Preempting Thursday Tackle for Letter to School Board

Besides the fact that I didn't have a chance to research my Thursday Tackle this week, I wanted to bring you a letter Jonathan wrote to the school board. Longtime readers know the fact Jonathan WROTE anything on his own initiative is a miracle. Recent readers haven't read about the homework battles in the Howe household. I think Homework Battle #5 was in November.


It's been a difficult couple of weeks for us, I think between the holidays and the snow, it is like when Jonathan transitions back into school routines after a long break. He's had a number of meltdowns lately. We've had three in the last week. Prior to this past week it has been a year since the last meltdown. We try to describe Jonathan's meltdowns to people as watching a stick of butter melt into a pool in a hot frying pan. A friend of ours happened to be here last night. He said, he heard us describe it, but now that he'd seen it, he agrees this is exactly what Jonathan looks like...a pool of melted butter.


So while we were downstairs with our small group Bible study, Jonathan was upstairs writing. I'm going to type it exactly as it is written. I should note, he handed me the letter folded in thirds and on the top he wrote, 'the "Great" invenchon HOMEWORK'

2-24-10
Dear school board,

there is NO reason for homework. There never was a good and true reason and there never will Be. We have 6 hours of the worst thing ever invented (school) and when we get home from school, what do you know more school work. If your thinking "oh well Homework is so you don't forget what you learned at school that day." then I'll tell you somthing: WHAT KIND OF IDIOT FORGETS WHAT THEY LEARNED IN SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus homework keeps kids from playing outside and playing outside is now we get our exrsise. school is only 10% of my proBlem homework is 90% of my problem. Please GET RID OF THE STUPED HOMEWORK!

sincirely,
Jonathan Howe

P.S. sorry if you think I'm being mean But I'm earatated ok.

First of all, my next door neighbor happens to be an elected School Board member. He's known Jonathan, all my son's life. Bill will get a kick out of this letter. And he might actually do something with it.

Second, if I were to grade the letter, I'd give it a good grade for content. He has a good "voice." He's presented his argument well for a 4th grader. I'm really impressed that he has correctly formatted and punctuated a letter of correspondence. He continues to have trouble with proper capitalization and spelling. However, he's spelling phonetically. He's communicating his ideas and his message.


So how do you think the school board will respond? Will they be impressed with his well articulated and reasoned arguments and waive future homework? Or will they say his spelling and capitalization negates his own argument about forgetting what he learned in school?