No textbooks in elementary school???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:St Mary’s does but seem to provide textbooks that students can actually bring home, at least not in elementary grades.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been in school. Is this a new thing/trend (not to provide textbooks that students can bring home)?? Or is this just a St Mary’s thing? Or a money-saving thing? It’s very odd to me.

This is our private also. Teachers say they feel bad for the kids lugging massive backpacks home. In some cases families can ask for the textbook to come home if they feel they need it.

In most subjects (math, grammar, spelling) I can pull up the textbook online or find it another way when I need to help them. And the kids do bring home workbooks.

Since we just came from the public schools, I know that the existence of a comprehensive curriculum instead of worksheets printed by teachers to match whatever standards VDOE has pushed on schools this cycle is light years better. In the past if my kids had a math problem I was scrounging around the internet to find a YouTube video so we could figure it out. Now I can at least pull up a textbook. So amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St Mary’s does but seem to provide textbooks that students can actually bring home, at least not in elementary grades.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been in school. Is this a new thing/trend (not to provide textbooks that students can bring home)?? Or is this just a St Mary’s thing? Or a money-saving thing? It’s very odd to me.

This is our private also. Teachers say they feel bad for the kids lugging massive backpacks home. In some cases families can ask for the textbook to come home if they feel they need it.

In most subjects (math, grammar, spelling) I can pull up the textbook online or find it another way when I need to help them. And the kids do bring home workbooks.

Since we just came from the public schools, I know that the existence of a comprehensive curriculum instead of worksheets printed by teachers to match whatever standards VDOE has pushed on schools this cycle is light years better. In the past if my kids had a math problem I was scrounging around the internet to find a YouTube video so we could figure it out. Now I can at least pull up a textbook. So amazing.

My kids have books but they always go to Kahn Academy or YouTube. I am sure by the time they are parents, there will be no textbooks,

[Anonymous]

The shift away from textbooks is not progress. It’s very difficult to track curriculum, progress etc when there is no measuring stick. The notion that they are expensive doesn’t sit with me. They are purchased once and used for a decade. Expensive and soon outdated computers that kids break strike me as expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The shift away from textbooks is not progress. It’s very difficult to track curriculum, progress etc when there is no measuring stick. The notion that they are expensive doesn’t sit with me. They are purchased once and used for a decade. Expensive and soon outdated computers that kids break strike me as expensive.

I was not using any MS or HS textbooks a decade later. I doubt most people are - maybe occasionally referencing a HS science or math text in intro college classes, I suppose?

Our school uses online versions of textbooks, which are great. Harper for us ($30ish? Compared to $60-80?), nothing to lug around, never in your locker when you need it at home or at home when you need it in class. Each kid gets a link and a login code. Works very well for DC. And if a student really needs a physical copy, the yea her or the academic center are always willing to lend one out.

[Anonymous]

^Cheaper for us, not Harper. Don’t know what autocorrect is doing, lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St Mary’s does but seem to provide textbooks that students can actually bring home, at least not in elementary grades.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been in school. Is this a new thing/trend (not to provide textbooks that students can bring home)?? Or is this just a St Mary’s thing? Or a money-saving thing? It’s very odd to me.

This is our private also. Teachers say they feel bad for the kids lugging massive backpacks home. In some cases families can ask for the textbook to come home if they feel they need it.

In most subjects (math, grammar, spelling) I can pull up the textbook online or find it another way when I need to help them. And the kids do bring home workbooks.

Since we just came from the public schools, I know that the existence of a comprehensive curriculum instead of worksheets printed by teachers to match whatever standards VDOE has pushed on schools this cycle is light years better. In the past if my kids had a math problem I was scrounging around the internet to find a YouTube video so we could figure it out. Now I can at least pull up a textbook. So amazing.

My kids have books but they always go to Kahn Academy or YouTube. I am sure by the time they are parents, there will be no textbooks,

Or we will go full circle and everyone will be back to using textbooks again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The shift away from textbooks is not progress. It’s very difficult to track curriculum, progress etc when there is no measuring stick. The notion that they are expensive doesn’t sit with me. They are purchased once and used for a decade. Expensive and soon outdated computers that kids break strike me as expensive.

I was not using any MS or HS textbooks a decade later. I doubt most people are - maybe occasionally referencing a HS science or math text in intro college classes, I suppose?

Our school uses online versions of textbooks, which are great. Harper for us ($30ish? Compared to $60-80?), nothing to lug around, never in your locker when you need it at home or at home when you need it in class. Each kid gets a link and a login code. Works very well for DC. And if a student really needs a physical copy, the yea her or the academic center are always willing to lend one out.

Agree ppl aren't referencing textbooks later. But the schools keep them and re-use them year over year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The shift away from textbooks is not progress. It’s very difficult to track curriculum, progress etc when there is no measuring stick. The notion that they are expensive doesn’t sit with me. They are purchased once and used for a decade. Expensive and soon outdated computers that kids break strike me as expensive.

I was not using any MS or HS textbooks a decade later. I doubt most people are - maybe occasionally referencing a HS science or math text in intro college classes, I suppose?

Our school uses online versions of textbooks, which are great. Harper for us ($30ish? Compared to $60-80?), nothing to lug around, never in your locker when you need it at home or at home when you need it in class. Each kid gets a link and a login code. Works very well for DC. And if a student really needs a physical copy, the yea her or the academic center are always willing to lend one out.

Agree ppl aren't referencing textbooks later. But the schools keep them and re-use them year over year.

And that’s what our k-8 did, which is the only time DC had physical textbooks, which were owned by the school and were returned at the end of the year. For many HS, the families have to purchase any textbooks. I for one very much appreciate the much lower cost of the digital textbooks used by our current HS vs the hard copies. And I remember the weight of my backpack at my big3 (and having to carry books separately because they wouldn’t all fit!). So glad my kid isn’t carrying that much. The binders and notebooks and laptop are bad enough without textbooks.

[Anonymous]

If the teacher is using a textbook to structure her class, then the students should have that textbook too — and bring it home. Just putting screenshots online or giving printouts is lame and chintzy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the teacher is using a textbook to structure her class, then the students should have that textbook too — and bring it home. Just putting screenshots online or giving printouts is lame and chintzy.

You are aware that digital books are not the same things as “putting screenshots online”, no?

[Anonymous]

I'm generally against computers in the classroom but my MS kid just started using e-textbooks and I like it. The text or problem set is online; the notes or work is done on paper. It is impossible to forget your homework. Kids can read ahead in the textbook or watch supplemental videos that are linked but optional. And it's not heavy, or hard to update if errors are found.

[Anonymous]

The digital textbooks are nice for world languages. You can click on phrases or videos imbedded in the book and hear native speakers. It is a definite improvement.

[Anonymous]

St. Louis has text books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No textbooks to bring home is totally normal now.

In public school it is. My kid went to Catholic MS and HS and had textbooks for math, foreign language, grammar, vocabulary (workbook), science, history.

[Anonymous]

Curious if part of the reason for no textbooks is that it makes it more difficult for parents and tutors to be involved in homework.