School doesn't start until the end of the month so I've just been working full time and then tutoring after this week. It's pretty nice actually. Turns out this is my comfort level. I divide my life into school, work, other work, and home, with home having two sub-categories of sisters/house and boyfriend/friends. Obviously it's possible to balance all four, but only dealing with three right now is sweet.
Today I got to tutor one of the cutest little kids, who doesn't even need tutoring but his mother is like Amy Chua so he gets it anyway and will have ulcers before he's ten probably.
I brought Curious George books because he likes monkeys and also the color yellow, so I thought they would be perfect for him. The mother looked at them and frowned. "These are silly books. Waste of time. He doesn't need pictures." I told her he does, that little kids need pictures both to keep them interested and to promote their imagination and creativity (I pull this stuff out of my ass, but it sounds good).
She glared at me. "If you taught him to read then he would stay interested." I told her (for the thousandth time) that he's totally normal for his age. That he likes books and that's more than half the battle. "I don't care what he likes; I care what he can do."
Well. Wow. Why didn't you just buy a trained fucking monkey if that's what you want? I was so disgusted and wanted to just fucking leave. She's got the sweetest, cutest kid, and she's totally going to ruin his spirit and kill it. Granted, I'm not a genius who will create the next Google or anything, but I'm kind of smart and like to read. I know my mother would have known the perfect things to say to this woman, but I just stood there glaring.
My mom would reassure her that her son would grow up to be suitably impressive while also being a happy kid. She'd find a way to convince her to want her son to be a happy kid. It's like she died right before I got to the time when I'd start remembering important stuff she said that I'd be able to use for the rest of my life. What a bitch.
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P.S. Also, this has nothing to do with anything, but Alex showed me this video that's been going around her school and everyone is quoting from, and the lyrics are pretty funny.
Today I got to tutor one of the cutest little kids, who doesn't even need tutoring but his mother is like Amy Chua so he gets it anyway and will have ulcers before he's ten probably.
I brought Curious George books because he likes monkeys and also the color yellow, so I thought they would be perfect for him. The mother looked at them and frowned. "These are silly books. Waste of time. He doesn't need pictures." I told her he does, that little kids need pictures both to keep them interested and to promote their imagination and creativity (I pull this stuff out of my ass, but it sounds good).
She glared at me. "If you taught him to read then he would stay interested." I told her (for the thousandth time) that he's totally normal for his age. That he likes books and that's more than half the battle. "I don't care what he likes; I care what he can do."
Well. Wow. Why didn't you just buy a trained fucking monkey if that's what you want? I was so disgusted and wanted to just fucking leave. She's got the sweetest, cutest kid, and she's totally going to ruin his spirit and kill it. Granted, I'm not a genius who will create the next Google or anything, but I'm kind of smart and like to read. I know my mother would have known the perfect things to say to this woman, but I just stood there glaring.
My mom would reassure her that her son would grow up to be suitably impressive while also being a happy kid. She'd find a way to convince her to want her son to be a happy kid. It's like she died right before I got to the time when I'd start remembering important stuff she said that I'd be able to use for the rest of my life. What a bitch.
********************************************
P.S. Also, this has nothing to do with anything, but Alex showed me this video that's been going around her school and everyone is quoting from, and the lyrics are pretty funny.
3 comments:
Loved the video and the song...I love it when the kids are out of school on vacation and over the summer, one less thing to juggle with work/home/commitments...not impossible, but just one less thing for a little bit I agree makes it a breeze...that mother is an idiot glad you spoke up.
HOWLING from the Amy Chua comment! And yes, good for you for speaking up to that mother. If only it would sink in...and oh, by the way, you cannot teach a kid who is not ready for reading, to read. The brain is what the brain is. Yours is clearly superior. Glad you've been able to take it a little bit easier.
Unfortunately for many parents, the happiness of their child is irrelevant. It was nice of you to stand up for him, doubtful she'll actually "get" it. It sounds like his time with you may be a spot of happiness for him.
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