and I am surprised to say I actually missed that typo until I saw this comment. But I fixed it, we’re cool!
That was a fun post. Loved the end.
Thanks sanjay! It was pretty fun to write that one.
Sorry to have haunted you all night with that shoe, however it may have been worth it in the end since you got your first 2009 two shoe day out of it…lol Keep up the positive momentum for 2009!
That shoe *is* haunting, no two ways about it. But I did recover. That was an unexpected bonus, wasn’t it? (Getting the two shoe quota filled.)
I have a pile of paper here bigger than my microwave. It represents the last two weeks of the previous semester at a previous school, where I was too busy with moving preparations to sort papers.
So far at the new school, Dolly has managed to bring home ONE paper. It said, “please bring $4. Homework due tomorrow.” I don’t know where the homework is supposed to be, or what it was.
Last year I asked our daughter’s teacher about this “restating the question” business. It’s what they teach the kids, now. And I had been thinking it was like double-spacing and using large fonts — just another way to make the answer take up more space.
So now I don’t comment on homework until after it’s graded.
It is sort of like that, but I can see where the teacher is coming from, now that I’ve written about it and people have commented.