Maura brought her homework home. She's working on "M's" which is fairly significant, considering her name starts with that letter.Her nonconformist roots are already causing problems.
"You need to write your name, here," I gently tell her, pointing to the two solid lines with the dotted one in the middle.
"I did," she answered; this was true. She did write her name. But not to the proper specifications. Her "M" was somewhat rounded, and stopped short of the top line. Her "a" needed work; the line was on the wrong side of the circle. Her "u" was fine, at least as far as I could tell; her "r" was not, because she "likes to put an antenna on it." But, nevertheless, it said "Maura."
"You need to write it the way the teacher tells you," I said.
"Why?" she asked. I had no answer. I don't agree with the current method of teaching in the Chicago suburbs -- that is, instead of starting with a grasp of the concepts and then working on the finer, more precise methods of production, they must begin with regimentation.
I don't like this approach. People like me, my daughter, my husband, and my neon green styrofoam fedora-wearing father don't learn this way. I know what Maura's thinking: if you can read my name, then the information is getting across, and the purpose of writing is to convey information. Ergo, where's the problem? And if a rounded "M" is legible, why must she reproduce precise angles? Is an "M" not an "M?"
This is only going to get worse. She's only finishing up her second month of kindergarten. Wait until she gets to math.
