What is the point of enrichment?

[Anonymous]

I know a lot of parents on here and in this area do a lot of enrichment for their kids. What is the reason for this? I can understand getting outside help if your child is behind on a subject but why enrich otherwise? Wouldn't your child be bored in class? And what is the point being x years ahead in for example math? Wouldn't your kid learn the math eventually, so what advantage does doing it early provide? I have been thinking more lately about how to prepare my kids best for success, and observing the adult world, it seems like traits such as perseverance, diligence, and hard work are really what you need to succeed. What does being 2 grades above level in math in elementary school get you? I went through the public school system myself with no enrichment and went to great post secondary schools and now have a great career, so I am totally unfamiliar with the enrichment obsessed culture of today. I'm sure I'm missing something here, which is why I'm asking.

[Anonymous]

It takes perseverance, diligence, and hard work to be ahead two grade levels in math. How is this not obvious to you?

[Anonymous]

My child enjoys math and was bored with math in school. We want him to continue to enjoy math so we enrolled him in RSM. He is challenged at RSM and engaged. He is bored with math in school but he was already bored with math in school so that really isn’t a change. This way he is enjoying math through RSM and he is being challenged.

Do you wonder about the kids who are reading for fun at home or writing stories for fun at home or is that ok? Those kids are likely ahead of their classmates in reading and writing at school. Or the kids taking language school on the weekends? Your post seems to be focused on math but there are other areas that parents enrich.

And some parents are willing to pay for travel sports over rec sports, is that ok because it is a sport and not an academic subject?

[Anonymous]

Watch ‘The Race to Nowhere’

[Anonymous]

I agree with you 100%. There are so so many skills you can teach a kid, outside of sending him to math school. But then, parents wouldn’t be able to scroll through their phones all day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It takes perseverance, diligence, and hard work to be ahead two grade levels in math. How is this not obvious to you?

Yes it does, but somehow I don't think that is the main motivation for sending them to enrichment programs, though maybe I am wrong. There are other ways of achieving academic success that have nothing to do with those traits, such as fear of disappointing parents or conditional love or simply for the sake of competition. But I don't think those circumstances lead to innate perseverance, diligence, and hard work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child enjoys math and was bored with math in school. We want him to continue to enjoy math so we enrolled him in RSM. He is challenged at RSM and engaged. He is bored with math in school but he was already bored with math in school so that really isn’t a change. This way he is enjoying math through RSM and he is being challenged.

Do you wonder about the kids who are reading for fun at home or writing stories for fun at home or is that ok? Those kids are likely ahead of their classmates in reading and writing at school. Or the kids taking language school on the weekends? Your post seems to be focused on math but there are other areas that parents enrich.

And some parents are willing to pay for travel sports over rec sports, is that ok because it is a sport and not an academic subject?

Thanks, I get that and that makes sense, nurturing natural interest and talent. I guess I am referring to those parents who push it on their kids. What are they hoping to achieve?

[Anonymous]

I think with Math in particular it is not only enrichment but additional depth and rigor and a lack of trust in the level pf the school curriculum that leads parents to supplement in math using RSM or AOPS or CTY etc... it is a bit like asking why not just stick to the school tennis or soccer team; why do club tennis or travel soccer and why do private coaching when you can learn these sports in school? Why do supplementation when you can get that in school? Why do supplemental music when you can get it in school? The answer is that the depth, mastery level, teaching, and peer group can all be enhanced or surpassed outside of school. Don't parents judge the quality of schools themselves for these same reasons? Why just stop at the assigned school rather than address through "enrichment" if it is important and suits the child?

[Anonymous]

We are in MCPS, and they just do not offer depth/rigor outside of the magnets, and for ES and MS, those are now by lottery among qualified kids. This has especially been the case in writing--there is very little regular writing in the classroom, and certainly no long-term research or writing projects that our child has had in 5th grade. As such, our child meets regularly with a writing tutor and has gotten much more comfortable with writing just through the practice of doing it regularly. We have done also done some outside courses (particularly during the pandemic shutdown), and overall they have been significantly deeper/more rigorous than what MCPS offers.

[Anonymous]

Math is too easy for my kid. We saw it clearly in 1st grade during the pandemic with distance learning. It was supported when he always consistently scored high on standardized testing >90%.

We supplement math not to get ahead. I’m not interested in acceleration. We supplement for more depth and challenge so he develops a good number sense early on in elementary.

[Anonymous]

There seems to be some confusion in your post. In order to attempt a response, I have to clarify sone things.

You ask about enrichment and then focus on math. Enrichment can be anything. History, science, literature, arts/music, etc. It’s not just math.

You talk about getting ahead in math. Generally, math acceleration is about going faster, while math enrichment is about going broader. So while acceleration might mean working through 1st grade workbooks and moving on to 2nd, 3rd, etc., math enrichment is about telling time with an analog clock, doing logic puzzles, learning about secret codes, playing games, cooking, watching shoes like Cyberchase, doing crafts, etc. Some acceleration is probably involved in enrichment, but that’s not where the focus is. The focus is letting a child who is interested in math, follow their interests.

You ask about what the advantage is in having the child years ahead of schedule in math. There isn’t one. Yes, they get bored when they’re ahead of the rest of the class. That’s why you do enrichment.

One of my children loved math, and played with numbers the same way she played with toys. She just figured things out, and then sometimes she’d have to explain it to me. She figured out the concept of multiplication before she started K. I knew she wasn’t learning math at school, but she was happy enough with the games they played that it didn’t really bother her until 3rd grade. That’s when she started shutting down. She tried explaining to the teacher that she already knew the material and trying to make arrangements to learn something new, but the teacher brushed her off. I completely agree that perseverance, diligence, and hard work are important traits to cultivate, but since she wasn’t given the opportunity to practice this at school, and wanted to challenge herself, enrichment was the only way.

I went through public school myself. While they didn’t claim to be “one of the best school systems in the country”, and may not have offered as many optional programs, I think the standard curriculum was stronger. I was NOT. a math kid, so I had no desire for math enrichment and/or acceleration. My parents, however, did provide many other types of enrichment. I had music and dance lessons. We took wonderful vacations across the country (and into Canada), visited national parks and countless museums, attended festivals and performances, read together, worked on projects, played games, etc. Basically, they shared their interests with me and encouraged me to identify and pursue my own.

That’s what enrichment is about. It’s exposing a child to new things and letting them explore the things that interest them. While I believe that approach has inherent value, it’s not goal oriented. It’s certainly not about gaining a competitive advantage. While enrichment may sometimes result in the child accelerating, that’s an unfortunate byproduct that we cope with as it arises.

[Anonymous]

I think you’re thinking about Kumon when you say enrichment, OP. There is more to enrichment than Kumon.

[Anonymous]

Kids enter schools with all different levels of both knowledge and ability. By the nature of our school system the focus is on those who are on the lower or mid end of that spectrum. A child who comes in with either higher levels of knowledge or ability is left to their own devices. Enrichment won't make my kid bored, my kid is already bored so enrichment provides the challenge they don't get in school.

Sometimes early stage "enrichment" is the basics like coming from a household that has read to the child since birth or taught them how to count. Some kids more readily pick up those basics organically in their early years and so are ready for more by the time they enter kindergarten. If the school never really meets them where they are, it's not fair to let them stagnate if as a parent you have the means to provide that challenge.

[Anonymous]

We are in mcps. My first grader knows some algebra because he loves math. He learned his multiplication math facts online by watching some silly videos, and he learned the concept of elimination to solve equation after one person pointed it out to him at a math tutor booth at a fair. He was there for an hour at RSM booth doing all questions and I had to pull him away by force. I try to avoid to give him any math enrichment at home, but he natually wants to do math. I am still debating if I should let him to do RSM or AOPS (once he goes to 2nd grade) in person. I don't like kumon. He can't do online because he has adhd. I have tried to convert his love of math to other things like chess and stem, so he is now in 2 chess clubs and 1 stem club. His brain needs to be stimulated, but he still loves math the most. He does math for fun, so he does not want to join math summer camp. To him, summer camp is all about water play and playground.

Anyone tell me how do I know if RSM or AOPS is better fit for my child ? There is also mathnasium that is off the street. Mathnasium is 2 min away from my home, AOPS is 8 min away from my home and RSM is like at least 30 min away from my home. Which one is the best for price and for fun?

[Anonymous]

Without enrichment I think most kids would be behind.

This is like asking why kids need to play sports outside of school. I mean after all, don't they have soccer in PE class?