Mama is dumb founded.

[paralegal09]

This is from my blog.

Really - Mama found the dumb! You can find it in local schools all across the nation. It's called the AR Program. It sounds like a glorious piece of work. Reward children for reading books and getting good grades on the test. They earn points to get the prizes. Why, children around the nation should rejoice! Mama's lil baby boy is in second grade and he loves the program. He's too young to know any better. His school has the system down pretty well. Read stories that are at least your grade level, take a test, earn points, and get a prize. This year he received a water bottle, a t-shirt, and will be going on the movie field trip.

Mama found the dumb at the next school. This is the intermediate school were her little precious man goes. This school houses fourth and fifth grades. Last year little precious man didn't want to participate and only did enough to win the prizes he wanted. Mama didn't complain once she went to the school library. Mama thought there program was D-U-M-B. Little precious man reads on a college level. Little precious man gets bored with books about unicorns and the Berenstein Bears. He's 10 years old; not 10 months old. So Mama instructed her little precious man that he only had to participate to win whatever he wanted. After all - they aren't graded. The teachers may be, though. So this year little precious man brought home the flier for the big prize. He wants to go. Problem is that he hasn't been participating enough. He told me that his school only gives between .5 and 2 points per book. This is on top of the matter that they will not let him read anything over a 5th grade level. Little precious has read Eragon (alone), two hard back star wars novels (alone), and frequently peruses the ancient world encyclopedia set. This is not your average little precious man. So Mama called the school about this. This doesn't seem right. Reading is now a chore to those that love it. Those that enjoy it and that are trying to raise their reading level don't get the chance because the library won't let them use those books. Talk about keeping a man down. Mama asked the school about the point system. Yes, the point system was accurate. So for little precious man to get the 50 additional AR points he needs, he would have to read no less than 100 books (at .5) or 25 books (at 2).

Now the issue is that the school does not have books on his reading level. Really, we like Goosebumps, but once you memorize them - they aren't fun to read anymore. Mama asked if she could take little precious man to the public library with an AR list for all schools (meaning high school list) so that we can check out a book. Mama even offered to bring it by the school for approval. Nope. They said if they don't have it in THAT school, it doesn't count and he can't use it.

Wow - so let's just take our gifted children, particularly the ones that enjoy reading, and send them to the school library to dumb them down. Maybe then we can raise more liberals that want to live off of the government or work as little as possible instead of working hard to achieve.

My word - wouldn't their librarian, who supposedly holds a Master's in Library Science, be insulted if I brought her a Highlights Magazine and told her that at home and in her leisure time that is all she is allowed to read even though she is capable of reading and understanding more? Talk about limiting. Mama thought schools were supposed to educate not hold our children back.

[Della529]

Apr. 8, 2009 at 10:33 AM

I can't stand the reading program here in our district.  But, they don't disallow books from other library collections.

[paralegalmommy]

Apr. 10, 2009 at 11:25 AM

wow... you are totally right.  I was the same way when I was his age, but then again we didn't have the AR program then either