Animal Farm

[jimhelm]

If the teacher is teaching about writing, he may be insisting on using the word Satire because it is a TYPE of fiction. Allegory is kind of like a simile... a tool, not really a genre, so much.

or maybe the teacher is a wanker.

[infinite monkey]

^whs^

My 7th grade social studies teacher was more than happy to let me grab the encyclopedia and school him on the correct pronunciation of Edinburgh. He was all like "Well I'll be...been saying it wrong for years!"

Maybe the teacher wants the kid to think outside the box (what an overused phrase I know) and not just regurgitate the whole allegory essay. Or, maybe it's a crappy teacher. I also had a 7th grade science teacher who told us when we chewed our fingernails they all ended up in our appendix.

[wolf]

Originally Posted by infinite monkey

I also had a 7th grade science teacher who told us when we chewed our fingernails they all ended up in our appendix.

Oh my golly goodness. Does this mean that I do not have a stomach full of undigested chewing gum, nor will the watermelon seed take root?

[HungLikeJesus]

Well, he's certainly sparked discussion and interest, which is a sign of a good teacher.

[infinite monkey]

*cough* For every teacher like this there are ten parents who are products of home schooling who have been rendered less equipped to prepare their children for a productive cough.

Patient: doc I have a terrible cough!

Doc: is it productive?

Patient: Well, I'm not using it for anything.

[sexobon]

Allegorical/satirical sounds like a rip-off of the tastes great/less filling faux debate used to promote multiple facets of a subject.

[Aliantha]

Thanks for all the feedback girls and boys.

Yes it's possible there was a misunderstanding. Aden has used references to satire in his paper also, so I'm still not sure what the problem is with the teacher.

It all happened like this.

Aden brought the task sheet home with all the criteria for the paper, and guidelines for what he needs to do in order to achieve whatever mark he's aiming for. So I looked at all the info with him, and he selected the question he wanted to answer which was something along the lines of, "How was the speech by Old Major twisted by the pigs and distorted into a different message" (sorry I can't remember the wording exactly right now, but that's the gist of it)

So we talked about the different tools used by the author, and one that came up was allegory. The fact that it's a story about one thing but represented by different characters. He worked on it pretty solidly and came up with a really great intro which talked about the story being an allegory for the revolution and rise of communism in Russia. He did research and we talked about which characters represented which historical figure and he seemed to me to have it all pretty neat and tidy. Meaning he seemed to have a fairly deep understanding of what he should know.

eta: Aden also mentioned that the story was completed by 1943 but no one would publish it till the end of the second WW. The teacher said that was wrong also.

The stupid thing is, the teacher told Aden he was wrong, then handed out an example essay for the kids to read which used almost the exact statement Aden had, so that's when Aden felt vindicated enough to bring his concerns home and ask me what I thought he should do.

So in the end, my advice is that he should finish the draft as he began. Maybe the teacher will understand his point better once it's all down on paper. If not, Aden will have the teachers feedback on the draft, and a week to make whatever changes he needs. However, he says he's not selling out and that he believes he's right (and I think he is too), so if the teacher is still saying he's wrong, and marking him poorly, we'll get some independent advice from English teachers at other schools and present the argument that way.

The issue is that every single piece of assessment Aden does from now on will count towards his final grade when he leaves high school, so he really can't afford to get dudded on even one paper. He wants to do science at uni, so he has to get a pretty good mark in the end.

I think he's lucky to have parents who are able to make a critical judgement about where he's at with things like this, and who are able to lend him a voice to ensure the best outcome. I feel sorry for kids who have to do it on their own. It must be so much harder.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

The issue is that every single piece of assessment Aden does from now on will count towards his final grade when he leaves high school, so he really can't afford to get dudded on even one paper. He wants to do science at uni, so he has to get a pretty good mark in the end.

I tell my kids that the bottom line is to give the teacher the answer they are looking for.

You can discuss things and argue your point, but if the teacher insists they want X before they will give you a good grade, then give them X. Don't give them Y.

But I'm a good conformist. I generally obey authority. YMMV

[Aliantha]

Originally Posted by glatt

I tell my kids that the bottom line is to give the teacher the answer they are looking for.

You can discuss things and argue your point, but if the teacher insists they want X before they will give you a good grade, then give them X. Don't give them Y.

But I'm a good conformist. I generally obey authority. YMMV

Yeah I know, and I do agree to a certain extent.

The issue I have is that Aden can take a good lesson from this. That people in authority are not always right, but that there are procedures which can be followed in order to correct a wrong.

We'll go to the school with our evidence and ask for a review of his work. Also, it is my understanding that all their work is sent for independent review anyway because they're OP students (meaning they intend to apply to university), so this paper will be flagged if it goes pear shaped anyway.

I've told Aden he needs to do some independent research on the rise of communism in Russia so that he can argue his case well, and with respect if called to do so in front of the class. I've stressed to him the importance of not trying to make the teacher look like an idiot, but to simply put forward his case in a way which is irrefutable to logical minds.

If on the other hand, this teacher is simply an idiot (which could turn out to be the case) I'll have Aden moved to another class to avoid having to go through this with every piece of work this year.

eta: I will add that Aden has partially brought this on himself by being a tool in class quite often during his younger years, so he has created a less than stellar reputation for himself among some staff members, in particular the English faculty, so I can hardly blame Adens teacher if he's been warned that Aden is a trouble maker. Unfortunately for Aden (and this is another lesson he has to learn), it's going to take some time for him to convince teachers and other staff that he's committed to his studies now, unlike the first few years of HS.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Then again...










Just kidding, Ali.

[Rhianne]

The life lesson of 'do you want to look good or be good'?

[HungLikeJesus]

glatt would have said a kilometer is longer than a mile.

[Aliantha]

I know Bruce, and it's true what you say. I hope I don't go about it that way in the end though. lol

I'm very hopeful that Aden can negotiate a positive outcome for himself without the teacher even knowing I'm involved.

Coaching from the sidelines is always better than kicking the ball for them.

[xoxoxoBruce]

No, from what you wrote, I think you did exactly the right thing, both before and after the remark by the teacher. Kudos for taking an interest in the assignment and helping organize the preparation.

[sexobon]

See if Aden can convince his teacher there was a sequel to Animal Farm and get extra credit for discussing its relevancy: