Photo from facebook.com/eyfs.matters
By now, the kids are all set for school--school supplies covered, bus service or carpool scheduled, and uniforms ironed. We are gearing up for busier mornings, and getting the kids excited to meet new classmates and to look forward to school fun!
Homework, on the other hand, may take a little bit more of mind conditioning including for the grown-ups. None of us are looking forward to the negotiations for extra TV time or promises for a new toy. It actually takes a lot of teamwork to get the kids to focus on his assignment.
So to ease and relax the whole family into a new school year, we recommend taking a page from Jenny Thom's book. Thom, an elementary school teacher from the Bucklebury Primary School in the U.K., gave the best homework to her students.What other parents are reading
See, the 10- and 11-year-old students there took their Standard Academic Tests (SATs) last week. The weekend before the SATs, Thom gave her students homework to help them prepare for the tests. You'd expect to see a list of exercises to answer, lessons to review, or stories to read. Instead, she gave them this missive:
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWThom's unique homework list is composed of everyday activities such as going on a bike or a scooter ride, eating ice cream, laughing until your tummy hurts, and spending time with your loved ones. At the end of the list, she wrote "You are all amazing and I couldn’t be more proud of you.”
In a statement sent to Independent, the Bucklebury Primary School headteacher Andy Higgs said the school recognizes that the students have been very dedicated with their studying and have done an “enormous amount” of hard work in the weeks leading up to the SAT exams.The homework was also posted on the school's Twitter account. Since Eyfs (Early Years Foundation Stage) shared it on its Facebook page, it has gotten over 80,000 reactions and 71,000 shares.
One Facebook user, Mary-Claire Desmond,even wrote in the comments, "[Kids] deserve a childhood!" Jeannette Hooper, another Facebook user and mom, says it’s brilliant and shared in the comments a photo of a letter she got from her kids’ school that bears the same message.
"Whatever score this test gives you, know that you have worked hard to get it and that you have done everyone proud...We don't need a test to tell us how amazing you are, nor will this test determine how successful you will be in the future," read the letter.Need we say it? We absolutely approve! It's can be quite easy to get caught up in the long list of to-do lists once the school starts anew. Let this be a reminder for parents that we NEED to let out kids be kids once the school year starts.
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