Who is to blame for this mistake?

[Marlea98]

Yeah, I'm not sure why there needs to be blame.

They're in 6th grade. They did their homework and they made a mistake. I'm guessing that they will now know for the rest of their lives what exactly "Western Attire" means in general writing.

Isn't that kind of the point of kids doing their homework … so they learn?

Yep, it's probably all over youtube by now

 

[CaliBear]

I do not see any reason to blame anybody

The parents were (hopefully) not over-involved in the kids' homework and either did not do any of it, or simply helped find costume pieces when the kids said they needed to dress "Western" for school--without ever hearing mention of Luxembourg to know there might be an issue.

And the kids DID do research; they were simply unfamiliar with a term, and had good reason to think they DID know that term. I can easily imagine 11 year olds misinterpreting that.

I think it sounds like a simple "mistake" that is no big deal, no one should be blamed, and the whole class learned what the term "Western Attire" means. That is a teaching and learning win in my book.

I only got as far as this post, but this sums it up perfectly. No reason to blame anyone, and everyone learned from the process.

I'll read the rest of the thread now since I'm guessing there is more to the story or there wouldn't be a thread.

 

[SWofDisorder]

I only got as far as this post, but this sums it up perfectly. No reason to blame anyone, and everyone learned from the process.

I'll read the rest of the thread now since I'm guessing there is more to the story or there wouldn't be a thread.

Well said, why is this even a thread.

Who really cares if 11 yr olds make a mistake? They are in school and they are doing exactly what they should...learning.

 

[NaLisa]

Why blame anyone? The kids did the best they could and what they thought was correct. I don't find it mortifying at all. While they misread the information, their intentions were great.

I actually admire the parents that allow the KIDS to do their own work. Its 6th grade, not 2nd and parents needn't be hovering over every assignment...

This. The kids completed the assignment, put thought and effort into their costumes, and apparently did their own work. Just because they misinterpreted something doesn't negate their work, and their mistake is quite understandable. I would certainly not be mortified as a parent; I would be proud that they did the work themselves and learned something, and I would have a fun story to tell at parties!

 

[Sultana]

And in all fairness, I'm pretty sure there aren't all that many people in Austria running around dressed in costumes made from old curtains like the Von Trapp Family Singers these days.

So the Luxembourg kids aren't the only ones factually off center. Maybe at one point in time there was a singing Luxembourg Cowboy family out there and we've just never heard of them because the movie never made it past pre-production planning.

WUT??? I was just about to recycle my old curtains into summer/ vacation outfits!!!

There is that too The kids and I were saying that (though, you would be surprised how many people we see in drindls and lederhosen hiking or as a group downtown, etc here). It is really hard to think of anything even remotely distinctive to associate with Luxwmbourg as far as clothing goes--and we live close and go every so often (and have family roots there).

I live close too. The first thing I think when I hear "Luxemburg" and "dress" is Elie Saab. The Luxemburg royal family seems addicted to him and his clothing. Can't blame them really, those are fabulous dresses!!

 

[Poohforyou]

Op, I don't even get why this is a concern of yours. Unless I'm misreading this wasn't your child who did this. I don't see that there's anything to blame anyone about. It was a simple, funny misunderstanding.

6th grade is middle school here and parents most certainly aren't involved in group projects to the point of knowing all the details. If kids need things or help they ask. Otherwise they like to do it on their own.

 

[LilyWDW]

I did not read the whole thread so this may have already been said. I am guessing the children who made the mistake did their own homework and the children with the elaborate dress done correctly had parents helping the kids do THEIR work more than they should have. I would have found the situation cute and given these children kudo's for having done the assignment on their own.

Really?

We did something similar around the same grade. I did my assignment on my own and came up with the correct costume. I mean, I DID ask my mom for a ride to the store to pick up a few things that I needed (which I also paid for from my own allowance), but I did my own research and made up my own costume.

 

[Poohs Pal]

Really?

We did something similar around the same grade. I did my assignment on my own and came up with the correct costume. I mean, I DID ask my mom for a ride to the store to pick up a few things that I needed (which I also paid for from my own allowance), but I did my own research and made up my own costume.

LOL....Yes REALLY!!!!!! No need to get so defensive..I am glad you did your own work and did it well but I still believe to many parents get to involved with their children's homework.. This was a lesson learned for these kids.. I still don't see the big deal..Funny...

 

[NHdisneylover]

WUT??? I was just about to recycle my old curtains into summer/ vacation outfits!!!



I live close too. The first thing I think when I hear "Luxemburg" and "dress" is Elie Saab. The Luxemburg royal family seems addicted to him and his clothing. Can't blame them really, those are fabulous dresses!!

Somehow I doubt 6th graders would have the means to show up in Elie Saab anything

 

[scoutie]

I teach 6th and 7th grade and kids make mistakes. Something like "International Day" sounds like a fun activity. It sounds like the student put effort in, but misunderstood. It happens.

 

[sk!mom]

So it was "International Day" at my mom's school. The sixth graders were all paired up and given a country to do a presentation on. The kids who did Austria dressed up as the Von Trapp children. The kids who did the UK dressed up as Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson. It was all cute until the kids who did Luxembourg came in the room dressed as old Country and Western stars with cowboy boots, cowboy hats, and bolo ties. They gave their presentation on the basic facts of the country. A teacher then asked about their costumes. They said that they read online that the people of Luxembourg dress in standard "Western attire"... The teacher tried hard not laugh when she said that referred to the Western Hemisphere... not US.

For such a glaring and hysterical mistake who do you blame? The parents... who obviously had to provide the clothing, the kids for doing lazy research...or the teacher for not overseeing the research properly? I literally would mortified if I sent my 11 year old to school in such incorrect attire. I can't imagine blaming the teacher.

Why would anyone be to "blame?" It was a simple misunderstanding of what "western" meant. By Middle School, I no longer needed to supervise my DD17's schoolwork so had she told me that she needed to dress "Western" I would not have questioned her. Of course, I'm in Texas.

Further they were dressed in one particular style of "western" dress so it was probably just as accurate as the other examples you gave. The Von Trapp's are a movie example of a dated stereotype not an accurate representation of Austrian dress. Sherlock Holmes would qualify as a costumed character not representative of UK dress. Kind of like dressing as Mickey to represent Floridian dress.

 

[sk!mom]

I don't know who I'd blame, or if it really matters all that much. I always loathed the dress up requirement as a student & still do as a parent. Why spend so much time & resources trying to recreate traditional cultural dress of countries when so much of the world dresses the way we do? Our clothing isn't just made overseas, it's worn there, too.

I spent a fortune at Hobby Lobby during DD's middle School years for ridiculous projects. "Read a period novel and do some type of presentation in period dress." "Make a Mobile after reading Treasure Island." And on and on and on!

How about read the books or study the area and then write a paper that demonstrates understanding.

Not dress up as Sherlock Holmes because that somehow shows that you understand the UK???

 

[Ceila]

I spent a fortune at Hobby Lobby during DD's middle School years for ridiculous projects. "Read a period novel and do some type of presentation in period dress." "Make a Mobile after reading Treasure Island." And on and on and on!

How about read the books or study the area and then right a paper that demonstrates understanding.

Not dress up as Sherlock Holmes because that somehow shows that you understand the UK???

Oh, how I love irony. Not picking on you - we all make typos! It was just too good to pass up.

Most projects that involve a creative aspect also have a more traditionally academic aspect as well. I have never seen, as a parent or a teacher, a report that only calls for dressing up as a character. There is always some kind of paper or presentation as well. Why would including some creativity be a bad thing? Not every student excels at writing, so allowing students to showcase what they've learned in a variety of ways is beneficial to them.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I do not see any reason to blame anybody

The parents were (hopefully) not over-involved in the kids' homework and either did not do any of it, or simply helped find costume pieces when the kids said they needed to dress "Western" for school--without ever hearing mention of Luxembourg to know there might be an issue.

And the kids DID do research; they were simply unfamiliar with a term, and had good reason to think they DID know that term. I can easily imagine 11 year olds misinterpreting that.

I think it sounds like a simple "mistake" that is no big deal, no one should be blamed, and the whole class learned what the term "Western Attire" means. That is a teaching and learning win in my book.

I agree with this as well. There's no need to "blame" anyone. (In fact, I think that's something we, as a society, do way too much of in general.) The kids made an innocent mistake, and probably got a good laugh out of it themselves.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

They shouldn't feel too bad. When I was in school, there was a kid did a presentation on Austria. He talked koalas and kangaroos extensively.

 

[sk!mom]

Oh, how I love irony. Not picking on you - we all make typos! It was just too good to pass up.

Most projects that involve a creative aspect also have a more traditionally academic aspect as well. I have never seen, as a parent or a teacher, a report that only calls for dressing up as a character. There is always some kind of paper or presentation as well. Why would including some creativity be a bad thing? Not every student excels at writing, so allowing students to showcase what they've learned in a variety of ways is beneficial to them.

Almost without fail the "creative" aspect was a waste of my DD's time And costly to me but thanks for editing my post. Maybe if I'd written more papers...

Are you a Middle School teacher? Once DD reached high school the projects that required me to fund her homework went away.

 

[Ceila]

Almost without fail the "creative" aspect was a waste of my DD's time And costly to me but thanks for editing my post. Maybe if I'd written more papers...

Are you a Middle School teacher? Once DD reached high school the projects that required me to fund her homework went away.

It's a shame that you couldn't find value in the creative aspect. I like that my kids have a well-rounded education, which includes academic assignments incorporating music, art, video, acting, and yes, even "fashion."

As a parent (one in middle and one in high) and a teacher (older elementary aged students), I believe that it is important for teachers to allow for both the academic stars to shine as well as the creative stars. It also exposes kids to areas that they may not have tried before, and it calls on different skills that they may not use in writing a report, often skills that are more applicable to "real" life than writing 2-page essays.

As kids get older and the projects get more in-depth, we've seen most teachers offer choices, so kids can not only learn the material but present it in a way that appeals to them. For example, for one assignment in sixth grade on the ancient Egyptians, my son had about ten different topics to choose from, and students had to write a report and do a "creative" piece. They could also design, with their teacher's approval, their own project, which my son did. He chose to research ancient burial practices, and he created a stop-motion animation movie to demonstrate the mummification process. He's now heavily involved with his high school's television station and interested in studying film / TV in college.

I guess my point is that, as a parent, it's our job to help our kids find something of value in their assignments. Sometimes it's really hard - ask me how I felt about DD's weekly word search spelling assignments in third grade! But for those larger projects, I guess I'm a glass-half-full type of person and can usually find something to appreciate.

 

[lauradis]

Yeah, I'm not sure why there needs to be blame.

They're in 6th grade. They did their homework and they made a mistake. I'm guessing that they will now know for the rest of their lives what exactly "Western Attire" means in general writing.

Isn't that kind of the point of kids doing their homework … so they learn?

If we are playing the blame game it would be the 11 year olds fault for not researching enough to know what western attire is.

Good for the parents for not doing their children homework.

Why should the teacher have to over see an assignment like this.

Really peeps its ok to make mistakes, to be humbled, or even embarrassed.

 

[WowLookAtThat]

And now, a special award for those students who obviously had no help at all from their parents, Lisa Simpson and Ralph Wiggum!

 

[lauradis]

Very cute poster