Do you really think I won't check them?
My fifth-grade son these days does his modules on his own, with occasional help from mama or Google when the modules don't contain the necessary things.
Sometimes, he needed to be nagged before taking action. Sometimes, he does things even without me saying or ordering him to.
I always remind him to patiently check if he answered everything. Good thing his modules come with checklists on what parts to answer.
Now I tell him to answer the activities based on his understanding of the concepts or topics being discussed.
I tell him it's okay to make mistakes for as long as it's not deliberate. Still, if he can exert most effort to answer his best then that would be much appreciated.
On a few occasions, he would answer for the sake of answering. One funny thing I saw was his answer on the item, "List three things that you can do to avoid smoking, taking coffee excessively, and drinking."
He wrote on the first space...
I will not drink...
Then he wrote on the next...
I still will not drink...
Lastly, he wrote...
I really will not drink.
Then he proudly declared that he was done answering that particular module.
I told him to just go on answering until he was done with everything, setting aside those that needed video shooting or performance.
Days before the submission of the set, I went over his answers, and there I saw what he did.
I called him and probed how he would answer the question better. I tried not to laugh and get angry at the same time.
He provided better answers and I urged him to write those instead. Since he used a pen to answer, we masked the previous answers with the correction tape, then he wrote his new answers.
I bet he didn't think I would check his answers though he actually knew my style. He may just really be tired that time.
Sometimes he asks why I keep checking his answers even if I tell him it's okay to make mistakes. Yes, it's okay for as long as it's not intentional. It's not okay to just answer for the sake of answering.
What are modules for? They are being issued for learning to still take place despite the situation of this pandemic.
I really needed to check his output before submission. Otherwise, he would be simply answering with the mindset, "I want to get this over with!!!"
I understand. But you know, we don't teach children mediocrity and cheating. As much as we can, we try to empower them.
So even if I also want to get things done as quickly as possible, it just isn't right to do things for compliance's sake.
Lead image from Unsplash.
