Comments on: Third graders, Saxon math, and elitism

By: The Rage

The Rage — Sun, 09 May 2010 13:52:45 +0000

Thanks for opening my eyes about “Classical Education”….It makes me think of someone from my high school days who was considered so advanced but literally hated all things academic by our classes graduation. If memory serves me, Andrea quit school in the 11th grade, ran away from home, and I never heard of her again. 40 years later, hardly anyone remembers her. But I do..AND I remember what she told me..
“All I’ve ever done is study…I’m not allowed to be in any extracurricular activities because my parents want me to get into an Ivy League school on scholarship..HELL, I’m 17 and I’ve never been allowed to even have a boy over to visit…I have no social skills…I’d not know what to do on a date IF I had one…I HATE learning”.

What a remarkable mind YET such an unhappy soul…It was true then…Pushing your kids in academics is no different than the football or baseball Dad who shoves his kids into sports. Miserable parents trying to live “thru” their kids…

What gaul’s me the most is it’s done in “God’s Name” ie in so-called “Christian Schools”.

By: Abby

Abby — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:35:20 +0000

Thank you a thousand times. My husband used to teach at a classical school, which had many great things about it. However, the kids didn’t graduate with a love for reading, learning, or the classics. We observed that they were mostly burnt out and ready to try something else. Yes, they did read great stuff at an early age, but it no one seemed to like the books. Although I like to push my 5 yr. old son when I see that he has an affinity for a subject, I usually ask myself first: “What is the advantage?” Being advanced doesn’t appeal to me if he doesn’t love knowledge.

By: christine

christine — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:31:37 +0000

For the sake of balance, may I also just say that not every child who is working above grade level is being pushed. While I am proud of my children’s accomplishments, I also find myself terrified to mention them in public, lest we get tarnished with the brush of ‘pushy parents’. Honestly, my children get more time than most to run around and be children. We spend very little time doing formal work at the moment. But if my children can and want to work ahead, I am not going to stop them.

It is very sad, however, that when they do exhibit their talents in public, the reaction of others tends more often to be negative than positive i.e. suspicious, jealous, competitive. I’ve seen this happen not just with my own children, but others too.

It’s not surprising to me that many homeschooled children are indeed working above grade level. It should be expected. Grade level may be ‘normal’ in a classroom, but shouldn’t be for children getting one-on-one tutoring at home. And it shouldn’t require any ‘pushing’ at all for a child to progress at a faster pace than they would have in a school setting. And parents shouldn’t be judged negatively when their children do.

Honestly. Raising academic standards around the world is a GOOD thing. It is a NECESSARY thing. It REQUIRES kids to work above the minimal standards set by public schools. And it NEEDS bright kids to perform at their own level – without fearing social death.

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:05:09 +0000

I am in tears. Tomorrow I speak with the principal of our Christian classical school about the tremendous strain and consequences that have resulted from the rigor that was pushed upon my gentle and kind and gracefully slow daughter (who was also one of the youngest in her class). In despair, I pulled her out of our church’s classical school after second grade and have spent third grade trying to repair the damaged heart, the anxieties and the low self esteem that second grade caused. Last year, she dealt with a teacher who regularly wouldn’t allow her to go to recess because of her unfinished work, fellow driven students who chided her for not getting her work done quickly enough, a clueless mother (wanting her to succeed so that we could stay in the community of the school and church family that we loved) who took her out of extracurricular activities and made her sit for hours on end every night to complete all of the homework. She endured all of this because of a principal and a schoolboard who were concerned more about keeping up with Japan and China in math and how we compare to the elite private schools down the street than to the heart of that precious covenant child. Even though I felt convinced that this achieve-at-all-costs approach was wrong, I didn’t know how to say it and I believed that I was a wild-card, a trouble maker. Thank you for speaking the truth that I am not qualified to speak on my own. It is a gracious God who brought me to this sight and allowed me to read the blog of one so highly respected by the classical community. Now, I can go with tenderness and love to confront this elitist mindset with your post in my hand.

By: Fatima

Fatima — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:15:23 +0000

As kindergarten becomes first grade, what happens to the kids who needed to go to kindergarten? They get pushed into learning kindergarten skills in a pre-school setting instead of learning at the knee of their mother and playing outside. Kids who are doing 5/6 grade work in fourth grade miss out on running around outside and exploring the natural world and playing with neighborhood kids. Is what they gain worth what they have lost? I would answer no. Every time.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:19:57 +0000

Wonderful post. Thank you. :-)

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:04:49 +0000

As a parent about to begin homeschooling my daughter in the fall, I have spent a lot of time in my planning being concerned about doing enough. I realize now that I need to be MORE concerned about whether I’m doing too much for her age and development. Thank you for this timely reminder.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:13:52 +0000

My daughter is in a similar situation. I just discoveredTWTM and this site and am relieved we’re not alone. This does seem a great option. She has been a reading machine, but the public school curriculum is pushing her into 3rd grade “comprehension” writing activities to “prove what she knows”. I think we will both love this…thanks!

By: Kelly

Kelly — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:16:30 +0000

AMEN

By: Charlene Hardin

Charlene Hardin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:04:22 +0000

I couldn’t agree more. Each child in our family is different. One son would wilt in home school. His gregarious nature demands a classroom (audience, perhaps) and he flourishes even with the slower pace of learning. My other son is constantly seeking more information and takes on new material at a break-neck pace. This is, at times, very frustrating for me as a parent.

No. Childhood and education are not a rush to the finish line. I wish this fact was more readily accepted by the world at large. Also, your point about children maturing/growing at different rates needs to be shouted from the mountain tops by pediatricians, teachers, occupational therapists, and psychologists everywhere–over and over until people listen, that is!