Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Holy Knotted Shoelaces, Batman

Jenn is student teaching in first grade. And she was worried about shoe tying.

I started to comment on her post and it got too long..thankfully, that's what a blog is for!!!!!!!!!

My latest assignment as an aide is several [still waiting for a schedule!] first grade classrooms. We've had three full weeks of schools so far and I am FULL OF STORIES.

Quite a few of them still can't tie their shoes. And, I am sad to say, there have been a few second graders also!!!! Perhaps because they wore velcro too long? I think velcro is great for Pre-K and probably for Kindergarten. [But I don't know for sure -- maybe Mr. Thomas can give me the lowdown sometime.] One first grader consistently has untied shoes. EVERY DAY! ALL THE TIME!! Does he come to school like that? His brother was the same way last year.

Muddy shoes were an issue last week, until I moved the soccer goal! My 8th grader was disturbed when I told him I had been cleaning mud out of a 1st grader's shoes. "You shouldn't have to do that," he cried. Him with the elephant poo on his shoes.

So there are my shoe stories. How about you?

Anything interesting happening with shoes in your world? (Jen's found some more cute Crocs.)

7 comments:

Jen on the Edge said...

I commented on Jenn's post about how neither of my girls learned to tie their shoes until they were eight, when I finally insisted that their father teach them. (I'm left handed and tie backwards from all the righties in my house.)

The big shoe thing here in Jenworld is boots. The girls and I are all obsessed with them. Grace got some great brown suede slouch boots that she wears around the house every afternoon after school. Ellie got some blue suede riding boots that she's DYING to wear. And I just got some short black boots that I can't wait to wear either.

Anonymous said...

Maybe you could ask the 8th grader to look at upper campus shoes to see how many of them are untied as a fashion statement. The aglets are so smashed the laces can't be fed thru the eyelets anyway.

Sadly, they can't bow-tie anything else either, as far up the food chain as third grade.

I'm in favor of velcro or crocs and choosing your battles.

m-i-l

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

My theory is sheer laziness. Parents can't/won't take the time to let the kids do it themselves. (Jen on the Edge and her left-handedness excepted).

My don't kids potty-train until 3 1/2 or 4--because it takes time and energy to potty train a 2 year old-though it is certainly possible and much better for the child and the parent. I wonder if we could make this a green issue?

Amy @ Six Flower Mom said...

My shoe complaint is the pile by the door -- I have a wooden shoe shelf but no one seems to be able to actually put shes on it, except me ... many times per day! And with 8 people in this house that is a lot of shoes!

Vanessa said...

Loafers are or sandals are my answer to those who can't tie their shoes. Easy peasy!

dkuroiwa said...

hi.
my name is debbie and
i really am a bad mom. because we are always taking shoes off and putting them back on when going into every house, drs. offices, and other places, we just bought velcro shoes for my oldest to save time. When he became a 4th grader, we realized (because his feet were getting so big he had 'graduated' to big-boy shoes with ties) that he hadn't learned how to tie his shoes.
I felt like such a terrible mother. Of couse,now that he's a 6th grader, he can do it...though...he's not as good as what he should be...which means that we have jumped in and taught the youngest already...but, he, too, prefers the velcro shoes.
We find many ways to tie things around here...for the practice, you know!!

Pretty Things said...

How, how, HOW am I going to teach my son to tie his shoes????? I am totally stupid at it. I just can't seem to teach him this thing.

I remember being the kid in Kindergarten that could read on a 4th grade level but couldn't use scissors OR tie her shoes. So. I guess he gets it honestly.

But seriously -- I need a shoe tying nanny or something....