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Don't force your kids to do math

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Re: Don't force your kids to do math

#31

Post by arresin »

twodave wrote: post #15

Another article where someone thinks being a parent means they understand all children. I have 4 kids, and 2 of them definitely would never do math, even basic math, for fun, ever. Their brains lack whatever pathways most people utilize to learn math, so I now have a 15 year old who has to work nearly as hard at arithmetic as she did when she first learned it. No amount of drilling, change of curriculum, buckling dow…

> The only time when you can really train them to do anything consistently is when they are babies.

This is really stupid.

Re: Don't force your kids to do math

#33

Post by twodave »

-__---____-ZXyw wrote: post #25
twodave wrote: post #15

Another article where someone thinks being a parent means they understand all children. I have 4 kids, and 2 of them definitely would never do math, even basic math, for fun, ever. Their brains lack whatever pathways most people utilize to learn math, so I now have a 15 year old who has to work nearly as hard at arithmetic as she did when she first learned it. No amount of drilling, change of curriculum, buckling dow…

Have you come across https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Teenage_Liberation_Handboo... I read it (as a non-child), and a lot of my certainties about what young brains are and are not capable of got joyfully exploded. I'm not linking it to you proscriptively, or with a specific suggestion or riposte in mind whatsoever - you just might be interested in it. School is very successful at convincing kids (and former kids) of…

I haven’t read the book, but we have 100% had the “you don’t have to graduate if you don’t want to” talk with this one haha. She doesn’t want to drop out, but definitely isn’t interested in college. We want to keep that door open for her if we can, so we just remind her that staying in school requires doing some things she doesn’t like.

But yeah, at 15 it gets a little hairy. You have a kid who wants to be an adult, but in a lot of ways they are not prepared to make adult decisions still. Eventually she will have to make them, ready or not. But we have a few years left to help her, so the focus becomes how to best do that.

Re: Don't force your kids to do math

#34

Post by twodave »

rayiner wrote: post #29
twodave wrote: post #15

Another article where someone thinks being a parent means they understand all children. I have 4 kids, and 2 of them definitely would never do math, even basic math, for fun, ever. Their brains lack whatever pathways most people utilize to learn math, so I now have a 15 year old who has to work nearly as hard at arithmetic as she did when she first learned it. No amount of drilling, change of curriculum, buckling dow…

[flagged]

I don’t personally see how one person’s experience with children other than my own has any connection to my own children. That was the point I was attempting to make, though. Just because you have anecdotes to share doesn’t mean you’ve stumbled upon some universal truth. They can be helpful to share but NOT if used to dismiss other people’s experience.

Re: Don't force your kids to do math

#35

Post by twodave »

arresin wrote: post #31
twodave wrote: post #15

Another article where someone thinks being a parent means they understand all children. I have 4 kids, and 2 of them definitely would never do math, even basic math, for fun, ever. Their brains lack whatever pathways most people utilize to learn math, so I now have a 15 year old who has to work nearly as hard at arithmetic as she did when she first learned it. No amount of drilling, change of curriculum, buckling dow…

> The only time when you can really train them to do anything consistently is when they are babies. This is really stupid.

If you can’t recognize a little tongue-in-cheek humor then maybe you’re the stupid one ;)

Re: Don't force your kids to do math

#36

Post by twodave »

raymondgh wrote: post #23

30 minutes of play per 3 days is such a brutal reality to acknowledge. One of the most wonderful experiences in all of life so drastically limited by the society we’ve constructed.

In some ways yes, but men have always been the ones to go hunt/farm for long hours and provide for the family, leaving the children home under the care of the mother/village for days or weeks at a time.

I would go so far as to say modern society actually enables us to be more involved in our children’s lives, especially those for whom remote work and home schooling are options.

Re: Don't force your kids to do math

#37

Post by CommenterPerson »

Compare learning math to learning to bicycle. There is some some sweat and struggle that needs to be put in, before one "gets it". After this it can become enjoyable. I encouraged my daughter with practice exercises from a young age, but tried to avoid making it a drudge. She built up confidence and did well with it. She is also very hands on creative. She decided to study engineering and is working towards her PhD.

Re: Don't force your kids to do math

#39

Post by IG_Semmelweiss »

diego898 wrote: post #19
twodave wrote: post #15

Another article where someone thinks being a parent means they understand all children. I have 4 kids, and 2 of them definitely would never do math, even basic math, for fun, ever. Their brains lack whatever pathways most people utilize to learn math, so I now have a 15 year old who has to work nearly as hard at arithmetic as she did when she first learned it. No amount of drilling, change of curriculum, buckling dow…

Best advice I ever received is: You have to parent the kid you have - not the kid you want

This 100%
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