not coming to a child's birthday party

[GeoCam]

I think it IS fair of the school to have the "invite all" policy. If you don't want to invite the whole class, then all you have to do is mail the invitations. How hurtful to be one of the ones who did not get an invitation when part of the class is all abuzz about the cool party they are going to.

Birthday parties are NOT school activities and invites should NOT come to school. BUT, if you can't follow that simple guideline, then you better invite everybody. Why is that a bad rule? I know a little girl who is rarely invited to parties. She suffers enough without having to watch the "chosen" ones open up their invites and know that she was excluded and that the whole class knows she was excluded.

[Veronica]

How hurtful to be one of the ones who did not get an invitation when part of the class is all abuzz about the cool party they are going to.

...Why is that a bad rule? I know a little girl who is rarely invited to parties. She suffers enough without having to watch the "chosen" ones open up their invites and know that she was excluded and that the whole class knows she was excluded.

Apparently my students have better manners. They don't open the invites in class. In classroom the "buzz" is focused on academics.

V.

[lph]

Apparently my students have better manners. They don't open the invites in class. In classroom the "buzz" is focused on academics.

V.

Just curious, Veronica - what age group do you teach?

[Veronica]

5th - 10 and 11 year olds. I've been teaching for 15 years.

It's an age when they can mostly begin to comprehend that life is not fair. You do have those exceptional children who don't understand that. They can understand what hurt feelings mean and most aren't deliberately cruel (although a few are.)

It's when they can start to understand that life is what you make it and that their choices DO matter. They cannot control everything that happens to them, who can? But they can choose to make the best of it, or not.

I have a student who started 5th grade not able to read. You would think she'd be teased unmercifully, but kids "get it." They celebrate all of her little successes. They're not perfect. My non reader has some other issues that can be annoying and they get on her for that stuff. But for academics, they are her cheerleaders. It's cool, what kids can do for each other.

V.

[BikeMomma]

5th - 10 and 11 year olds. I've been teaching for 15 years.

It's an age when they can mostly begin to comprehend that life is not fair. You do have those exceptional children who don't understand that. They can understand what hurt feelings mean and most aren't deliberately cruel (although a few are.)

It's when they can start to understand that life is what you make it and that their choices DO matter. They cannot control everything that happens to them, who can? But they can choose to make the best of it, or not.

My oldest son is in the fifth grade this schoolyear, V. He's already grown up SO much, and we're not even halfway through it!

~BikeMomma