His science model was clearly made by him. Most of the others clearly weren't.

ochre_wave_2388

Class 5 science exhibition last week. My son made a water filter from a cut bottle, sand and gravel, entirely on his own, crooked label and all. Half the table had models that looked like they came from a shop. He got a participation certificate and came home asking why his friend's volcano won when "his dad made it". I teach older students and I know exactly how I'd feel marking that table. What I don't know is what to say to a 10 year old. "Your work is yours" sounded thin even as I said it.

2 comments

  • orchid_piano_5174

    This is from some distance; my son is 17 now. At that age what seemed to matter to him was whether anyone asked him to explain what he had made. A teacher saying "how does it work?" meant more to him than any certificate. Did anyone at the exhibition ask him?

  • indigo_sparrow_9528

    Same thing with my son's chart in class 3. All his own work, letters a bit crooked. Teacher wrote "neatness needed". I kept it in his file anyway. Your son made a filter that actually works. That is not a small thing.

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