ebunny
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Posts posted by ebunny
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DD went back to school as per her wish at 8 (3rd grade) after homeschooling for roughly 2-3 years. Social transition was quite rocky. But then, she would have struggled in a school setting anyway given her personality, so there's that. Academics are fine, although she works nowhere close to the level that she was when she homeschooled.
She is 10 now and has more or less adjusted with the system of schooling.
Afterschooling is limited to weekends as her school days are long and she needs a good amount of free unstructured time to unwind.
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:001_wub: Awww ladies, I'm happy to help.
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ebunny, good question. It's because metaphysics is conceptually the most basic branch of philosophy. To explain problems about ethics, it helps to have studied problems of free will and responsibility, for example; to understand those problems, it helps greatly to have thought first about causality; to understand causality, it helps to have studied the philosophical notion of events; and to study events, it helps to have studied objects and relations.
If you read what I put up, you'll see it's already the case. I frequently avail myself of earlier-introduced concepts.
I've taken this approach several times when teaching intro philosophy. When I say it to my fellow philosophers, they say, "Why start with the hard stuff?" But I don't find metaphysics, especially at this level, to be much harder than the rest of philosophy. In fact, the stuff about "existence" and "objects" at the beginning of the document are quite simple compared to some of the stuff in Chapter 2.
Basically, I think one of the more interesting yet neglected features of philosophy is how the problems of philosophy form a sort of logical progression. This text helps illustrate that.
Ok. I understand where you're coming from.
IMHO, there is a market, so to speak, for philosophy curriculum aimed at early grades, but I think it needs to be presented appropriately. You've received some excellent suggestions up in the thread. I agree strongly with AMJ who suggested minimizing the wordiness, it looks verbose for a *typical* elementary aged child. (fwiw, I've taught children of diverse abilities). You could always insist that your product is for advanced readers, but that's a much smaller audience.
Lastly, if I were buying a philosophy curriculum my DD (who's used to Matthew Lipman and Jostein Gaarder) would prefer 1) legible and/or standard font and size 2) narrative instead of dialogue 3) succinctly presented concepts.
ETA: Count me as interested in your philo curriculum.
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OP- Here is a site that has free ebooks written by Dr. Joan Freeman, who has been studying giftedness and gifted children for 3-4 decades.
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It looks interesting, and thanks for the link. But I'm curious to know the reason for introducing metaphysics before ethics, esthetics or logic for elementary children..
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I have to say, I'm glad I didn't go the IQ testing route this summer. I would be crying in my empty wallet right about now.
It's depressing that psychometric testing is so prohibitively expensive, but the bolded just made me :laugh: .
Crossing fingers for your DS. Hope he gets in.
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Has anyone read : Gifted Education as a Lifelong Challenge: Essays in Honour of Franz J. Monks?
The excerpts on google books look very interesting.
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/snip
I disliked that she used IQ to justify everything from demanding that they improve every aspect of their cello playing at the same time, to not being able to perform basic self care tasks.
\snip
Hmm...I've seen, heard and read instances where a few mothers attribute every flicker on their child's face to giftedness. But that's another topic for another day.
Thanks for taking the time to post a review. :001_smile:
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Has anyone else read A Case of Brilliance? I just read it and it really irritated me :) I'd love to discuss it with someone.
Now you have me intrigued..going to check the book out.
btw..why did it irritate you?
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I wish I could get mine to read Discworld, I own all the books but no interest, not even in Tiffany :crying: .
I think it's writer-reader chemistry - my dd likes quirky books with homour that borders on the dark.- terry pratchett, lemony snickett, neil gaiman, alexander McCall Smith, Eva Ibbotson et al. fwiw, dd hasn't shown any interest in Harry Potter or Percy Jackson despite my repeated attempts to get her to read them.
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Terry Pratchet- discworld series and nome/bromeliad trilogy.
Gerald Durrell- corfu trilogy
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I suspect that many of the only kids or 1-sibling kids in the next generation will sit around when they're our age complaining about their horribly overbearing "helicopter" moms. The type who get so wrapped up in building a "trophy" child to brag about via car stickers the way other people brag about completing a marathon or visiting a chi-chi resort town [insert eye-rolling smiley here]
I just had this discussion the other day with my oldest when she was complaining about having to wait around for an hour while her little sister did a preschool art class. I reminded her that if I didn't have her siblings to worry about, she would have 100% of my undivided attention to be Ms. Tiger Mom over. She shuddered at the thought, LOL!
That single/only children have helicopter moms is a generalisation which should die quickly. Believe me, I don't spend all my waking hours planning to build a 'trophy' child. :001_smile:. Neither do many of my friends who have single/only children.
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Do you bother? Does the age of the person matter? Do you just refuse to engage? Do you argue? How much do you push? I'm curious how others deal with this.
It's such a tricky position to be in. To stay silent would mean that we sort of agree with the racist/bigoted views. To argue is often pointless. One cannot avoid the person if he/she is a close relative. What to do?
I've been struggling with this for a long long time because I have bigoted relatives too. I've tried everything. Staying silent feels wrong. Arguing becomes a 'I'm right and you're wrong' kind of situation. So, now I just say "I don't share your views, but why do you feel________?". It seems to have the best possible outcome when the individual is willing to be engaged in a conversation about their beliefs. I haven't figured out a strategy to use with people who just want to rant or those who are old enough for their minds to be made up and shut.
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I'm sorry to hear about the insurance problems.. :sad: .I should have clarified that I am in India where medical professionals' fees are still reasonably priced for the middle classes.
advice by our psych( if it helps anyone here). DD has general anxiety, and OEs. Maybe all of you practice the below on a regular basis, but for clueless me and dh, it was a revelation of sorts. Fwiw, Dd is extremely sensitive to others feelings, thoughts..and most of her OEs were related to her intense emotions.
1-acknowledge her feelings. Do not rationalise them away. If she feels scared, say " I understand you are scared...".
2- talk to her about her intense emotions without telling her what to do about them.
3- ask her to share her thoughts and feelings after every conflict with peers.
4- let her express her anger without any judgement on our part at first. (She hardly ever gets instensely angry now that we acknowledge it and let her talk about it)
ETA: DD has a very strong sense of taste and smell. she does not have food related OEs. But, she is very very sensorial. Needs to touch, feel, smell objects...especially books and thankfully not people. :001_smile:-
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At that level of reaction, I would hesitate to act on any suggestions without a medical and/or psychological diagnosis. Although there are lots of 2/e families here, each 2/e child is unique. With a particular diagnosis, we may be able to offer similar tales, if the situation is similar.
FWIW, my experience has been that most such kids grow up just fine. DS13 has some intense reactions, but he has learned to avoid trigger situations, and so most others just see a quirky, very smart kid.
What he said.
My DD had/has OEs but not as intense as your DD.
We had enlisted the help of a psychologist who had specialised in emotional therapy for DD, then 8, as her OEs were becoming a big concern- anxiety, sensitivity to smell and noise. The psych helped a ton. She helped us realise that DDs' reactions were symptomatic of emotional turmoil. She gave us specific suggestions and instrucitons which worked wonders to reduce or eliminate some of the OEs. (Anxiety still remaibut degree has lessened)
Would you happen to know of or get recommendations for a developmental psychologist specialising in emotional needs of children (gifted or not)...It helps to get an outsider perspective of the OEs.
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I'm afraid of judging myself and reading my kid. I don't have intuition like you seem to have. I read things in black and white which I don't think helps with this. I just don't want to do what my mom did to me. Whenever I asked a question or asked why, she replied, "Because I said so." This was mentioned in the book I mentioned above to never do this. Which yes, is obvious to some people, but not to my mom. I know not to do this because it was done to me. But what have I missed? Am I saying or denying something to my child? I hope I'm raising/teaching him correctly. There are many books on children with LD, so why not on giftedness?
I'm not gifted, but my dh is.
I'm sure I'm doing just fine and it'll all be fine in the end. But I was just wondering what people read to help them raise a "gifted" child.
Thanks for your input!
Oh..wrt books raising gifted children...what I have learned is that each gifted child is different from another. Just as no two neurotypical children are alike. And the suggestions/tips/descriptions of gifted children on any book, site, article are general. Sometimes the advice can be modified and implemented, sometimes not. Sometimes it backfires because of the cultural aspect of 'giftedness' which is, if I may dare say so, a very western idea. Eastern cultures place a much higher premium on effort and hard work than genetic ability.
Like you, I think I muddle along in the short term and adjust my parenting and hope that it all works out in the long run. :D . Good luck!
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I recommend this for Hindusim. It's o.l.d but authentic because it's written by a Hindu scholar- C.Rajagopalachari.
And its free. :D
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Or is it early days? DS and I both think so and our "success rate" in alcumus confirms (though sample size is smaller)....
Yes. IME, AOPS Pre-A is definitely trickier than AOPS Intro to alegbra.
One, maybe the AOPS team wanted to make sure the foundations (Arithmetic properties, fractions, ratios, basic geometry et al) are strong before children venture into the unknown (literally)
Two, I wonder if the higher (difficulty) level in Pre-A was deliberate- To get children used to struggling with really hard problems...
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It seemed to me that the unspoken question was why the other gifted children could not go further, faster...and that further, faster progress in a difficult field is the pinnacle of human achievement.
Perhaps I'm reading my personal history into it too much. All this stuff is certainly worth investigating and interesting to consider, I just don't like the idea that someone has not reached their full potential if they suddenly decide to quit the astrophysics program and dedicate their life to raising children. Or, you know, anything else someone chooses to do. As if their intelligence and capabilities will be wasted in "lesser" endeavors, or that they might not have had the necessary traits, such as intelligence, to go "further, faster."
I understand where you're coming from. One of my favorite quotes is by Charles Schulz- "There is no greater burden than great potential." I try and remember this quote when I parent. Anyways, tying self-worth to achievement is probably not a good idea for any child, gifted or not.
Falling through the cracks from my life experience would be more about kids failing out of school when they could have made it. "Smart" kids might just be so bored they blank out and did not complete high school. There are of course other reasons kids fall through the cracks besides boredom.
^^ What she said.
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My recommendations are assorted and not specific to gifted children, each of these books have enriched my understanding of education, teaching and children. I'm sure there are many many more, but the below list is off the top of my head.
Marva Collins way- Marva Collins. Great inspirational book
Why don't students like school? A cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind works...- Daniel Willingham. The title is slightly midleading as the book has more to do with why children lose interest in learning and the importance of a nurturing learning environment.
The pleasure of finding things out- Richard Feynman
The tell-tale brain- V.S Ramachandran.
The power of habit- Charles Duhigg
Escape from childhood- John Holt.
ETA: Another powerful writer is Michael W Apple (not many know of him outside of academia.)
Ideology and curriculum
Democratic schools- lessons in powerful education
Educating the 'right' way- Market, standards, god and inequality.
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I take exception to the stance that a gifted person who does not pursue a career in a distinguished field has fallen through the cracks or is not a high achiever.
I don't see where in the article or within this thread has it been implied that "gifted person who does not pursue a career in a distinguished field has fallen through the cracks or is not a high achiever."?
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The idea that luck (being at the right place at the right time) +talent+ drive+practice+family support = success; seems common sensical, no?
I mean, most of us have heard of gifted children fall through the cracks because of lack of encouragement, poor learning environment, lack of engagement in school, no mentors, poverty...
There are exceptions, children who succeed despite all odds, but the price these children pay for achieving their goals is probably heartwrenchingly high.
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As the PPs have mentioned, the TSH is high, and the FT4 is too low. Very likely to be an underactive thyroid.
IMHO, If she has an underactive thyroid, I would consider getting her started on B Complex, especially B12 (sub lingual preferably). There seems to be a strong link between B complex deficiencies and an underactive thyroid. And B complex deficiencies often cause GI issues.
FWIW, I have hypothyroidism (I take synthetic thyroid hormone) and I supplement with B 12 every single day and a low dose B complex alternate days.
ETA: B vit levels can be checked along with her thyroid panel.- TSH, Free T4, Free T3, anti-thyroid antibodies
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My son would like to start learning an Indian language. What would be the best place to find resources for this? There are so many different languages, but he'd like to learn Gujurati or Hindi because his aunt can let him practice his conversation with her.
Hindi speaker here.
There are many sites that teach Hindi. For instance, https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/learn-hindi-hindipod101.com/id448503518?mt=2 is one. It's FREE! :D
Once he gets started with pronouncing the vowels and consonents correctly, he can get started on formal Hindi instruction through textbooks such as the (once again) free! ones available by NCERT here- http://www.ncert.nic.in/NCERTS/textbook/textbook.htm
Finally, once he moves beyond alphabets, I suggest hiring a Hindi tutor (if possible) as (most) Indian languages are complex - For instance, every noun has a gender- female, male or neutral. It can get pretty tricky as one progresses into the language.
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What did you do when your child asked to go to public school?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
I enrolled her back in school. The way I see it- we would give it 1 year and if she was miserable, we could always go back to homeschooling. But, it's year 3 and going strong. Having said that, the (affordable) schools here are relatively decent quality.