School Projects

I understand the idea behind school projects.  Done independently, by self starter students, with zero parent involvement.  They can be a wonderful educational opportunity.  With that said, I can't help but wonder, sometimes, if it's just a way for teachers to get the last laugh.

I've seen pictures on the interwebs.  You can't, in all honesty, tell me that Little Johnny did that perfectly executed experiment and flawless presentation on his own. I just don't believe you. Can it happen? Sure.  Is it likely? No.  How do I know? I have kids.  I know the quality of their work. I know that there are eleventy billion other things that they'd rather do.  I totally get that.  Why line stuff up evenly on a tri-fold when there are better things to do?  My kids don't care how much excess glue oozes out from under some grammatically incorrect printed out report slapped on the poster. 

What sucks is that *I* care.  I don't want to do it for them. But I do want it to look nice.  This is where the problem begins and why I am insanely tempted to turn in something like this brilliant child.

Can I get an amen?  I bow to this kid's awesomeness.  This is the truth.  The cold, hard truth. And if I were a judge in this fair - - this project would get my vote and freaking win.  

Tomorrow we are to turn in "our" idea for a science project.  Awesome.  As parents we have to sign off on our son's choice. Why? Because we have to help him.  In fact, he told me that he is required to do at least 80% of it on his own.  I can do that level math.  And I know what that means.  When he told me that, I wanted to hunt down my degree from college, make a copy of it and staple it to his shirt.  I've done plenty of this crap already.  But - - it's part of the parent job.  I get it.

Nobody tells you when you have kids that this kind of nonsense is in your future.  It should be in the non-existent baby manual they give you when your child is born.  What to expect?  Pshhhhh.  Expect that homework is going to suck.  And the fact that it's going to freaking start in kindergarten.  That's a fact, Jack.

So for the next month, we will be growing mold around here.  And we will be testing the effects of various levels of bleach on said mold.  Not too bad.  Right?  Not until we start compiling data and putting it on a display poster.  It should be a real hoot.  I can hardly contain my excitement.  Yay for science.  Yippee!

UPDATE:

We didn't go with mold.  Instead, we will be experimenting with the effects of various liquids on our teeth via calcium tablets.  Actually sounds interesting.