We had our annual parent-teacher meetings. Mr. Waffle and I went along and wedged ourselves into tiny primary school size chairs and heard that all is well. Though Michael is inclined to question the utility of much of his repetitive labours such as colouring, writing and sums which could be done much more speedily and effectively on the computer. I got the impression that his teacher did not entirely welcome Michael’s consequent reluctance to engage in these activities. However, some kind of truce appears to have been worked out. I am pleased to reveal that only other day I was summoned to the classroom to admire a project on Ancient Greece which he, his brother and a classmate had worked on. It involved both colouring and writing and they were all justly proud of their labours.
Hugh hates colouring and is incredibly careless and scruffy with it in consequence. His standard of colouring has gone down rather than up over the last year. His homework constantly involves colouring, too. There is a rationale for it – developing fine motor skills – but not one that sounds very convincing to a six-year-old…
I cannot wait to see what Michael ends up pursuing as a career. That is all.
As children we were never allowed colouring books because they inhibited creativity (except for altair designs as they were abstract and you had to create your own pattern). Can you tell I grew up in the 70s? Anyway, going over to a friend’s house and doing colouring in became a delicious pleasure as a result. Surely there are better ways to develop fine motor skills though?
Alas, fine motor skills are the curse of parents. I suspect it could be achieved with lego and less pain all round. Obviously, Disgruntled, the 70s were different where you were; in Cork they had no compunction about stifling our creativity and very grateful I am too for my ability to colour between the lines because I have to do so much of it in the evenings now.
Yes, Nicola, he might make our fortunes!