Well, we went to the interview for Small Modox Girls School. As I suspected, they wanted Thing 2 to get some speech therapy. (I have heard so many conflicting reports on whether Thing 2 needs it that I've taken a "wait and see" approach. Her vocabulary and syntax are fine, but she sounds like Elmer Fudd.) However, she also recommended OT. Why? Because Thing 2 can only form a few letters.
We are, of course, talking about a four-year-old. How many of us could write when we were four? My own preschool spent time and energy teaching me how to color and cut paper--and I've done the same. Sure, we play with the Handwriting Without Tears preschool book, but I just don't make a big deal out of it. Because she's FOUR!
Meanwhile Thing 1, who just turned six--literally, like three weeks ago--was able to read 96 out of 100 sight words, but her sounding out is rough. (Yeah, she's a VSL--I could have told them that.) They recommended enrolling her in first grade stat--otherwise she'd fall behind.
And here's where they raise the ire of the Queen.
The Powers That Be determined that Thing 1 functions on the level of the average first grader. However, there's a jump in ability between first and second grade, and Thing 1 might not be able to bridge the gap if I kept teaching her. OK, but, what if I put her in your program, and she still falls through the cracks? "Well, you have to have bitachon." Sorry, but I save my bitachon for Hashem. In fact, aren't we NOT supposed to put our trust in people? Moreover, if she already functions at the level of the average first grader (and we're in the month of December--so, not even the half-way point) then isn't there a good chance that Thing 1 will continue to progress and then be at the level of the average second grader by June?
Monday, December 17, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Tragedy in Connecticut
I could turn this into a "this is why we homeschool" post, but I won't.
Yesterday, a 20-year-old man broke into an elementary school and shot 26 people, including the principal, a school psychologist, and 20 first-graders.
That's right. 20 children the same age as Thing 1. 20 children who went to school expecting to color, practice their reading and writing, sing about Santa Claus, and hear their beloved teacher read to them. 20 children who wanted to play on the swings and monkey bars at recess and sit with their friends at lunch. 20 children whose parents sent them off with a good breakfast and a kiss good-bye.
20 families whose children will never come home.
Yesterday, a 20-year-old man broke into an elementary school and shot 26 people, including the principal, a school psychologist, and 20 first-graders.
That's right. 20 children the same age as Thing 1. 20 children who went to school expecting to color, practice their reading and writing, sing about Santa Claus, and hear their beloved teacher read to them. 20 children who wanted to play on the swings and monkey bars at recess and sit with their friends at lunch. 20 children whose parents sent them off with a good breakfast and a kiss good-bye.
20 families whose children will never come home.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Trimming the workbooks
In my last post, I asked the question why school can't be like kindergarten. I think I know the answer. And I'm working to remedy it.
Schools can't be like kindergarten because kindergarten teaches simple skills. Letters, numbers, shapes, colors, how to hold a crayon, how to resolve differences without clocking the kid who was your best friend up until five minutes ago--stuff like that. However, grade schools and high schools teach Complicated Skills. Important things, like the Principal Exports of Brazil. Or the History of the Peloponnesian Wars. Or Chemical Bonds. Or the Proper Way to Diagram a Sentence (seriously, does anyone even do that after middle school?) Or even (wait for it) Quadratic Equations. And, not only must you teach it, you must prove that it was learned. But, if you're a history major teaching an algebra class, how do you do that when your own experience with math is limited to having suffered through it in tenth grade?
Such is my problem.
Now, I can teach reading, math, history and science. When we read about the Greek gods today, I decided to show who they were with some of the Things' Mitzvah Kinder dolls. (I'm sure that was not their intended purpose, but I reeeeally don't care. Queen Esther as Hera! Bride doll as Aphrodite, with little Upsherin Boy as Eros! King Achashveirosh as Zeus! Black-coated Chassidic guy as Hades! Kohen Gadol as Apollo! Rebbetzin as Athena!) I can do that. I know this stuff. However, when it comes to Hebrew, I'm lost. I have to rely on the old "textbook-worksheet" method to cover the basics because I don't know what I'm doing! Problem is, Thing 1 would rather hear stories about the Eskimo Twins than do a workbook page. And I'd rather read her a story about Eskimo Twins than prod her through a workbook page.
So, bit by bit, we're paring away at the more "textbook" elements. Thing 1 has finished her dikduk workbook, and has almost no objections to the Chumash book, so we're safe there. I was going to introduce a vocab workbook, but decided to use it as a reference instead. As for Hebrew reading, I scrapped our Behrman House book with its traditional exercises in favor of an immersion program which Thing 1 is taking to like a duck to water. She'd much rather read stories about a llama in class, or a kid helping his baby brother stand while leaning on something not hinged, than have to plow through some long lesson and then do some exercise in the the back (fortunately, we've been doing the exercises orally--spare my kid's motor skills).
Which brings me to another issue.
As it is, Thing 1's writing is limited to answering math questions, copywork in English and Hebrew, dikduk translations, and labeling cities on maps or parts of a seed. She's six! Her motor skills are developed enough that she can write, but they're not as strong as an adult's. So, why add to the fire by piling on more worksheets? Why have her fill in the blank or do multiple choice? It doesn't prove anything. Not when I could just, I don't know, TALK to my kid. The only time she commits a summary to paper is in the form of a drawing.
Schools can't be like kindergarten because kindergarten teaches simple skills. Letters, numbers, shapes, colors, how to hold a crayon, how to resolve differences without clocking the kid who was your best friend up until five minutes ago--stuff like that. However, grade schools and high schools teach Complicated Skills. Important things, like the Principal Exports of Brazil. Or the History of the Peloponnesian Wars. Or Chemical Bonds. Or the Proper Way to Diagram a Sentence (seriously, does anyone even do that after middle school?) Or even (wait for it) Quadratic Equations. And, not only must you teach it, you must prove that it was learned. But, if you're a history major teaching an algebra class, how do you do that when your own experience with math is limited to having suffered through it in tenth grade?
Such is my problem.
Now, I can teach reading, math, history and science. When we read about the Greek gods today, I decided to show who they were with some of the Things' Mitzvah Kinder dolls. (I'm sure that was not their intended purpose, but I reeeeally don't care. Queen Esther as Hera! Bride doll as Aphrodite, with little Upsherin Boy as Eros! King Achashveirosh as Zeus! Black-coated Chassidic guy as Hades! Kohen Gadol as Apollo! Rebbetzin as Athena!) I can do that. I know this stuff. However, when it comes to Hebrew, I'm lost. I have to rely on the old "textbook-worksheet" method to cover the basics because I don't know what I'm doing! Problem is, Thing 1 would rather hear stories about the Eskimo Twins than do a workbook page. And I'd rather read her a story about Eskimo Twins than prod her through a workbook page.
So, bit by bit, we're paring away at the more "textbook" elements. Thing 1 has finished her dikduk workbook, and has almost no objections to the Chumash book, so we're safe there. I was going to introduce a vocab workbook, but decided to use it as a reference instead. As for Hebrew reading, I scrapped our Behrman House book with its traditional exercises in favor of an immersion program which Thing 1 is taking to like a duck to water. She'd much rather read stories about a llama in class, or a kid helping his baby brother stand while leaning on something not hinged, than have to plow through some long lesson and then do some exercise in the the back (fortunately, we've been doing the exercises orally--spare my kid's motor skills).
Which brings me to another issue.
As it is, Thing 1's writing is limited to answering math questions, copywork in English and Hebrew, dikduk translations, and labeling cities on maps or parts of a seed. She's six! Her motor skills are developed enough that she can write, but they're not as strong as an adult's. So, why add to the fire by piling on more worksheets? Why have her fill in the blank or do multiple choice? It doesn't prove anything. Not when I could just, I don't know, TALK to my kid. The only time she commits a summary to paper is in the form of a drawing.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Preschool--the ultimate bait and switch
Once again, Builder managed to almost wear me down on the side of at least considering a school. So, today, I went to an open house for Small Modox Girls' School, determined to answer the two basic questions--what are you offering, and how much does it cost. (Small Modox Girls' School does have a website--but neither curriculum nor hard tuition numbers are addressed.) Since the orientation assumed that the parents are enrolling for preschool, most of the focus was on the preschool--meeting teachers, touring classrooms, and discussing curriculum. It Turns out that SMGS has dedicated preschool teachers, and a curriculum that even my happy creative self could envy--all for a price that, with extras, approached 10 grand. Per kid. A little too rich for even Builder's blood.
And then I got annoyed. What an unfair rip-off.
These poor kids! Here they are, given a beautiful classroom full of picture books, toys, hammers, nails, blocks, paints, glue, yarn and needles--and then, it's all taken away. No more carpet. No more little tables. Few manipulatives, if any. Instead of the hive of activity that is preschool and kindergarten, they have to sit in a desk, listen to the teacher, read the chapter, answer the questions, and fill in the worksheet.
Why can't all of school be like kindergarten? Can't children of seven and eight benefit from the creative, kinesthetic curriculum of kindergarten? Couldn't subjects like fractions and history be brought to life with cooking and crafts? (For the record, there were a few slides showing classrooms for the older grades--and they were basically girls siting at desks either listening to the teacher or passively watching a demonstration.). Why not teach geography through story? Why not give older children open access to a science lab and make their own discoveries? Pitch out the worksheets and make it fun!
And then I got annoyed. What an unfair rip-off.
These poor kids! Here they are, given a beautiful classroom full of picture books, toys, hammers, nails, blocks, paints, glue, yarn and needles--and then, it's all taken away. No more carpet. No more little tables. Few manipulatives, if any. Instead of the hive of activity that is preschool and kindergarten, they have to sit in a desk, listen to the teacher, read the chapter, answer the questions, and fill in the worksheet.
Why can't all of school be like kindergarten? Can't children of seven and eight benefit from the creative, kinesthetic curriculum of kindergarten? Couldn't subjects like fractions and history be brought to life with cooking and crafts? (For the record, there were a few slides showing classrooms for the older grades--and they were basically girls siting at desks either listening to the teacher or passively watching a demonstration.). Why not teach geography through story? Why not give older children open access to a science lab and make their own discoveries? Pitch out the worksheets and make it fun!
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