[metmom]

My kids asked that question all the time. Come to think of it, so did I.

I always tried to give them answers because I, too, hate busy work and if I felt something in the curriculum was just that, I didn't make them do it.

The one example that comes to mind is when they were learning to write out numbers in words. When they wanted to know why they needed to know this, I showed them the next time I wrote out a check and told them this was a skill they'd be using the rest of their lives. That settled that. Other things haven't been so easy to deal with; it's taken more creativity.

[longtermmemmory]

LOL!

You just reminded me of a Geometry class waaaay back when.

The teacher showed the entire class this old disney film with the crazy duck professor. It was how geometry was all over our lives in the real world. (in buildig things, how to play pool etc.)

From that pont forward, geometry was seen as part of our immediate world.

I doubt teachers today would be competent enough to even handle that simple demonstration.



ps, yes it was a male teacher...

[Warren_Piece]

I'm not sure I buy this whole "boys constantly question authority and if they don't know the purpose of the assignment they won't do it" argument.

How do you explain the US military?

Not that I don't think schools have become feminized, I just think this is the wrong argument. Physical energy, application, logic. These are not emphasised, and THAT is the problem, IMHO.

[Tax-chick]

I showed them the next time I wrote out a check and told them this was a skill they'd be using the rest of their lives.

Excellent point. Also, the reason you need to know cursive is so that you can sign your name!

I have sometimes found us spending time and effort on something none of us enjoyed, and that none of us felt strongly about the value of. When that happens, I say, "Oh, forget about it!"

[CottonBall]

My kids asked that question all the time. Come to think of it, so did I.

I always tried to give them answers because I, too, hate busy work and if I felt something in the curriculum was just that, I didn't make them do it.

I didn't mind that type of question when I was teaching - as long as the student really did want to know and wasn't just trying to distract from the lesson. Part of the standard lesson plan that I used had an objective for each concept and why the students needed to learn it. I found as long as I explained why we were learning something new, they were more cooperative. (For the ones that didn't want to learn anything and just wanted to argue, they got to write a paper to explain why the concept was important. Of course, they rarely did and got a 0 for it.)