I hate midterms | Imamother

amother

Sun, Jan 12 2020, 7:34 pm

Just saying.

I'm not even taking them, and they haven't started yet, and I'm over it. Three kids, 17 tests and a project. So far, 34 pages of notes printed, and the ink is already low.

I am reviewing material I never learned or no longer remember. I'm decent at math but can't stand it right now. Too many people need the computer for valid reasons. People ask me to remind them to study and then don't. I don't care about the history of the structure of the US government, or what makes up a plant cell. It was a nice day today, and nobody went outside. I'm about to break out in ridiculous song like I used to on study breaks at 2am.

Anyone with me?

amother

Slategray

Sun, Jan 12 2020, 7:53 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Just spent all day reviewing!!! I am with you sister!
What I find even more frustrating are the teachers who do not return test or review them so students learn from their mistakes- how are they supposed to grow. Then there are Rabbeim who are kind enough to write up review sheets, but hand write everything so you can't even read what they have told your child to study!

amother

Indigo

Sun, Jan 12 2020, 7:53 pm

I'm with you. Today I got to study physics. I don't know any but you can try to learn it from khan academy videos and then explain it to the whiny child who is "going to fail because I don't understand anything". They stay up too late because they need to study, and won't go to bed until they feel ready but waste so much time during the day and I am the bad one when I point it out even though I was told to "make me study, don't let me waste time".

Oh, and DH wants to know if I have finished planning vacation and finalized reservations for all the winter break activities. -In all fairness, he was at work today (I am considering being jealous).

So yeah, I hear you.

teachkids

Sun, Jan 12 2020, 8:30 pm

Don't worry, the teachers hate them too. We hate watching the students hate our guts. We hate watching them cram knowing it'll go right back out the other ear when they study for their next test. We hate spending our vacation grading, just to have to hold onto the tests until that last girl who went on vacation early gets around to taking it.
But we also can't be the teacher who doesn't hold the students accountable for the last month since Chanukah, and we definitely can't test them after vacation because they tell us that they forgot everything by then.
Yes, I tried a project one year instead- they told me it was worse because it actually takes more time to make a project they're proud of than studying.

(Yes, my midterms are already graded, but 6 girls haven't taken it yet, so back into my bag it goes until after vacation)

little neshamala

Sun, Jan 12 2020, 8:34 pm

I had a teacher one year who was absolutely phenomenal.
On the first say of school she told us she doesnt give tests, at all, including midterms, provided that she sees we are paying attention and learning. Her method to ensure this was to give a daily quiz, a small quick one, on the previous day's material. If she saw that we were consistently getting most of the answers right, she wouldnt give us any tests.

Well let me tell you, that motivated us. We listened, we paid attention, we participated, WE LEARNED.

And we didnt do a single bit of unnecessary cramming and testing. It was beautiful. No tests, no midterms, just learning.

teachkids

Sun, Jan 12 2020, 9:09 pm

little neshamala wrote:

I don’t want to derail the conversation, but I tried something similar and I found that the weak students were never able to finish the quiz in the time allotted and I didn’t have the data on the students that the administration needed.
I also struggled tremendously to keep on top of the grading, and that was before I had kids.

amother

Slategray

Sun, Jan 12 2020, 11:20 pm

teachkids wrote:

As a teacher myself whose school requires midterms
.I hear you. But as a parent there is a way to create a format to make it easier for everyone and still show the students have grown. Isnt that the point of assessments to begin with..to show student growth and knowledge of the subject bring taught?

amother

Wheat

Sun, Jan 12 2020, 11:24 pm

Do people really study with their high school kids? Older DD is self-sufficient and getting A's but I'm worried about the one going in next year. I can't see spending hours studying with her!

amother

Indigo

Sun, Jan 12 2020, 11:34 pm

DD1, very self sufficient
DD2, needs a lot of hand holding and does a lot of whining. I don't actually help her as the information is beyond me, but I do feel the stress.
DS3, couldn't care less
Littles, we will see.

amother

Wheat

Sun, Jan 12 2020, 11:40 pm

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

I'm curious about DD2 and DD3. Do they pass? Does DD3 not care that she's failing? That's a good thing IMO. Worse is if DD2 that cares but whines would be failing.

Which is it? Our family setup is similar, actually.

amother

Indigo

Mon, Jan 13 2020, 12:34 am

DD1 is a 95 honors student & "top girl" -not a girl who's younger sister you want to be.
DD2 is a 88-92 average/low honors student. Actually does work really hard. Probably wouldn't do better without the whining and procrastinating, would just get more sleep and be more pleasant.
DS3-85/90 low honors, has tremendous potential but is smart enough to coast and do reasonably well. With work, could really do very, very well. Probably my smartest kid.

amother

Mon, Jan 13 2020, 7:35 am

I have two kids with attention issues who need me to be around just to structure their studying at all. One needs me to be there until she clicks into a zone and gets going, and then I can go. Once she takes a break, she will not go back without prompting. And if she hits something she doesn't understand, she'll just stop. The other has figured out what works for him and is pretty conscientious about it once he starts. But it involves me, full time. Games, testing himwhile he runs around, drawing hangmans, etc.

My "regular" kid is fine but sometimes likes to study out loud, which drives the others crazy. And none of them are like my oldest, who would hibernate- he could not be asked to do anything during exams, including five minutes of carrying in groceries or holding a conversation.

amother

Mon, Jan 13 2020, 6:10 pm

Help! Both my attention-issue kids need to study. They both need me in the room to make that happen, so they need to be in the same room. Neither is capable of working silently. Neither can work while the other makes noise. I am the only parent home. Advice?

chestnut

Mon, Jan 13 2020, 6:18 pm

Sorry, OP, just saw your post right before mine.
Is the 3rd kid older? Can he/she study with at least one of them? Even pay her/him. Could they study with a friend? In different rooms? I'm assuming they're in different grades, so no studying together

amother

Indigo

Mon, Jan 13 2020, 6:23 pm

Put them in adjacent rooms an go back and forth like a ping pong ball.
I wish I was kidding.
Set one up with a small manageable task-read this page, answer these 3 math questions....and then I will be back. Then go to the other one during that time and do the same. And back and forth. You will have no time and no night, and time will be wasted while they "wait for you to come back", but it is the best I have come up with.
How many more nights left?
Just count them down.