Is there a downside to doing a little bit of supplementing at home? (mostly math question)

[Anonymous]

My son is in kindergarten and only in level E (and honestly the levels don't even make sense. He could actually be a C or D imo). Anyway, we are doing our own reading curriculum at home, which doesn't seem to have a downside. Is this true of math? Or is there a downside - like maybe he gets too bored in 1st or 2nd grade and behavior issues go up? Or I teach the math differently and the process isn't the same for the same kind of math problem at home vs. at school?

Reading we are working on because I want him to and he is willing. Math, he wants to work on bc he is interested. I'm just worried there may be a downside.

[Anonymous]

There's little downside to teaching reading at home, unless you are using a truly awful curriculum. But if your school is using F&P levels, they are likely already using a terrible curriculum, and it is unlikely you will pick something worse.

Same is unfortunately true with math. It's pretty dreadful most places, so working with him early helps prevent gaps in fundamental skills from arising, and from him being bored because the material is confusing.

[Anonymous]

No downside.

[Anonymous]

Yes, there is a downside. When you are in an area where many parents supplement math, then teachers expect the students to have already been taught the material and don't teach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there is a downside. When you are in an area where many parents supplement math, then teachers expect the students to have already been taught the material and don't teach.

I mean a drawback on the individual level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's little downside to teaching reading at home, unless you are using a truly awful curriculum. But if your school is using F&P levels, they are likely already using a terrible curriculum, and it is unlikely you will pick something worse.

Same is unfortunately true with math. It's pretty dreadful most places, so working with him early helps prevent gaps in fundamental skills from arising, and from him being bored because the material is confusing.

Yes, that’s why I’m teaching reading at home. He isn’t learning phonics based reading at school. I don’t THINK they have a bad math curriculum (?) but he’s interested in doing more so I will supplement at home unless it will interfere with school math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there is a downside. When you are in an area where many parents supplement math, then teachers expect the students to have already been taught the material and don't teach.

I mean a drawback on the individual level.

Having teachers who don't teach is a downside on an individual level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there is a downside. When you are in an area where many parents supplement math, then teachers expect the students to have already been taught the material and don't teach.

I mean a drawback on the individual level.

Having teachers who don't teach is a downside on an individual level.

One child learning math at home isn’t going to affect whether a teacher teaches math!

[Anonymous]

As long as your son doesn’t feel unduly pressured by you, this is fine. Keep these lessons short and engaging. Worksheets over and over are not the way to go.

There are picture books in the library that cover math concepts. Look for the books “You Readto Me and I Read to You.” Play educational games, or games that involve some math, including counting money or telling time.

Let him play with measuring cups in the bathtub, so he gets an underlying sense of amounts and equality. You can get him a basic balance scale and he can weigh his toys, and see that two little cars equal one Beanie Baby. Look on Pinterest for fun educational activities.

A lot of parents don’t supplement with writing at home, and that’s a huge area that many kids need help with. Both handwriting and spelling, along with writing a complete sentence. Let him have sticky notes and empty envelopes to write on. Have him make up a story with a beginning, middle, and end, and you write one sentence and he writes the next, and he illustrates it.

Have fun with it, and balance it all with plenty of free play, outside time, and you read to him regularly to develop his love of books and comprehension and vocabulary.

[Anonymous]

If you can teach the concepts in a way that the kid understands without getting frustrated, go for it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there is a downside. When you are in an area where many parents supplement math, then teachers expect the students to have already been taught the material and don't teach.

I mean a drawback on the individual level.

Having teachers who don't teach is a downside on an individual level.

One child learning math at home isn’t going to affect whether a teacher teaches math!

Then tutor your DC. And be prepared to tutor your DC for the next 11-12 years.

[Anonymous]

We had a few teachers in grade school get upset with us for teaching our kid the times tables up through 12 until they knew them cold. Flash cards, just randomly saying, "Hey, what's 3 x 3?" 9! And on and on. Kid started third grade knowing the times tables.

The teachers teaching New Math were upset. They couldn't get our kid to draw the math anymore. Our kid would write the answer on the page and circle it. Our kid said why are you making me draw 4 x 4 when I already know the answer is 16? I'm bored with this. Kid would get 50% of a math test when the answers were all correct but got 50% taken off because weren't 16 pineapples drawn to represent the answer. Also, kid finished the math test in two minutes.

Went to a meeting where the FCPS math curriculum person said that the parents who were teaching times tables were "damaging" their child's ability to learn math.

Have fun, OP.

[Anonymous]

We do Beast Academy and it's so fun. It's just completely different than how math is taught in school. I think it teaches a well rounded grasp of numbers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, there is a downside. When you are in an area where many parents supplement math, then teachers expect the students to have already been taught the material and don't teach.

I mean a drawback on the individual level.

Having teachers who don't teach is a downside on an individual level.

One child learning math at home isn’t going to affect whether a teacher teaches math!

Then tutor your DC. And be prepared to tutor your DC for the next 11-12 years.

This is the way.

Not /s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had a few teachers in grade school get upset with us for teaching our kid the times tables up through 12 until they knew them cold. Flash cards, just randomly saying, "Hey, what's 3 x 3?" 9! And on and on. Kid started third grade knowing the times tables.

The teachers teaching New Math were upset. They couldn't get our kid to draw the math anymore. Our kid would write the answer on the page and circle it. Our kid said why are you making me draw 4 x 4 when I already know the answer is 16? I'm bored with this. Kid would get 50% of a math test when the answers were all correct but got 50% taken off because weren't 16 pineapples drawn to represent the answer. Also, kid finished the math test in two minutes.

Went to a meeting where the FCPS math curriculum person said that the parents who were teaching times tables were "damaging" their child's ability to learn math.

Have fun, OP.

We did that without our kids from young ages, but they still knew how to pretend to do the work for the teachers. You need to make sure that they know how to play the game unless you want teachers taking it out on them