A conundrum for parents

[Wedgie]

You do realise kids turn 11 in year 5 these days?

Rubbish.
Kids turn 10.
11- Year 6
12- Year 7 etc

Dude, nothing makes me laugh more when people have no idea.
My daughter and all of her friends are 10 years old and turn 11 this year.
And they're all in Year 5.
FFS mate, you and others are so lucky I don't offer you bets before caning your asses on things you nothing about. The things I do for mates when I could be sooo rich!


PS You're missing the point, besides trying to oneup me and losing miserably Im sure you'll agree there's a big difference between 10 or 11 year olds and 5 years which was my point.

[Punk Rooster]

Yes, well I went to a "normal" school.
It was possible for kids to be 11 in year 5, but they were generally born late in the year.

Reception starts when the child turns 5- depending on when that is, they may have to "repeat" Reception (or are all the kids at your school "dullards" who've had to repeat? ).
Normal people like myself were smart & born early in the year

[Wedgie]

Yes, well I went to a "normal" school.
It was possible for kids to be 11 in year 5, but they were generally born late in the year.

Reception starts when the child turns 5- depending on when that is, they may have to "repeat" Reception (or are all the kids at your school "dullards" who've had to repeat? ).
Normal people like myself were smart & born early in the year

Mate, as I said to Phil, we're talking about today and not 30 years ago.
The way school years are arranged has changed dramatically in the last decade.
And just because you were a year behind other kids your age certainly doesn't make you smarter than them, quite the opposite my melon shaped friend!

PS You weren't normal, you were "special", and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise!

[the tractor]

That sort of stuff never hurt me when I was in the 5th grade'
mind you, I was 16.

[scoob]

AG rekons he is just gonna let little Grub find his collection of playboys before the PC teachers get to him, reckon it will be the only subject LG will pass with flying colours - that and the maths involving odds...

[Punk Rooster]

Yes, well I went to a "normal" school.
It was possible for kids to be 11 in year 5, but they were generally born late in the year.

Reception starts when the child turns 5- depending on when that is, they may have to "repeat" Reception (or are all the kids at your school "dullards" who've had to repeat? ).
Normal people like myself were smart & born early in the year

Mate, as I said to Phil, we're talking about today and not 30 years ago.
The way school years are arranged has changed dramatically in the last decade.
And just because you were a year behind other kids your age certainly doesn't make you smarter than them, quite the opposite my melon shaped friend!

PS You weren't normal, you were "special", and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise!

I said....

[Punk Rooster]

AG rekons he is just gonna let little Grub find his collection of playboys before the PC teachers get to him, reckon it will be the only subject LG will pass with flying colours - that and the maths involving odds...

"If daddy has a lazy gorilla each way on something @ 8's, what do we tell mommy if it wins?"
"Nothing"

[Wedgie]

I said....

[scoob]

AG rekons he is just gonna let little Grub find his collection of playboys before the PC teachers get to him, reckon it will be the only subject LG will pass with flying colours - that and the maths involving odds...

"If daddy has a lazy gorilla each way on something @ 8's, what do we tell mommy if it wins?"
"Nothing"

were you at the goodwood tab that day punky??? hahaha

[PhilG]

..

[Wedgie]

I'm not a parent, but that's beside the point. I wasn't getting the two mixed up at all. I know full well that Year 5 means kids ranging from 10 to 11. That's the right age to start this stuff. For the record, 30 years ago (when I was in Year 7) I didn't know this stuff because it wasn't being taught. So Year 5 IS an improvement on 30 years ago.

And on where kids are today. Frankly on what I'm seeing on the outside I'm seeing kids who are missing out on what we had when we were kids. OK - I'm not the best example of that with my disability and so forth - but when we were anywhere between 5 and 10 we had FUN! Where's the fun now? Are kids getting out? Nope - it's reality and little imagination with all the political correctness going around attacking the likes of Enid Blyton and the like, and computer games.

You seem to be advocating it as progress. I don't call it progress at all. I call it regression. Look what a lack of childhood did to Michael Jackson!

Its exactly the point mate because you have no idea unless you are one. My kids have just as much fun if not more than when I was a kid.
The fact is some kids are more mature than others and if you don't teach kids things properly at a young age they'll hear things earlier than we did in the "old days" in the schoolyard where they'll hear misinformed and wrong information.
The simple point is to get in first with informed and correct information.
Im not advocating anything as progress, Im just pointing out to you the way it is but as I said previously you'd have no idea if you weren't a parent (and I can speak from experience as I wasn't a parent for most of my life!)
Im not going to start sprouting away to you on what and how things with people with disabilities should be handled as I have no idea not having a disability myself and you'd have a lot more idea than me having life experience in that area.
I think you see the point.

[PhilG]

..

[Coorong]

[.
Can I ask you a question Phil?
Are you a parent? (.)[/quote]

One would hope not

[Wedgie]

No, Wedgie, I don't. I respectfully ask that you again look at the Michael Jackson example. He may have thought he was having fun at the time - but look at him now.

Mate, comparing millions of kids to Michael Jackson is a bit skewed to say the least!
It'd be like me saying Christopher Knight who was Peter Brady has grown up into a very nice gentleman therefore saying all kids who had it good young turn out great!

[PhilG]

..

[Wedgie]

Wedgie, I used Michael Jackson as an example of my point - not an all round "rule". Maybe I could throw another one at you for a different but just as alarmed result - Danny Bonaduce (the antithesis of Chris Knight if you like). And a heap of others while I'm about it. So don't laugh at it. Because seriously you look like you are laughing at the obesity problem. Maybe that's not what you meant, but to me that's what it looks like you are doing.

Coorong, the only reason I'm not a parent is because of my disability and because of three weeks of radiotherapy for testicular cancer. So I take some offence to your remark, and I ask that you withdraw it - if you wouldn't mind.

Obesity is a different issue IMHO and I agree with you its a problem. Having said that I'd never let my kids get fat as if they started to put it on I'd watch what they ate as well as have them down the park every week.
Dude, I could bring up a few million egs of kids that didn't have it good as a kid that went on to be drug addicts or even weirder than MJ!

[bay_girl23]

My two cents.

For a start - five years old is too early for any of that "life" stuff. Kids that age should be having fun and learning the basics. Putting in complicated stuff like life issues (no matter what they are) has the potential of stunting the basic learning of the 3 R's.

My view is that sort of stuff should start at Year 5, and if you are going to do it - present the facts and not opinions. If opinions must be brought in bring in both sides. That way all the information is there and the kids can make up their own minds. Isn't that what learning is all about?

Everybodys opinion is going to be different on this issue and so i think that it's crazy to jump down other peoples throats and become borderline abusive on a forum if their opinion isn't exactly the same as yours. Maybe this highlights why is should be just as much a reason for parents to address the issue, not just the school system. As a teacher, but not a parent, i agree that five years old is too young to introduce the concept of same sex couples. Children are very accepting at this age, but i agree with PhilG... let them be kids. Most kids have mum and dad at home... that's what's normal for them. There will be plenty of time when they're older to address the issue. The only way that i would raise this issue in my classroom with receptions would be if i had a child in my class had two 'mums' or two 'dads' at home and this became an issue in the classroom. In my opinion, I believe that same sex couples could easily be introduced before grade 5. I also believe that parents need to be notified to be ready for the other questions that the children come home with. I also agree with PhilG... present facts, not opinions. The children will hopefully talk to their parents, who also give facts and they can make their own mind up from there.

[Wedgie]

My two cents.

For a start - five years old is too early for any of that "life" stuff. Kids that age should be having fun and learning the basics. Putting in complicated stuff like life issues (no matter what they are) has the potential of stunting the basic learning of the 3 R's.

My view is that sort of stuff should start at Year 5, and if you are going to do it - present the facts and not opinions. If opinions must be brought in bring in both sides. That way all the information is there and the kids can make up their own minds. Isn't that what learning is all about?

Everybodys opinion is going to be different on this issue and so i think that it's crazy to jump down other peoples throats and become borderline abusive on a forum if their opinion isn't exactly the same as yours. Maybe this highlights why is should be just as much a reason for parents to address the issue, not just the school system. As a teacher, but not a parent, i agree that five years old is too young to introduce the concept of same sex couples. Children are very accepting at this age, but i agree with PhilG... let them be kids. Most kids have mum and dad at home... that's what's normal for them. There will be plenty of time when they're older to address the issue. The only way that i would raise this issue in my classroom with receptions would be if i had a child in my class had two 'mums' or two 'dads' at home and this became an issue arose in the classroom. In my opinion, I believe that same sex couples could easily be introduced before grade 5. I also believe that parents need to be notified to be ready for the other questions that the children come home with. I also agree with PhilG... present facts, not opinions. The children will hopefully talk to their parents, who also give facts and they can make their own mind up from there.

Excellent post baygirl, you sound like a fantastic teacher and someone I'd be glad was looking after my kids at school.

[bay_girl23]

Thank you Wedgie...

I'd like to add that last year I had a grade 4 student that turned 11 years old... there is no such thing as an age appropriate year level.

[Punk Rooster]

Thank you Wedgie...

I'd like to add that last year I had a grade 4 student that turned 11 years old... there is no such thing as an age appropriate year level.

& surely you would concede that is the exception, rather than the rule???