msjones
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Posts posted by msjones
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Agreeing with the previous posters...
Both my boys, after dropping their naps, did 'quiet play time' in their rooms during the afternoons until they were about 6. Ahhhhh....I loved those days.
They did about an hour a day in their room/playroom (they share a room, so I had them switch off) and almost always enjoyed it. We would even do it on vacations or when camping. It was just part of the day, and we all benefitted.
Start small and work up to more time. Make it seem special and fun. I remember bringing out certain tubs of toys that were only for quiet play time. Emphasize that they can choose what to do as long as it is quiet. Remind them that they won't have to share the toys during that special hour. One of mine always played music quietly. He loved to choose the CDs, and use the CD player independently. (He is still my musical boy!) One listened to a lot of books on tape. They did a lot of drawing, lots of fantasy play. Playmobil and blocks were great at that time.
You won't regret making this a part of your routine. Good luck!
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Panic isn't going to help either of you...I agree with Cadam...what's the worst that can come of this possibly low score?
The best that could come of it could, perhaps, be the beginning of working on some testing skills.
Also, I think a bigger concern would be if he truly did not understand the concepts, and it sounds as if he does. So, try to remember that, and know that something has gone very well in your math instruction.
Test-taking skills are another issue entirely, and one that you can tackle together now that you know he struggles in that area.
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Lots and lots and lots of time with DH and me listening w/o talking or giving advice has helped us here. If I open my mouth, he shuts down ;) I sometimes ask open ended questions and I work at being interested in things that interest him. I figure that if I could learn abut drums for my High School boyfriend I can learn about video games to reach the heart of my son.
I like the idea of "reaching the heart of my son." I think that sums up what I'm hoping for. He is a wonderful boy, and I've been sooo thankful for our relationship so far.
I so want to be able to maintain the good parts of what we have while also letting him be his own guy.
And I'll share the advice about time with his dad with my husband tonight.
Thank you!
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My almost 5th grade son is a'changin'. I am trying to adjust. I can see that he wants to pull away a bit, spread his wings, etc. He spends more time alone or with friends, cares about his clothes and hair (wants to look 'cool'), and seeks my input/feedback less often. He does still come to me about 'big' problems, but there's just less closeness lately somehow. He has moments of disrespect and sassiness, but nothing severe.
We have always been very close. I'm working hard at avoiding power struggles, at not nagging about little things, at increasing his responsibilities as well as his independence.
I want to celebrate that he is growing and maturing, but part of me is pretty sad. And at other times, I'm quite put off by his new 'approach.'
It's going okay, but I know that many of you have been through this age with your boys, and I'd love to hear from you. I'm not close with many women who have older children.
What were your best approaches to this phase with your son? Your worst?
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Try not to worry about being 'behind.' One of the greatest advantages of homeschooling is the freedom to teach your child what he/she needs when needed for as long as necessary.
Primary math is building the foundation for later; you won't regret taking the time she needs to be a confident math student.
And I'd suggest getting that instructor's guide. It may be just what you need for some motivation and fresh ideas. I've taught elementary math for a long time, but still learn something from every IG I use.
Good luck to you and your daughter!
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We do two pages a day of Math U See. We were doing it daily but our schedule was getting monotonous as I was trying to fit everything in EVERY day. Which was overwhelming me.This next year I am scheduling math for 3X a week. I may go ahead and have the older 2 (13yo and 11yo)do theirs every day. I can't decide. What do you think?? How often do you do math??
Angela
We do math every day. We even do it in the summer.
But we are both math teachers, so we like that sort of thing. ;)
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Our son's public school experience was fine. He was happy and learning, and had made some nice friends. We had no huge complaints.
But...I was working as a tutor for homeschoolers. After teaching ps for 8 years, I could easily see that homeschooling provided a better setting for learning.
I wanted that for my kids. So, here we are in our 5th year of homeschool!
We do think that the high school where my husband works is good, and plan to send the boys there when the time comes.
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My thought, as I glanced at this post, as I listened to my boys putzing around instead of doing their chores so we can get out the door to swim team and home in time to get some school-work done before we pack for our camping trip was:
...this particular homeschool mom is overwhelmed, fed-up, and out of patience. ;)
But, thanks for the encouragement.
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I am really interested in this topic too, being a scientist and a Christian. The Language of God by Francis Collins could be a good place to start. He was the head of the Human Genome Project and is a strong Christian who believes in God as the creator of everything, but with evolution being a possible mechanism of creation. He refers to this idea as BioLogos.
Hugh Ross believes in an old earth, but not in evolution, and has some interesting things to say too.
I second the recommendation for The Language of God. Great book -- strengthened my faith in God and belief in evolution at the same time.
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The longer I'm a mom, the less inclined I am to offer advice and the more inclined I am to seek it. ;)
In situations like this, I've had success with pourin' on the love for the challenging little one. It doesn't always 'work,' but usually is better than just biting my tongue and feeling irked.
I find that it makes everyone feel good, and helps me find things I like about the child.
When I see kids like this I remember that my best friend's son was a remarkable pain in the hiney around 22 months, and is now one of the most enjoyable 11 year-olds I know. I think lots of kids just need time.
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I always read these threads on evolution but usually most of it goes right over my head. Regarding the OP, the question for me would be: are you going to teach Creationism? After reading this, I believe I need to. Many of my children's friends are Creationists, and my children need to know the other side. They know their parents are firmly in the evolution camp, but I want them to be knowledgeable about all POV's. So I will be collecting books titles on Creationism.
Janet
Yes. We'll teach about Creationism. We're Christians, so my kids know the Genesis creation story inside and out. But, we are firm believers that evolution is a well-established, plausible theory and we'll be teaching that, too.
We don't believe the Bible should be interpreted literally, so we have no problem reconciling evolution with our belief in God. It's sort of a non-issue for us and for our church.
That's why I posted the question. All of this dinosaurs-walking-with-man (!) and Noah's-ark-recent-flood-fossil-record stuff is foreign to me, sort of shocking, and so I wanted to hear more about that point of view.
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It's a loooong drive from Renton to Swedish Hospital if you go during rush hour. I'd allow an hour in the morning and longer at night.
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And frankly, I don't understand why Bible believers are so attached to young earth creationism anyway. The bible also said the earth was flat, that there was some physical object called the firmament that held the stars in place, that you could make the sun stand still without destroying the earth. Nobody believes this stuff anymore and it hasn't destroyed their faith.
Well said.
Just remember that there are "Bible believers" (lots and lots of us) who do not read the Bible literally or use it as a type of science text.
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It's the OP here.
Very interesting reading all these replies. I attend a large, liberal Protestant church in Seattle and had never heard of Young Earth Creationism until very recently.
I'm a Christian, and I believe in evolution. I can't imagine a Christian claiming that a belief in evolution would be a ticket to hell.
I am not a Biblical literalist, so I don't see the conflict between faith and evolution.
For those of you who are Creationists/anti-evolution/pro-ID/Young Earthers -- (forgive me if I have not used the term of your choice) are you also Biblical literalists? My guess is that the 2 go together.
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So when I look for a science curriculum, I'll be looking for a 110% secular program that is "laced with Darwinism", hehe. :) Any science program that says they're secular but doesn't cover evolution is simply not science to me.
I have been fascinated with this evolution/creationism/ID debate ever since I was shocked to find out that some of my good friends on another forum in the homeschooling thread said they believed that humans ran along dinosaurs. It opened my eyes to the large percentage of homeschoolers who don't accept evolution. It makes sense, it's unconstitutional to teach non-science like ID/creationism in public schools, so many don't send their children to school and teach them at home instead.
Since then, I've purchased every book on the topic, watched every movie on the court cases against creationism and ID, and even started a website that I will dedicate part of my life to help others understand. So you can see, I'm quite passionate about this topic!
You sound a lot like me. I'm sort of stunned by the idea of 'young earth.' I had never heard of it until I began homeschooling.
So, which books on this topic have you found most helpful?
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I'm intrigued by the notion of 'avoiding evolution.' (The Noeo science thread got me thinking.)
I'm wondering what this means to those of you who 'avoid' it.
Is it must macro-evolution (as in 'gazillions of incremental changes finally leading up to earth as we know it') that you avoid? Or do you also not teach micro-evolution (as in 'head-lice are evolving and now cannot be killed with most over-the-counter lice killers').
Do you discuss it at all? Or is it a taboo subject altogether?
Is your choice primarily based on your faith beliefs, or on scientific research?
Were you taught evolution as a child?
I ask this because I don't think I know anyone who doesn't accept evolution as a plausible theory. So, it's a stretch for me to understand what seems to be a trend in some home-schooling circles.
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Do you mean physically, medically dead?
As opposed to a very close brush with death? I've had very close brush with death, and it certainly changed my life.
But I wasn't DOA, or without a pulse, or anything of that nature.
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Pure and simple marketing. They know that there is a substantial section of the homeschooling community who won't buy anything unless it has the word "Christian" written on it prominently on it in some manner, whether it has anything to do with the subject matter and the way it's treated or not (there is a section who won't buy anything that has the word "Christian" on it anywhere, regardless of the way in which it is presented but that section is very small from what I see). They are trying to appeal to everyone to get maximum sales.
Good point.
I want a secular science program, but don't mind the sort of intro that off-puts Spycar so badly. I bought Noeo Chemistry and wanted to be reimbursed through our public school hs resource center. All I had to do was slice out the intro page with my exacto knife; it was approved as secular, and I got my money.
So, they have managed to please everyone. At least in this situation.
It would be great entertainment to have Peekaboo and Spycar over for dinner!
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More than that.
How many coaches are there? How many swimmers in what size pool? How many new swimmers are there (that can't do freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke)? Did the whole team start Monday or just your boys (ie. did everybody else know each other already)?
One of the hardest things to do with new swimmers is to get them to swim on their own side of the lane, just like driving. This is what causes swimming on top of or into each other, which causes most crying. And they always think it's the other kids fault. :glare: This usually takes a few crashes (or a few years) to correct, in spite of the coach's best efforts. There will always be other swimmers in the lane.
Can you actually hear the coaches or is this the 7 and 9 year old's report? I can't imagine getting our new swimmers to swim for 45 minutes just telling them how far to swim. I have to tell them every length or two exactly what to do. How did they know what to swim? If you can actually hear them, and they are saying nothing other than "Swim a 50," I'd look for another team.
If this is dc's report, I'd take it with a grain of salt. (My dc are totally capable of saying they have been there for two hours and have done nothing, even though I watched them do several thousand yards.) Younger swimmers are notorious for hanging out under water, where they can't hear, then claiming they weren't told what to do. Then they just follow the swimmer in front of them, whatever he's doing. They also claim the coach never talks to them, what they really mean is he doesn't talk exclusively to them alone and personal (not surprising, because most beginning swimmers have to work on the same things.) Apparently, talking to the whole lane doesn't count.
I'd frankly be more concerned about nobody smiling. Aren't they having fun?
63 kids, pool is 25 yards long with 6 lanes. Pretty typical of a community pool, I'd say.
None of the coaches are smiling. I know that's hard to believe, but it's true. And I'm sitting on the bleachers about 15 feet away from my son's lane, so I can hear enough to know that there is no feedback -- only the new 'assignment.' (i.e. "Do a 50 backstroke." I'm sure the kids didn't even know what a "50" was on the first day.)
So they didn't swim nonstop for 45 minutes, but for an hour with probably 15 minutes of pausing in the shallow end to wait to do the next 'assignment.'
But the coach might as well be a white board with a list of tasks. She gives about that much feedback and has about that much appeal. And about 2/3 of the 63 kids there are brand new to swim team this week. The others are back for another year of grumpy, learn-by-osmosis swim team boot camp.
I've decided to make them stick it out for at least one more week in the hopes that they are just off to a rough start. We'll see. (I'll need to keep bribing my boys with treats to keep up morale.)
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So, we started swim team.
It's a walk-on rec team. The only requirement was the ability to crawl stroke one length of the pool.
My boys started Monday. There was no welcome, no introduction of coaches, no nothin'. The kids were just told to get in and start swimming. They were divvying the kids up, so that was fine -- if not a bit abrupt and unwelcoming.
They swam for about 45 minutes total with no instruction other than being told how far to swim. Some kids seemed fine (like my older son). Other kids swimming over the tops of each other, colliding in the lanes, crying, confused.
Tuesday was very similar. So was today.
The boys don't even know their coach's names. There has been no feedback to the kids at all. Not even a "good job," or "lets work harder on _______." Half the time, my younger son's coach isn't even watching the kids. I did see a few very brief demonstrations of a correct stroke (very, very brief, given without first getting the attention of the kids).
They've required backstroke laps. But lots of the kids haven't learned backstroke. That wasn't a requirement to join the team. What do they expect those kids to do? Is this normal for swim teams?
My assumption was that there would be feedback, some instruction, and at least some friendly enthusiasm.
I know these aren't swimming lessons, but this is more like boot camp. Nobody even smiles. :glare:
In your opinion, what is reasonable to expect from swim coaches for a walk-on rec team?
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Don't have time to read all the responses right now...but wanted to pipe in.
I was adopted as an infant, and this is precisely the reason I haven't searched for my biological mother. Not only would I risk opening an extremely painful part of her past, but also discovering something horrible about my origins.
If I was conceived in rape, I don't want to know it.
I prefer to maintain the much happier notion of my birth as the result of first love leading to a pregnancy.
I see the article didn't mention how the adoptee feels about this discovery. It can't be easy on him/her either.
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I haven't read all the responses, but here is how our library handles this.
In order to use the internet at the library, the user must have a library card to log in. (I think they have a reciprical arrangement with other libraries as well.) For anyone under 18, the parent must sign a permission form to use the internet and on this form, specifies what level of filtering: very strict filtering, moderate filtering, and no filtering. The computers in the children's section all have strict filtering, no matter what the level specified on the library card. In the adult section, the log in with the library card determines the level of filtering.
They are pretty strict about pornography at the library, but, by ALA guidelines, the library must have computers without filtering, not so much for the "rights to porn", but that no filter is perfect and there are legitimate reasons for searching for information that would be prohibited by filtering programs. As a childbirth educator and lacation educator, much of my research would not have been possible without unrestricted access. I also participate in a group on pelvic floor health and obstetric injuries. Again, these would not be available as well.
I am sure that this compromise would be relatively easy to implement. If you need contact information for my librarian, I'd be happy to get that information for you.
Yes.
This is exactly the sort of compromise I would welcome. I knew there had to be a compromise in action somewhere. What library system are you using? I'd love to look into this.
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:iagree:
I have a 15 yo who has no interest whatsoever in seeking out porn. The one night I caught him in his room with my laptop, he was watching fan fiction YuGiOh videos on google video.
DS has been brought up in a "the human body, in all its forms, is not bad" environment (it is how he was originally taught in Europe) He understands that people can be exploited, but he doesn't seek it out (does that make sense?). He is very respectful of his own body, and of other people in general. He doesn't even see the point in dating until he is looking for a life-mate.
I honestly believe that the people frequenting this site are raising kids with enough self respect and sense to simply turn away from exploitative imagery, with no harm done to their psyches.
a
Your son sounds like a nice kid. Perhaps you will never have to deal with this issue in your family.
My perception, however, is that it will become more and more of a problem for many families --even families with "self respect and sense."
Perhaps I am wrong. I'd be glad to be wrong. But at this time, it is my belief that boys and men of all backgrounds find pornography extremely tempting.
math teachers-upper level university chicago school math project...?
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
This looks like a typical sequence of high school math classes to me. I don't see Statistics offered, which many of my husband's more capable math students take their senior year. However, some schools offer that on an occasional basis, depending on the demand.
How you'll feel about the Chicago math depends on your preferences for math instruction and your son's learning style.
My guess is the only item you may need to purchase would be the graphing calculator (about $130!). I know some schools offer them for check-out, but not all.