I should be homeschooling to begin with.
I personally think it is great for several reasons, it provides a connection to history, it gives them research skills that are sadly lacking in teaching today, and it often leads to interesting discoveries.
Probably yes. There might be some things about your family that you don’t want other people to know about. What if you’re adopted and don’t know anything? How is it graded?
Can of worms, IMO.
Yes, it's an invasion of your privacy
I agree with you.
This is an unnecessary exercise that is of suspect pedagogy, and was probably designed by teachers with a stalking / inquisitiveness complex.
I think it’s a total waste of school time.
My sons have done this in Cub Scouts, but the assignment would be waived if we said we thought it was a violation of our privacy. The Scouts are responsive to member concerns about things like this.
For most it is already public record. Schools had assignments like this before every thought they were evil. So I would say no.
In my family tree, I was the ‘sap’. - Rodney Dangerfield
Adolph Hitler had relatives in the United States. I wonder if they inclulde Uncle Dolph in their family tree.
I had similar assignments in the 1970’s. It’s a common thing to use in instruction. Worst case, make-up names.
I guess I don’t see the big issue. How far back are the asking the kid to go? How detailed? Have you asked if you can opt out? Have you asked what you can do instead if the child is adopted etc? Is this going to be shared? I’m sorry, sometimes it feels like people really are just trying to find things to hate about public schools (as if there aren’t plenty of things already).
But yes, if you think this sort of assignment is really a problem you should be homeschooling.
Aunt Minerva worked as a prostitute for Union soldiers but was really a spy.
What are they going to do research it themselves?
Our kids did phony ones.
We figured it was none of the school’s business and what the kids made up was a lot more interesting than the real thing anyway.
My kids always were proud of the fact that through my mother's side of the family they are related to 5 former US Presidents. They also have relatives that came over from England and took covered wagons across the United States.
I figure if it bothers you that much have a talk with the teacher and ask for an alternate assignment.
I think it was an interesting assignment to give a child, but a better assignment and less invasive of a family’s privacy would be an essay about some moment in history and how it effected you or perhaps your ancestors. That question would reveal less about overall family history, and require more thought. It would even be something that those who do not know their family history could come up with an essay about.
I don’t think it is an invasion of privacy at all. Why not just do the assignment? They’re not asking for medical histories or social security numbers. What’re we trying to hide here?
Connecting personal history to overall history is a valuable lesson for kids. It can make things real. When we did similar assignments in history classes when I was in school, I learned from my father that I had a relative that died at the Battle of the Alamo, and another that was a pacifist pastor during the American Revolution.
People have mentioned adoptions, blended families, etc., etc. What about artificial insemination or gay parents? Must every assignment be tailored to the politically correct version of the “family” ... or can people just do the assignment?
SnakeDoc
My neighbors 17 year old just turned in her family tree project...I was basically a picture of a tree she had to color in, and glued pictures of family onto the branches.
It could be a real problem in some neighborhoods where there are several who don’t for certain if their father is their daddy or their uncle and their grandmother cusses out both of them .
Yes, and life insurance is socialism. :’)
It could be a terrible thing for kids who don’t know who their fathers are, but these exercises in the here and now are probably part of the “everyone’s family, homelife, and family structure is okay” axe-grinding.
This was a voluntary project for social studies class back when I was in the 7th grade around 1977. It was fun and interesting. On the other hand, my niece had a project last year of recording all her relatives genetic traits (eye color, hair color, right hand/left hand use, proportional finger length, ear lobe connectivity). It was interesting... but a little creepy.
Make sure you add a few Black or Hispanic ancestors. You never know who will build the ovens first.