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Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

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Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#111

Post by actfrench »

sparrish wrote: post #27
spanhandler wrote: post #25

Homeschool for the very advanced older of our two elementary kids, done by one partner who's also going to be working from home, kind of. Many worries about that, including 1) will that actually work out OK?, and 2) if it does will that one end up so far ahead that we're now stuck homeschooling forever? Sort of a good problem to have but also... not a good problem to have. Middle kid's going in, at least until they p…

Been homeschooling mine for 15 years now. The fact that you're concerned about #1 means you're going to be just fine. Engaged and caring parents make great homeschoolers. It's the apathetic parents I've known that fail to educate their children.

Here here! And the best think about the homeschooling community is people like you who cheer others on and support them! :)

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#112

Post by h0p3 »

actfrench wrote: post #103
h0p3 wrote: post #96

Among other things, trying to teach my offspring reminds me of how profoundly unqualified I am to be a father. It feels like I've thrown everything plus the kitchen sink at the wall to see what sticks. I do not claim to do a good job. They've maintained wikis for a while with us, and that has been something I hold in high regard. Feel free to HMU, https://philosopher.life/ , if you want to talk.

The most qualified person to be your children's father is you. You're the only one who cares enough to throw everything but the kitchen sink at them to help create a personalized, enriching experience for them.

Hello Manisha, that is very kind of you, and I admire your work. I will agree I am the most motivated and accountable person in their lives.

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#113

Post by actfrench »

jerf wrote: post #71

We ended up doing full-on homeschooling. Our local policies have them physically going in in about 3 weeks, or being "virtual". We have a legally deaf-blind student that we feel will not be able to cope with everyone wearing a mask and having to be distant. (Under normal circumstances, he tends to get rather close in because he's trying to see you; he's got rather more European personal space sensibilities than Ameri…

I've been talking to people at SFUSD and NYC DOE and I think you're likely right that schools will last a week to a month tops before they close again (if they open at all)

It's insane that schools are asking kids to sit for 8 hours straight. What's more a lot of them are teaching on zoom the way they do in the classroom, when it's a completely different medium that has different strengths that we could be using to our advantage.

What kind of tools have you tried for math? I recently discovered Prodigy Games and Math Tango (the latter is probably too young. Kids seem to love them and need no egging on at all. Khan Academy is also great and they just launched a free tutoring program as well. Prodigy: https://www.prodigygame.com/ Khan's tutoring prorgram: https://coda.io/@schoolhouse/welcome

I think your instinct with socialization is right on. Your child needs a healthy attachment with you and your family. That will help them form healthy attachments with others later in life. Here's an article I wrote on this topic with the help of a play-based learning specialist from Bank Street. Kids absolutely do not have to be in a huge group to learn to socialize well. https://www.modulo.app/stayingconnected

For music, I'm actually working with a student in NYC who goes to Laguardia, does guitar and is interested in being in a string quartet..if you'd like to connect, maybe we could do something together?

I've heard Hoffman Academy has great classes but haven't tried them myself.

Here are some more math options: https://www.modulo.app/all-resources/the-best-math-programs-...

If you'd like to offer a music class, I'd be interested in collaborating with you. I run an early stage startup that's been offering digital learning pods to students. I think that a bunch of our families would be interested in this class.

Here are some more music resources for you. I haven't tried them all myself but I'm part of a group of thousands of homeschoolers and these seem to be the ones they like the most: https://www.slso.org/en/edu/middle-high-schools/ https://www.hoffmanacademy.com/ https://www.squiltmusic.com/ https://prodigiesmusic.com/

If you need any other help, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. I know this can be stressful and there is so much unknown - and even more so when your children have special needs that are already difficult to navigate in the "normal school system". It can be helpful to have someone to talk to and think things through. My email is manisha@modulo.app

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#114

Post by actfrench »

pgrote wrote: post #56
actfrench wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's great that you gave your children a break this summer. Sometimes kids really need to just relax and play. It's been a hard year. Learning isn't linear, so they will likely catch up quickly. Also, there a ton of great apps and youtube videos for teaching fractions (you might not even have to help). Let me know if you'd like some recommendations.

>Let me know if you'd like some recommendations. I would be thankful. I appreciate your time.

Of course! Can you email me at manisha@modulo.app and we'll find a time to talk?

Also Math Tango is our all time favorite app and they have lots of great fraction stuff. https://www.originatorkids.com/?p=1008

More fraction specific - Slice Fractions is a favorite in our community. https://ululab.com/slice-fractions/

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#115

Post by ta17711771 »

bertjk wrote: post #57
jwally wrote: post #39

Texas, Dallas: Nothing ground breaking, but I'll provide my anecdote as a possible antidote to survivor-bias: I have 3 kids (5,3,1). The 5 year old was supposed to start public school this year, but her pre-school opened up a private kindergarten and we opted in. When the pandemic first broke, we pulled our kids out for 2 months and it was hard for us and them. My wife worked in the morning when I had the kids and we…

> we'd plop them in front of the TV then struggle pulling them away from it afterwards (google wifi is great for deus-ex-machina internet outages...). I can totally relate. One day our kids will figure out that our fiber internet service is actually quite reliable, and that I've been using the ASUS router app to disconnect specific devices at needed times. My 9 year old is starting to suspect something is amiss. "Dad…

Tell them no.

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#116

Post by actfrench »

seneca wrote: post #92

Home schooling. We live in one of the better school districts in the region (and pay dearly for it), and we were pretty displeased with the public schools already. Between politics being increasingly injected into public school curriculum, lack of ability to come up with a workable solution during COVID19, and just overall poor performance of the program we've had enough and have decided to opt out. Luckily we're abl…

This crisis has exacerbated many of the problems that already existed in the school system: increased spread of disease, poor social engagement (bullying/racism), non-inclusive approach to history and politics and failure to teach things to form their own framework of values and think critically (or involve their parents in that process). None of these problems are new, it's just becoming more socially acceptable to homeschool. Good for you for making the right choice for your children. Having your spouse at home with them will be ideal.

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#117

Post by spanhandler »

actfrench wrote: post #110
spanhandler wrote: post #25

Homeschool for the very advanced older of our two elementary kids, done by one partner who's also going to be working from home, kind of. Many worries about that, including 1) will that actually work out OK?, and 2) if it does will that one end up so far ahead that we're now stuck homeschooling forever? Sort of a good problem to have but also... not a good problem to have. Middle kid's going in, at least until they p…

From what I've seen after talking to hundreds of secular homeschoolers and the minimal research done on this topic, kids with 1-2 hours a day of study facilitated by a parent do far better academically than the typical kid in school. They also do a great job transitioning back to school (if you decide to go that route) because they are so independent and autonomous. Have you considered any of the learning tools like…

> From what I've seen after talking to hundreds of secular homeschoolers and the minimal research done on this topic, kids with 1-2 hours a day of study facilitated by a parent do far better academically than the typical kid in school. They also do a great job transitioning back to school (if you decide to go that route) because they are so independent and autonomous.

We're banking hard on the 1-2 hours a day of direct instruction thing being true :-)

> Have you considered any of the learning tools like Khan Academy that don't need a parent to necessarily sit down with the child and can study independently?

Absolutely, apps and youtube videos are how we're going to handle much or all of "specials" instruction (foreign language, art, music—I wouldn't have counted on it for music except we happen to already be doing that and it's going better than I could have imagined) and probably some of the science and social studies work. We're mostly focused on keeping our foot on the gas for reading and math, at which she's already far "ahead", as far as direct instruction goes—a kid who can read and is curious can cover more science and social studies on their own than they do in school, we both know from experience, so if those two core literacy subjects are going well we reckon no serious long-term harm has been done, even if we somehow fail at everything else.

> Also, if you need a friendly ear, I'd be happy to help you and your partner think this through. I've been a teacher for 15 years in 3 countries, founded 3 startups to support homeschoolers, and most recently led schoolclosures.org and Modulo which are working directly to provide support to families. Happy to help in any way we can.

Oh hey, we based a bunch of our research on a pile of modulo resources you posted on an HN thread some time back! Haha, cool, didn't realize you were you until I got to this paragraph. Thanks for the work you've done, and for your kind offer of support. At this point we don't know what we don't know and our unknowns are down to things we won't uncover until we start trying it, though, I think. Which is very soon. If our Singapore Math books we ordered 2 weeks ago ever show up, that is. :-/

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#118

Post by snowwrestler »

jwally wrote: post #83
actfrench wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you have any luck with digital apps or youtube videos? I've found that some tools are much more effective for personalized, independent learning than others - whereas others require much more parent or teacher involvement. The more they resemble tools used in school, the more work the parent has to do to understand them because they utilize specific methods that have been standardized as teaching methods for grou…

This is awesome info. Literally bookmarking this. Thanks! To your point, my kids fell in love with "Blaze and the monster machines" (a nickelodeon production that I actually like) and the 3 year old would talk about concepts from the shows for weeks after (centripetal force, reciprocating saws, stabilizer legs, metal = hard).

We took our kid to a county park where they keep some animals that were too injured to return to the wild, and give talks about them, etc. My kid was answering a lot of the questions and the presenter said "wow, you know a lot of about animals!"

"That's because I watch so much TV!!" my kid said proudly.

Bit of a cringe moment in front of the other parents, but then again, my kid did know all the answers...

(The relevant TV show is "Wild Kratts" on PBS and pbskids.org.)

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#119

Post by jeffrallen »

My children will go to public school. Until their class has a positive case and then... We'll see.

They are 8 and 10, and honestly, digital learning and communication tools were a total flop last year when they spent 8 weeks at home.

All we can do is give then love and stability to let them know it's ok not to know the answer... Not to the homework, and not to covid either.

Re: Ask HN: Parents, what are you doing for school this fall?

#120

Post by spanhandler »

jerf wrote: post #71

We ended up doing full-on homeschooling. Our local policies have them physically going in in about 3 weeks, or being "virtual". We have a legally deaf-blind student that we feel will not be able to cope with everyone wearing a mask and having to be distant. (Under normal circumstances, he tends to get rather close in because he's trying to see you; he's got rather more European personal space sensibilities than Ameri…

If you want support from an app for piano and especially if you already have a keyboard or digital piano with MIDI out, I would strongly recommend Simply Piano on the iPad. I'm not affiliated, just a very, very happy user with a young kid getting more out of that app than I would have imagined—I started off keeping pace, having played a few instruments but not piano before, but when your kid spends every spare minute on the damn thing it's hard to keep up, after they get the hang of it.

It's not so hot at form—it tries to teach and reinforce it but of course it can't dynamically check that you aren't screwing up—but is great at most other things. Heavy focus on playing recognizable and fun music (they license tons of stuff) to keep up interest, with arrangements adjusted down as necessary. Long, segmented "curriculum" plan with some branches, free play modes on songs you've "unlocked", sheet music available and play modes that scroll the page for you. It's really nice.

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