Let children play, let them learn the real things in life...

eddie wrote:This is an issue I came across a lot working in education and also as a mother.

Pushy parenting. The worry that your child isn't a genius, isn't reading,writing,doing long multiplication,tying their shoes, reading Shakespeare....all by the age of five!

Should we go back to basic skills and just let children, be children?
Or has the world become too competitive and we need our offspring to be the cleverest, the biggest and the best?

Montessori nurseries are becoming popular for little toddlers - instead of having the joy of knocking a tower down with your mates - they want you to build only (knocking down not permitted).

What do we think?

eddie wrote:This is an issue I came across a lot working in education and also as a mother.

Pushy parenting. The worry that your child isn't a genius, isn't reading,writing,doing long multiplication,tying their shoes, reading Shakespeare....all by the age of five!


well all things being equal...a child SHOULD be able to read by five....should be able to write by five, tie their shoes by five....

I think long multiplication may be a bit advanced and same with shakespear.....

but my eldest could do basic algebra by 7 and calculus by 9.....

and I am in despair with how they teach maths today....strewth...talk about making an easy thing complicated......

my grandsons school is very cross with me.....becasue I am teaching him the PROPER way to do subtractions and teaching him whats known as "number bonds" (in reality just learning by rote that 9-1 is 8 etc...and learning times tables by rote) next I will teach him how to calculate square roots in his head by the "nearest approximation method"....all that is required is to keep 3 numbers in your head at once and at the same time multiply the last one of them by itself...easy peasy...once you get some practice.....



Should we go back to basic skills and just let children, be children?
Or has the world become too competitive and we need our offspring to be the cleverest, the biggest and the best?

Montessori nurseries are becoming popular for little toddlers - instead of having the joy of knocking a tower down with your mates - they want you to build only (knocking down not permitted).

What do we think?

eddie wrote:Vic I teach, and taught my children at home.
But I'm wondering....do they need it! Should I just be letting them play at 3 and 4 years old?

I teach through playing  ie I-spy and choosing objects beginning the the sound of the letter etc, but am I being anal by thinking "Oh is my daughter where my son was at this age?"

I'm sure she is. But my concern is ME. Am I being too worried or should I be more worried?

eddie wrote:I've worked in a school, mainly reception (4) to year 2 (age 7)

Some children didn't even know how to write their name or even simple sums.

Then again, in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, they don't school till seven years of age and are way ahead of us in their educational learning.

I read recently, some five year olds are going to school in nappies!!!! Shame on the parents, is all I can say.
They're too lazy to toilet-train their children so expect schools to do it.

sassy wrote:LOL!!!!  Er' when it goes black in my grandsons book!

We try to turn them into robots, it's ridiculous.

PS, thanks for the greenie x

victorismyhero wrote:Nah...No one is master of cant cook wont cook...untill they can make burnt boiled egg......

victorismyhero wrote:pffft...

before I left home i could cook, sew (to the level of making my own clothes if needed, not that I have , but I've lost count of the number of tents I have repaired etc) repair shoes, I could shop...properly, along with all the other things like virtually build, plumb and wire a house from the ground up, work metals , including forge work and casting
work wood, including turnery

and that was BEFORE you also include the o levels and A levels I obtained at school......

so.............

victorismyhero wrote:pffft...

before I left home i could cook, sew (to the level of making my own clothes if needed, not that I have , but I've lost count of the number of tents I have repaired etc) repair shoes, I could shop...properly, along with all the other things like virtually build, plumb and wire a house from the ground up, work metals , including forge work and casting
work wood, including turnery

and that was BEFORE you also include the o levels and A levels I obtained at school......

so.............

eddie wrote:

victorismyhero wrote:pffft...

before I left home i could cook, sew (to the level of making my own clothes if needed, not that I have , but I've lost count of the number of tents I have repaired etc) repair shoes, I could shop...properly, along with all the other things like virtually build, plumb and wire a house from the ground up, work metals , including forge work and casting
work wood, including turnery

and that was BEFORE you also include the o levels and A levels I obtained at school......

so.............

Why didn't I marry you?

eddie wrote:I like beards.

He hasn't seen mine