Some schools in the Chicago area are trying to crack down on parent "help" on big projects, like science fair displays. Science fair judges say the problem has been becoming greater in recent years. Competition for college is one theory. But the upshot is that when parents help kids too much with projects, the kids often don't learn very much. Instead, kids find it harder to complete smaller assignments, being unused to work and having not learned to self-regulate.
Another issue is that professional parents with jobs like engineer or doctor are able to "help" their kids to a much higher level than less educated, less privileged parents. One colleague of mine here at Strollerderby wondered why parents with those kinds of jobs can't spend some time with their kids' classmates, sharing their expertise with those with less privilege at home. They can't claim to not have the time, given the obvious time that goes into projects like the mechanical teddy bears and crude oil distillation projects mentioned at the Chicago Tribune.
I have to wonder about the value of these huge take-home projects in the first place. My own theory is that kids too young to handle such enormous assignments should not be assigned them in the first place. I think a class project at school is a much better way to make sure that every kid learns something, rather than, for example, asking second graders to build something using electricity and magnets (another Tribune example). Some teachers in the article agree with me, it seems and are moving toward group and individual projects to be completed during school hours rather than assigned for homework.
My kids have yet to attend school and may end up doing several years of home schooling--in part to avoid these kinds of projects of questionable educational value. What is your policy on big school projects? How much do you help? Does your school have a way to regulate parent involvement in such assignments?
image: bizarro.com
