Which privates still use textbooks?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I heard kids don’t use lockers anymore, so are they carrying all those books all day?

DC had and used a locker in MS. DC was concerned when looking at HS to hear that no one used them. It turns out with the block schedule and mostly online textbooks, DC is carrying around binders and stuff but has never had an issue fitting the full day’s materials into a manageable (though sometimes heavy) backpack and also never uses their locker.

The school does still provide lockers, however, so if your kid wants or needs to use it, it’s there.

What private is this, as many of PP said they still use text books?

Electronic textbooks are still textbooks.

We prefer a physical book and less screentime, but that does beg the question: are there schools with NO textbooks, electronic or otherwise, for most classes??

What would be the source of information if they have no textbooks, physical or electronic? For classes like math and science in particular?

We had science and math classes in public that were all driven by an app or website like IXL or random science articles piecing together the topic of the week.

That is yet another reason to not send your kids to public school

Some privates also do this. Not all classes, but my kid had a couple that seemed random. Math was strange — the teacher mostly used material from Teachers Pay Teachers or made up their own worksheets. And often a provided more than a handful of incorrect answers with test study guides. So frustrating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want your kids to benefit from using physical books, choose a school whose courses require them to read ENTIRE books - NOT necessarily textbooks, just entire works of fiction or nonfiction to build that endurance and reading pattern.

Using a textbook for humanities content implies there is only ONE set of info and exercises appropriate for a given course. Teachers can tell you that is far from true. Getting out of that one 5-pound book means a teacher can vary the instructional format and not let kids fall into the classic rut: read the chapter, do some exercises, have a quiz, then forget it all as you go to the next chapter.

That's what kids learn to do in school unless teachers push them in different directions. I learned like that and now teach very differently.

At the end of the day, the teacher will be far more important than the book in determining whether your kids are engaged and learning.

True, and, of course, most teachers who have text books do not solely use the text for teaching. However, for the student, a textbook does provide a framework and a reference for understanding the material and zooming in and out on the larger context of the class. I know that when my kids were studying, sometimes they needed to reference areas in the textbook that were not addressed by the class to better understand the material the was being covered, much like a college student would do. They have been in schools with and without textbooks and understood far more in the schools that thoughtfully selected textbooks which could be used a reference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard kids don’t use lockers anymore, so are they carrying all those books all day?

DC had and used a locker in MS. DC was concerned when looking at HS to hear that no one used them. It turns out with the block schedule and mostly online textbooks, DC is carrying around binders and stuff but has never had an issue fitting the full day’s materials into a manageable (though sometimes heavy) backpack and also never uses their locker.

The school does still provide lockers, however, so if your kid wants or needs to use it, it’s there.

What private is this, as many of PP said they still use text books?

Electronic textbooks are still textbooks.

We prefer a physical book and less screentime, but that does beg the question: are there schools with NO textbooks, electronic or otherwise, for most classes??

What would be the source of information if they have no textbooks, physical or electronic? For classes like math and science in particular?

We had science and math classes in public that were all driven by an app or website like IXL or random science articles piecing together the topic of the week.

That is yet another reason to not send your kids to public school

You could run a good--probably better--history class with the Oxford University Press "Very Short Introduction" series to build a framework and then high-quality chapters and articles by highly-accomplished historians (not Howard Zinn or Paul Johnson, which were my high school history teacher's authors of choice). But for science and math, text books are really irreplaceable. I used them throughout my university studies.

History classes taught from one textbook are BORING. So many other sources to draw on that still reinforce literacy but engage the student many times more. Most students remember their history classes as a dull march through time when they don't have to be.

Having a text book for a class rarely means that is ALL the teacher uses.

[Anonymous]

Our Lady of Lourdes (K-8) does and we love this. It makes a huge difference!

[Anonymous]

At my DC’s high school, most teachers give you the option of buying the physical textbook or the online version. My DC has a strong preference that certain classes he uses a physical book (history and science) and certain classes he uses online textbooks (foreign language and math). The online textbooks for foreign language, in particular, have interactive links and features where you can listen to parts of the lesson being spoken in the language. It is helpful.