What is your education plan for your child?

[Anonymous]

I'd like to raise a well-rounded well educated child who has a solid foundation of the classics and the liberal arts and a thorough appreciation of STEM if he is so inclined.

What tips or suggestions you may have to achieve this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to raise a well-rounded well educated child who has a solid foundation of the classics and the liberal arts and a thorough appreciation of STEM if he is so inclined.

What tips or suggestions you may have to achieve this?

Montessori education from PK-3rd grade. Find a great school and this will be the best foundation you can imagines for all your f your stated goals. Ask me how I know….. lol.

[Anonymous]

You lost me at "the classics."

[Anonymous]

Honestly? Homeschooling.

[Anonymous]

Read with your child. Do things together. Discuss the news. Go camping and teach your child to notice and observe the world around him (seriously). Audiobooks in the car that you enjoy as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly? Homeschooling.

This is what I wanted for my children and frankly why we homeschool. They have classes with experienced teachers who give English book lists comprised of classic and more modern books from a variety of viewpoints and lead discussions, take classes in world and US history, have done Shakespeare performances, play instruments to a high level, do math 2-4 years beyond their peers, and have fantastic science teachers that push them hard and allow for fun experiments and dissections. Homeschooling done well creates a variety of opportunities.

[Anonymous]

DCPS, youtube, and whatever I received at boarding school abroad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly? Homeschooling.

For what OP said, homeschooling or a classical school is probably the best option.

I mean at a real classical school they get their geometry straight from actually reading Euclid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly? Homeschooling.

Not a huge fan of homeschooling but for what OP wants, yeah this might be the best bet. Or you supplement a lot in the areas you feel the school is lacking.

[Anonymous]

I would buy a copy of "The Well Trained Mind" book by Susan Bauer and buy a copy of "Cultural Literacy" by E.D. Hirsch. Read those books to know more about common knowledge gaps that one should be certain to fill.

I would do math reinforcement at home (or a center), because schools today do not have enough repetition, especially at and before 6th grade. This should only take 5-10 minutes/day if done at home.

I would read age-appropriate classic literature at home, including the Western Canon but also some other things. Read for 5-10 minutes/day, perhaps 15 minutes/day if DC is older and interested in the book.

I would go to the "Core Knowledge Foundation" website and buy all of their "What a (1st, 2nd,...) Grader Needs to Know" books and then use them at home with DC. (Nota Bene: Core Knowledge is NOT related to the "Common Core" curriculum.) those books will help fill knowledge gaps that interfere with understanding English language literature, and also ensure basics of history and science are addressed.

This is a fair amount of work, and it is what we are doing.

[Anonymous]

The MCPS Forum has a sticky thread at the top with curriculum resources. It is worth reading. Use the resources which make sense for your family's situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to raise a well-rounded well educated child who has a solid foundation of the classics and the liberal arts and a thorough appreciation of STEM if he is so inclined.

What tips or suggestions you may have to achieve this?

Montessori education from PK-3rd grade. Find a great school and this will be the best foundation you can imagines for all your f your stated goals. Ask me how I know….. lol.

This often can be true. Even within the set of "accredited" Montessori schools, there can be wide variation among different schools. So visit several - even if this means visiting 1-2 which are not nearby - so one can understand the differences and similarities among the schools. Then pick the best fit for your DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would buy a copy of "The Well Trained Mind" book by Susan Bauer and buy a copy of "Cultural Literacy" by E.D. Hirsch. Read those books to know more about common knowledge gaps that one should be certain to fill.

I would do math reinforcement at home (or a center), because schools today do not have enough repetition, especially at and before 6th grade. This should only take 5-10 minutes/day if done at home.

I would read age-appropriate classic literature at home, including the Western Canon but also some other things. Read for 5-10 minutes/day, perhaps 15 minutes/day if DC is older and interested in the book.

I would go to the "Core Knowledge Foundation" website and buy all of their "What a (1st, 2nd,...) Grader Needs to Know" books and then use them at home with DC. (Nota Bene: Core Knowledge is NOT related to the "Common Core" curriculum.) those books will help fill knowledge gaps that interfere with understanding English language literature, and also ensure basics of history and science are addressed.

This is a fair amount of work, and it is what we are doing.

That's a good plan if you aren't homeschooling or doing a private school.

Amplify CKLA is based on Core Knowledge and it's being used in MCPS and APS now. Wish our district (FCPS) had picked it up.

[Anonymous]

Public school (a so-called excellent one, I find it meh), plus supplementation at home. May outsource math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would buy a copy of "The Well Trained Mind" book by Susan Bauer and buy a copy of "Cultural Literacy" by E.D. Hirsch. Read those books to know more about common knowledge gaps that one should be certain to fill.

I would do math reinforcement at home (or a center), because schools today do not have enough repetition, especially at and before 6th grade. This should only take 5-10 minutes/day if done at home.

I would read age-appropriate classic literature at home, including the Western Canon but also some other things. Read for 5-10 minutes/day, perhaps 15 minutes/day if DC is older and interested in the book.

I would go to the "Core Knowledge Foundation" website and buy all of their "What a (1st, 2nd,...) Grader Needs to Know" books and then use them at home with DC. (Nota Bene: Core Knowledge is NOT related to the "Common Core" curriculum.) those books will help fill knowledge gaps that interfere with understanding English language literature, and also ensure basics of history and science are addressed.

This is a fair amount of work, and it is what we are doing. [u]

Yeah, it is definitely a LOT of work. I work only part time now, am a former teacher and elementary school aide, and am trained in childhood literacy. I still feel like I spend so much time researching, reading, prepping materials, and teaching my kid. And I only have one kid. If you have the money and have confidence in your area's private schools, I'd do that.