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Does anyone just sent their kid to school and not supplement at home?
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Anonymous
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What a stupid question?
What do you mean by supplementation? Student-initiated supplementation? Parent-initiated supplementation? School-initiated supplementation? ...or some combination thereof? Do books, computers, games, puzzles, experiments, visits to on and off shore countries and museums constitute a supplement to the school educational program or a child's education? If parents do not parent, mentor, guide or supplement what their kids get in school, church, on the playground why bother with parentage or families? Simply leave your 4-year-old to their wise decisions and on robotic autopilot? This may explain the high divorce rates and multiple fathers and mothers our children increasing have -- all of whom are incapable or abdicate parental responsibility. The parent responsibilty is to nurture their children until independence. What then is supplementation? I'm curious, do mothers here on DCUM supplement the breast milk given to their newborn children? |
Anonymous
| I pay $25k/year to our private school on the optimistic assumption that they will use this money to teach my children the core academic skills they need. At home, we read together and talk. Oh yeah, and they play a lot. That's it. No extra math workbooks, no math computer games, no tutoring, no nothing. So far they seem to be doing fine. They probably will "lag" behind some of the kids who spend two hours a day on extra math drills. But I'm betting that they will nonetheless grow up to be be happy, creative, successful adults. Maybe more so. |
Anonymous
| Honestly, if I were to supplement anything, it would be physical activity. They get plenty of seated, rote learning during the day--and I have done both public and private. Privates do a better job at giving kids active breaks and extra physical education, but overall, if there is free time after homework etc., I'd rather my kids kick a soccer ball around or go to a park than have them sit in front of a computer doing drills. |
Anonymous
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So I gather from your response you too supplement at home. You choose to supplement reading and play. Great. Others supplement music and computer programming. Their kids may lag behind in music and computer programming but your child may be an outstanding reader and writer. Big deal. You can't cover the entire terrain. Why worry? Does it bother you that some choose to supplement math? It would be so boring if we all (parents and children) had the same interests and supplementation needs?
A responsible parent with knowledge of their child knows where there are needs for supplementation, nurture, mentorship and guidance. |
Anonymous
Does club soccer, lacrosse and swimming count as supplementing physical activity? If it does, there is an epidemic of this in my neighborhood. |
Anonymous
ICK...now that Glen Beck has lost his show, is he trolling here. |
Anonymous
| Who is Glen Beck? |
Anonymous
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For once Glen Beck is making some sense if he is indeed trolling here.
Parents need to be parents and not blame schools for the foibles in their children. Be accountable. Parent and nurture your kids. If they need supplementation then provide it if you can. You are smoking crack if you think that paying $35,000/year x 12 years to a school gets you off the hook as a parent. |
Anonymous
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School supplements parenting and not the other way around 
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Anonymous
No, she doesn't "supplement reading and play." When they're at home, her family members like to read and play. It just seems stupid (or, at best, tendentious) to treat anything short of imprisonment in a sensory deprivation capsule as a form of "supplementation." |
Anonymous
| I'm curious. How does one supplement, especially in math? What do your kids do? |
Anonymous
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Perhaps parents who are scientists, engineers and quantitative types can give you examples of how they supplement their child's education in math? Math phobic types might send the child to Kumon or hire a tutor.
Journalists and public speakers may have ideas for you on how to supplement their child's writing and public speaking? Those without the time or inclination (or illiterates) can hire a tutor or outsource this if this is what they want for their child. Athletic parents who played lacrosse in college can teach their children how to play lacrosse. Others may send them to lacross 101 camp. Musical and artistic parents can teach their young children the trade. Others may outsource this. There are a myriad of ways to supplement your child...for a fee or no fee. The ways are only limited by your expertise and imagination. Some prefer to do nothing or have minimal interaction with their children at home. |
Anonymous
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I coach my son's soccer team and weekly math club. I guess, this is an avenue for my kids, and those of 20 other parents to get supplementation in math (not following any school curriculum rather solving hard math problems) and sports.
I also, along with my spouse, read books with my children and engage in frequent discussions to help them present their viewpoints in a clear, focused and orgainzed manner. I wish I had learned this much earlier in my education and not after I got out of school. I suspect many parents and families do similar types of activities. If done well, these fun activities may surpass what elementary kids may even get at the high school level from teachers with less experience and training than the parents of the kids they teach. This supplementation doesn't cost me or my child a penny; but, undeniably supplements their education in major ways! |
Anonymous
| In my view, "supplement" is momzilla-speak for "I'm a better parent than you" and/or "I'm a high-anxiety control freak helicopter parent who can't let my kid be a kid." Really, how many parents (especially those w/ kids in privates) neglect their kids to the extent that they are not answering questions, talking about the world around them, taking their kids to the library and museums, signing them up for lessons, etc.? Only the insecure feel the need to call it "supplementing;" the rest of us call it parenting. |
Anonymous
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Let a kid be a kid ?
Let a parent be a parent? Let your kid be a kid and let the rest of us be parents. |