Jump to content

Menu

regentrude

Members
  • Posts

    35,019
  • Joined

  • Days Won

    132

Everything posted by regentrude

  1. We are also not doing every subject every day - my kids usually pick what they want to work on and I just make sure it averages out over the weeks. However, I would NOT do it with math. I find 90-120 minutes of math too much for a 6th grader. My very mathy 7th grade son would definitely not have the concentration; he would begin making simple mistakes, and it would not be effective. We found it more effective to do math daily, but with full concentration, for about 60 minutes. I can definitely tell from the quality of his work when he starts to lose focus - anything thereafter is pretty useless.
  2. He has some things fundamentally wrong. The tracking in Germany is NOT done sorting math/science people and humanities people. The tracking is done based on overall academic aptitude, and every student who ends up on the college preparation track must take math through calculus and three sciences and two foreign languages, along with history, German etc. The final exam, the Abitur, which is the ticket to attend college, contains a mandatory written mathematics exam that is open response (none of this multiple choice nonsense - they actually have to solve problems) which has to be taken by everybody who wishes to attend college. the Abitur also mandates written testing in at least one science, Germ,an, one foreign language, as well as several oral exams. So, while there definitely is tracking, it has nothing to do with being mathematically minded or not - if you want to major in English, you have to take, and pass exams, in calculus in high school as well. The main difference in math education is that the high school math teachers have actually studied math and are proficient.
  3. We sort of skipped - DS went from public school 5th grade first semester to Saxon 8/7 the second semester (and on to algebra in 6th). So, if we had followed the school's progression, we have skipped at least a year and a half.
  4. The dentist can not work on the tooth until the infection has been cleared up, because it is very dangerous if the bacteria which cause this get into the bloodstream. That is what the antibiotic is supposed to do. If he feels no improvement after three days of the antibiotic, it may because the bacteria are resistant to this particular antibiotic. (It happened to me with Keflex (Cephalhexin) for a dental infection). This means the antibiotic might have to be changed. Does the dentist have a hotline for him to call and ask for a different prescription? If not, I would call urgent care and ask them if they can prescribe another antibiotic. I never found that OTC painkillers helped me much for an infected tooth, but when they gave me a different antibiotic, the pain started subsiding after a few doses. Good luck to your DH.
  5. some things within our control, some without. Something we can not take credit for: being healthy. We are thankful for that. Some things which have been conscious choices: Working hard to get a good education (we both have PhDs in physics) Completing our education before having children Moving to get a job - even if that meant leaving home country and family Financial discipline and living below our means (smaller house than we could afford, no credit card debt, saving) oh, and of course both of us working hard and being good at our jobs
  6. Do you just send her to her room to do school work and rely on her doing it? I would have her work in my presence and sit with her while she is reading. She might not be mature enough for independent learning, so you probably need to be very present, the entire time, and work with her. Now, if she still flat out refuses to cooperate when you work WITH her, I don't know what I'd do.
  7. OTOH, I have never met an overweight long distance hiker or mountaineer. It's just that we grossly underestimate how much exercise is necessary. But if you make it a LIFESTYLE instead of an activity that you have to specifically schedule, it IS an effective way - none of the people I know who have to walk several miles each day just for their daily errands are overweight, nor are those who commute by bicycle.
  8. :iagree: Only a person who considers herself infallible can find it reasonable to demand blind obedience.
  9. We do a lot of activities together as a family that would probably qualify as field trips - about one a week when they were that age (now DD14 mostly has her own plans and activities). We do: Nature hikes, float trips cave tours visits to State parks, conservation areas, National parks, visitor centers museums live theatre concerts historic landmarks castles, churches, cities historic festivals (old time crafts, Renaissance fair...) My kids learn just from being there, being exposed to everything, watching, listening, reading explanations. We do not do papers on our outings - that would turn them into "school".
  10. :iagree: You put it very nicely. Humans can, and should, think, question, and exercise judgement. Dogs are not capable of that. My kids are human.
  11. Keep dreaming :) I do not think what you demand is possible, unless the kid is scared of you. I would consider my kids relatively obedient - most of the time, and for things that are important. But absolute, like you want? Nope.
  12. How can a four hour video be equivalent to a high school course (which typically takes 130-160 hours for a credit)? :confused: ETA: OK, I went and looked at the sample they have for the accreditation -basically a list of extra stuff to do besides watching the DVD in order to blow it up to 100+ hours. I am puzzled by the suggestions and the projected times: "Read 3-5 juvenile books on plants" - 2 hours "Go out to lunch or dinner - classify the items in the restaurant" - 2 hours REALLY?
  13. I only spend the time in the bathroom necessary to accomplish what needs to be accomplish there. No reading.
  14. I have a PhD in physics, and the way our program was set up, they kicked you out after three years... so, there was a tangible incentive to stay on track. I can, however, sympathize with your situation, because my dear sister has been sitting on an almost complete but unfinished thesis for TEN years... she can not be promoted until she finishes, but finds all kinds of rationalization why she can't, won't or generally refuses to discuss the issue. Really, finishing a graduate degree is more of an endurance test than anything else - I remember getting sick and tired of my dissertation and just wanting to get.it.done. With my sister, I suspect there are underlying issues that might profit form professional counseling. I do not know anything about your situation, but you might want to ponder WHY it is that you are procrastinating. Do you have clear plans for what you want to do WITH the degree, and AFTER the degree? Do you have any mixed feelings about finishing? As practical advice, I would suggest that you: 1. try to set weekly goals: write x pages, edit one section - something tangible; that you share these goals with your advisor and ask your advisor to hold you accountable. Make this a priority that has precedence before any optional committments. 2. Do not strive for perfection. A thesis is never perfect. There are always things that can be improved, research that can be added - the longer you sit on it, the more new stuff happens, it becomes a vicious cycle. If you have a resonable thesis that is acceptable to your advisor, STOP. Hand it in. Good luck. You WILL get it done. And that will feel good... for a day or two at least, then be prepared for a major let-down when it is accomplished ;-)
  15. You are right about choices and priorities - I guess it's a matter of cultural background and one's own educational tradition. See, back home, the goal is for an educated person to be fluent in two foreign languages. The kids start the first language in 3rd grade, the 2nd language in 6th grade, and an optional 3rd one later. All are taken through 12th grade, which means 10 and 7 years of continuous instruction. We are already late, having started the real first foreign language not until 6th grade (German does not really count, since they are raised bilingually and acquire the language differently form an actual foreign language) So, I am comparing my homeschooling to the education my kids would receive if we still lived in Germany, and to the education I myself got in school - and I find us seriously lacking in the language department. I homeschool for academic reasons, and I have a problem with not measuring up to public school... even if I exceed their standards in other areas. (Besides, some of the universities DD is interested in require 4 years of the same language... but this is not our main motivation)
  16. Yes. Exactly this. My DD attended ps through 5th grade. Oh, she got to read a TON of fiction in class, with teacher consent, because she was bored out of her mind. As long as she could answer the teacher's questions (which should could while paying 10% of her attention to the class and 90% to the book), they let her in peace. To be fair: every teacher DID see the need to differentiate and most made some kind of an effort - but with a large class, some students who are very behind, and the teacher's performance measured entirely by the performance of the lowest 25% of the class, gifted kids just have no priority. The teachers are not unwilling - just overwhelmed. Can you guess why we decided to pull her out and finally homeschool???
  17. Not a good reason, IMO. Many friends will be happy to bring a gift when they first meet the baby - normally it is not necessary to coax people. In my home country, baby showers do not even exist :-)
  18. Where, please, do I find free access to a native speaker (or at least a person fluent in the language, a second best option) who wants to take the time to speak with us and correct our essays on a regular basis? I find it extremely difficult to become fluent in a foreign language just by using textbooks, watching videos, doing online exercises - the listening comprehension and spontaneous conversation skill can not develop like this. We are struggling with French; we are in our fourth year, and it is an uphill battle. We would like to actually learn the language, instead of just checking off a box.
  19. I would spend two years on it and give one biology high school credit for 9th grade.
  20. Do you need the credit to make up the number of required credits? If not, I would not bother - unless you are trying to demonstrate that your student has a particular strong interest in physics. For us, it's biology- I will not put the high school biology DD did prior to 9th grade if she takes AP bio next year.
  21. No. My life is not crazy at all. DH and I come from fully functional families. Both the Inlaws and my parents have been married for 40+ years; so no drama there. DH and I have been together for 24 years, married for 18. Our kids are healthy, have no special needs, and are a joy to be around. We are blessed to be in good health. We both work in jobs we like; DH has a LOT of work, but he enjoys it. We have always lived way below our means, so no financial drama. Are things always smooth and wonderful? No. MIL is in extremely bad health and had to go into a nursing home. My brother is mentally retarded. My sister's daughter was born prematurely and has cerebral palsy. In order to get a job, we had to move across the Atlantic, live in the US, have all our family in Germany, and only get to see them once a year. But that's not crazy - that simply is life.
  22. If I am the troll, I must be the strangest troll I met - no personal drama whatsoever, just a lot about math and science... THAT are the REALLY wacky trolls, watch out people. Some people have no blog because they do not think they have SO important stuff to share with the world.
×
×
  • Create New...