Institutions sometimes just do not make any sense at all.
To wit, some of you will remember my blog post from two weeks ago as I described the orientation for my daughter’s high school. You can read the whole thing by clicking here, but for the point of today’s update, all you need to know is that emphasizing technology, and how to use it in the world, was one of he key tasks of the school as outlined by the principal. He shared with us how they wanted to put iPads in the hands of the student as well as how much money had been spent preparing the school for emerging technology. Then, paradoxically, he told us how cell phones were, for all intent and purposes, banned (can’t use them at lunch, in the hallway, or classroom) with a $15 fine paid to get a phone back if it is taken up by a teacher.
Now, fast forward to this week. My daughter tells me that she needs an “agenda” for high school. I told her most people’s agenda for school is to graduate. She didn’t get it. I then explained to her that agenda was simply a word that means what your goals are, and that sometimes the word is used to describe the order of issues you want to talk about at a meeting or gathering.
I told her agendas are only bought and sold by politicians.
She still wasn’t comprehending, and told me her teacher told her she had to buy an agenda.
I thought I knew what she meant, but I asked her to describe for me what the teacher wants her to have. She said it was a thing, like a notebook, where you write down what you have to do every day at certain times. It is a reminder kind of book that helps you know what to do and when, so you can record homework due dates, tests, projects, rehearsals and things like that.
Oh, I said. You need a day planner/organizer. Okay, I said, well, your iPad and iPhone have great planners on them–you can even set it to give you reminders of key things ahead of time. I told her that I used mine like that for the last four years I was a pastor with great success. Just set those up and use them. That should work.
That was when she reminded me she couldn’t use her iPad or iPhone at school. It had to be a paper and pencil notebook agenda/planner.
This line of reasoning only makes sense if you consider paper and pencil new technology.
Other school related blog posts
image from climate.usurf.usu.edu
2 responses to “UPDATE ON MY DAUGHTER’S FOOLISH SCHOOL”
Can you say “mixed messages”?
Or actually more of a theme; We are the people in charge and regardless of what inane rules we make; there is a strong reason for them — teaching conformity.
I dealt with this with my kids; teachers and administrators want to force kids to conform to one way and one way only. Regardless of what works for the child.
Bob S.
Right on the money Bob. It is about power and control, not education. Thanks for the input!