Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

theatlantic.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

261–270 of 467 posts

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#261

Post by Shared404 »

UnpossibleJim wrote: post #248
Shared404 wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well clearly you are incorrect because all of the smart people said we have to test to make sure that the kids are learning and we can only make sure that the kids learn by sitting them down and making sure they know the trivia for the test to make sure their learning, because the smart people said the test will make them learn, by making sure their learning. /s On the bright side, for every one of the above administ…

You make fun of the educational structure, but it's base structure can clearly succeed if given the right support from the family and the correct budget. Japan has done exceedingly well (though a little over stressed - there can be balance) with a very similar base model. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Japan I understand that bashing all things American has become en vogue, but some things have just becom…

> You make fun of the educational structure, but it's base structure can clearly succeed if given the right support from the family and the correct budget.

I did not mean to make fun of the structure itself so much as point out it's failings in our current environment, as you pointed out, Japan does it well, if a bit stressfully.

> I understand that bashing all things American has become en vogue

This was not my intent, I'm sorry if it came across that way.

> things have just become corrupted due to lack of proper maintenance, really.

I would argue that it's not just a lack of maintanence. There are a number of people who actively work against correct education because "That's not how we do it". I think you summed it up well with

> We've forgotten how to keep our eye on the prize, as it were, and lost focus on what the goal actually is.

Edit: Having read the other comment, it sounds like Japan has issues as well. I still believe this model could be successful, but it would appear it's hard to get right.

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#262

Post by asldkjaslkdj »

floren wrote: post #123
learc83 wrote: post #97

Kids can't learn all day long in a classroom. I don't know why we expect them to be able to do it remotely. School has always been 1/3 learning 2/3 baby sitting. When my parents were kids, they only went to kindergarten for half a day.

> When my parents were kids, they only went to kindergarten for half a day. Wait, hang on, is kindergarten all-day now? I was in kindergarten in... 1992, and it was half a day.

Some places are sending 3-4 year olds to all day pre-k now too. We're working too much and public schools have become free day care systems.

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#263

Post by asldkjaslkdj »

philsnow wrote: post #253
vinbreau wrote: post #178

My daughter started Kindergarten and we're doing remote learning. She' almost 5 years old and can work a computer for the things she needs. But she can't work a zoom meeting. So I am a teacher's asst. from 8am until 2:30 pm. It's exhausting and sometimes I take a 2 hour nap afterward. It's hard on her because until a few weeks ago she would wake up, come into my office with me and watch shows on a laptop, maybe play…

Depending on the state, education isn't compulsory until 6 or 7 years. Would it be an option for you to just hold off on the structured approach for another 6-12 months and let her play?

That's a scary prospect considering all the studies and news articles that say that putting your kids in school as early as 4 can result in life-long benefits.

It's hard to be a parent these days, you feel like nothing you do is ever "right".

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#264

Post by bradly »

floren wrote: post #123
learc83 wrote: post #97

Kids can't learn all day long in a classroom. I don't know why we expect them to be able to do it remotely. School has always been 1/3 learning 2/3 baby sitting. When my parents were kids, they only went to kindergarten for half a day.

> When my parents were kids, they only went to kindergarten for half a day. Wait, hang on, is kindergarten all-day now? I was in kindergarten in... 1992, and it was half a day.

In San Diego, it is full day for kindergarten, with many younger kids attending full day tk (transitional kindergarten).

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#265

Post by asldkjaslkdj »

dpcan wrote: post #223
lovich wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What exactly is your daily routine then. Raising 4 kids while working full time with your spouse working 11 hours outside of the house is a pretty large claim.

I run my own business. Been a web consultant / developer for over 17 years. I have a pretty steady clientele right now. I work 6 to 9am, then 10-11pm, and I usually get a hour or two in during the day. Plus I work 6am to 10am weekends, maybe more if my wife isn't tired and hangs out with the kids on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

You essentially work a half day. Burying the lede here a bit.

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#266

Post by pm24601 »

codefreakxff wrote: post #216
dj_mc_merlin wrote: post #40

All of these comments make me think HN has never interacted with a 5 year old. Adults are barely able to make it through a day of Zoom meetings without feeling drained, how do you expect an almost toddler to react when forced to sit in front of a screen? The only reasons adults can do it is years and years of learning impulse controls and suppression of bad emotions for everyone's good. A 5 year old does not have the…

Just to clarify, a "toddler" is 1-3 years old. So a 5 year old is not at all "almost a toddler". "A 5 year old does not have these skills" They should have learned that by age 4, which is why kids start pre-k/k at the 4/5 age range. https://mom.com/kids/5106-what-age-do-kids-have-impulse-cont... "Who said this article has to have a point?" Probably because we expect more from the source - The Atlantic. If this was th…

> They should have learned that by age 4, which is why kids start pre-k/k at the 4/5 age range.

Lol. Because you think they should? Love the one-size fits all statement - not.

As soon as someone has 2+ kids, they realize how ludicrous that statement is. Better yet go talk to a kindergarten teacher - I don't know how they handle kids that age that are not even theirs

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#267

Post by asldkjaslkdj »

codefreakxff wrote: post #13

Wow. Agree with all the other comments. I read the whole article, and there is some next level self-centered entitlement here that has wholly passed on to "Raffi" the 5 year old who is only now learning not to deliberately make his little brother cry, and who has learned that spitting his drink on a laptop makes mommy and daddy take him to the park. While I want to empathize with the parents, the fact that they blame…

This isn't unusual stuff for a 5 year old...

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#268

Post by asldkjaslkdj »

Ancapistani wrote: post #205
mumblemumble wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've literally never met a 5-year-old who doesn't do things like this when they're upset. Judging by what was happening on other families' screens when watching my son's online kindergarten last spring, it would seem that these kinds of challenges with the Zoom learning experience certainly aren't unique to my or my friends' families, either. This despite it seeming to me like a particularly happy and cohesive kinder…

> I've literally never met a 5-year-old who doesn't do things like this when they're upset. Really? I can't imagine either of my kids doing things like that - perhaps a brief outburst, sure, but it would have been immediately followed by an appropriate response from a parent. > My sense is that that, if you aren't currently trying to usher a preschooler through this experience, you don't actually know how your kid wo…

>perhaps a brief outburst, sure

so you can imagine it... because it happens

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#269

Post by nradov »

codefreakxff wrote: post #210
throwaways885 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe have have some empathy for the parents who are working from home, before you start insulting their parenting? Of course the 7 year old is acting out, but it's probably more to do with being stuck in a box/house all day with no interaction with their friends. And no, Zoom calls don't class as interaction for kids. This child desperately needs to play outside, not stuck behind a blurry screen learning maths.

I do work from home, and my 10 year old is doing remote learning. There are many benefits to remote learning, and I know it will come as a shock to people who buy into the 'kids need to socialize' group-think, but the 'socializing' they do in school tends to be very limited in time (a couple of 10-15 minute breaks on the playground, talking at lunch, disrupting classes and not listening to the teacher), and then ther…

School doesn't suck. Just because you had a bad experience doesn't mean the rest of us did.

Re: My kid can’t handle a virtual education, and neither can I

#270

Post by pm24601 »

pyzon wrote: post #62

I can't help but feel that many of the dismissive comments here must be either from folks without kids, or from people that got lucky with a well-mannered child. You think those good manners were all your amazing parenting? You probably deserve some credit, but I think you also lucked out more than you realize. Haven't you seen parents with multiple kids and those kids have wildly different dispositions? I urge you t…

I so agree. My youngest was proud when they came home with "red lights". The other child was devastated when the teacher looked at her cross-eyed.

The youngest one is very very indifferent to peer pressure. They don't give a sh!t what anyone else in their classroom thinks of them.

Post reply on HN