I unraveled the papers from my seven year old’s Hello Kitty backpack after a weekend of birthday fun. There was T-minus ten minutes until the bus was to arrive, and I was in my Emmy award winning mad-Monday-morning-dash. I quickly glanced through her cluster of papers for me to review. I pulled out her spelling test, smiled proudly at the 10/10 with a star, and then read this note from her teacher:
“No Doodles Miss Riley”
Maybe I’m overreacting, but my heart sank a bit. Okay, it sank a lot. Not because my daughter was corrected, but that doodling is discouraged in a second grader.
My husband tends to side with the teacher (although he was never a doodler himself). He said that the school system is not discouraging creativity, but there is a time and place for it, and on a test paper isn’t one of them.
Hmmmmm, still pondering this one. I’m not discouraging my daughter from obeying her teacher, or becoming insubordinate or will not be promoting picketing the front lines of her elementary school tomorrow morning, but I still am having a hard time with this one.
I can hear all the pro-home education parents now, this is why we home educate!
In all fairness to her wonderful teacher, I have not had a discussion with her about this yet. I’m excited to find out her thinking on the subject.
I posted this picture on facebook and instagram and got a good amount of reaction to it. Here were some thoughts on this subject:
Seriously? I think her paper is beautiful.
She still got a 100%, I say, let her doodle.
I’d have to break the rules.
As a grown up doodler, I can say it helped me get through a lot of boring lectures in college and also inspired new ideas. Perhaps you could come up with a compromise and allow her a doodle pad that she can have on her at all times. That is what I did when I got called out by one of my professors.
The doodles say to me – she was so smart that she had extra time after her test to be creative.
Oh my gosh, let her doodle! Really? Seems sad. It shows creativity, and shows she’s happy! I personally would write the teacher a note and let her know you hope always to see these doodles and they are encouraged. If she were in high school, I might agree with your hubby. Either way, she’s lovin’ life (from her hearts on her paper), great job Mama!
I do love doodles though and secretly a part of me is so proud of her when she explains she was riding herself of pent up energy in a quiet, positive way while waiting for everyone else in class to catch up with her. Hello second grade! Love these creative girls.
My doodles made a bigger impact in my life than any spelling test.
SEE HER CREATIVITY OVER HERE
and over at her SHOP! I’d say, doodling paid off!
SEE HER CREATIVITY OVER HERE
and over at her SHOP! I’d say, doodling paid off!
Either way, I’m glad to finally make the connection between doodling and a happy heart. I’m thankful to have a daughter who is happy, care-free, and full of life, spunk and creativity! May you go far in life, sweet girl!
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I am struggling with an issue concerning one of my children at school, too. Here are my thoughts this morning as I preach to myself (I posted this on FB today):
“Sometimes my “Momma heart” aches at the hurts in my children’s life. I am reminding myself this morning that the God who hung the stars in the sky is also in complete control of my children’s lives. He knows, He sees, He is in control and I don’t need to be “Momma Bear” because they have a loving and sovereign God who cares for them more than I ever could. Will you join me today in praying that our children see God at work in their life today?”
amen friend! I will do that 🙂 Agreed.
Heres a thought, maybe her spelling test was too easy for her and she was bored, maybe instead the teacher could have spoke to her to see if she was in fact just doodling or if she was bored or something, sometimes when things come too easily for a child they get bored with it, its now almost November, some kids catch on too quickly and are stuck at the slower childrens paces in public schools. I was a homeschooling mom and this year is the first year our children went to a public school, my daughter was so bored with reading she in fact doodled too during that time, and come to find out she is above grade level for reading. Some kids just love to draw, your daughter made a 100 on the test, who cares if she drew a great picture, the teacher could have said nice picture Riley, but please save those doodles for Art…it still encouraged her but gave her something to look forward to. I dont think its anything to fret over, but I would love for you to share what your childs teachers opinion is on the subject…have a great week!
I love your thoughts here!
She got 100%!!!!!!!
I would like to think that if I were a teacher that that is what I would be concentrating on.
The doodles are just extra points!!! 😀
extra points! 🙂
I think I fall somewhere in the middle between you and your husband on this one.
It does sound like her spelling test may be a little to easy for her if she had that much time to doodle afterwards. It was a large doodle. 🙂
I do believe that you shouldn’t extinguish ones creativity, but also feel there is a time and place for it. For instance, I doodle all the time when I’m answering phones at work, writing down messages, taking notes in a training class etc, however, I also know that I am not to mark our company’s important docs in anyway, except to receive a client’s signature or it voids the doc.
Since she is only in second grade, it is easier to teach appropriateness now, than when she’s an adult holding a real job. I would encourage her to keep a scratch piece of paper on her desk for doodling while she learns and let her know homework and tests are not for doodles.
For some, like myself, it is easier for me to take in new information if I’m writing, doodling etc. I think it would be a good thing for her teacher to have not just corrected doodling, but looked for the reason it occurred in the first place (ie. bored, creative learner etc) and found a way to focus that creativity differently.
Yes! Love these thoughts.
Didn’t get a chance to comment this morning, so I will now! 🙂
Lindsay is a doodler too. And I love it. Except that she has a tendency to get distracted by it. I love the ideas that others have to have a pad of paper that IS for doodling, but it really is a great thing for her to learn not to doodle on her schoolwork. While Riley is clearly doing a great job, she might find a subject that she struggles with (this is what happened to Lu with math) and then she will doodle instead of work.
Also, in a classroom, a teacher is responsible for all of the kids and to have a no doodling on school papers makes sense to me AS LONG AS they also encourage creative outlets. I want to make sure that is clear. Lindsay’s second grade teacher was such a stickler for rules that she did not allow creativity and this was not good for Linds at all. But she does need structure!
Okay, there’s my two cents! 🙂
I love hearing all your cents! Thanks friend! That makes great sense to me!