Is anyone else bothered that schools no longer use books?

[Anonymous]

IME the online texts can be glitchy, they log you out after a period of inactivity and are generally frustrating. We bought books for our kids.

[Anonymous]

I prefer textbooks because on the iPad it’s way too easy to get distracted by other apps or the siren call of YouTube.

Kids aren’t always as self disciplined as we would like. Sitting doing homework in a textbook I know they aren’t actually in a a web browser screwing around during study time.

I’m also very concerned by the lack of pen and paper. Most of the work we do as adults is typing, but you absolutely learn more by writing than by typing.

[Anonymous]

I would just encourage your kid to have a notebook and take notes both in class and when they are at home.

[Anonymous]

All our kids are at different Catholic schools and they all use traditional text and work books. Love it. Online homework is crap.

[Anonymous]

My daughter at PVI has real books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are US history textbooks being used in poorer schools that don't mention Trump being president because they're that dated. Don't you agree it's best to have up to date information?

You are confusing history with current events. Current events is rarely covered using a text book, but that does not mean there is no place for a text book that covers history.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All our kids are at different Catholic schools and they all use traditional text and work books. Love it. Online homework is crap.

I'm seeing a lot of comments here about Catholic schools using textbooks. What about at independent private schools?

[Anonymous]

Independent private here. They use text books. They are SUPER old (math and literature). My kid has to COPY math problems out of his text book and solve them in a notebook. So in addition to learning math, he practices handwriting, copying, spatial relations. Kids today cannot even write! Handwriting is atrocious! Having text books seems draconian but in my opinion it serves multiple purposes and helps them exercise some executive functioning skills in addition to the subject matter. Life skills, ppl!

[Anonymous]

I teach in a public ES and everything is online. I love when I tutor students from private schools though. They have actual books and workbooks. I'm tutoring a student now with a vocabulary workbook that is great. She doesn't need to go online and she isn't wasting time clicking around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are US history textbooks being used in poorer schools that don't mention Trump being president because they're that dated. Don't you agree it's best to have up to date information?

You are confusing history with current events. Current events is rarely covered using a text book, but that does not mean there is no place for a text book that covers history.

+1 I am depressed by a poster thinking it's a travesty that some history books don't cover a presidency that just ended THREE years ago. The state of education in this country

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are US history textbooks being used in poorer schools that don't mention Trump being president because they're that dated. Don't you agree it's best to have up to date information?

You are confusing history with current events. Current events is rarely covered using a text book, but that does not mean there is no place for a text book that covers history.

+1 I am depressed by a poster thinking it's a travesty that some history books don't cover a presidency that just ended THREE years ago. The state of education in this country

Lol. I remember wondering if we would ever learn about anything after WW2 when I was in school since the textbooks stopped there.

[Anonymous]

My kid has one book for geography. And, of course, books for literature. That’s it.

[Anonymous]

Learning to read well for education purposes from a screen is such a great skill! As an adult I rarely read for understanding from physical books.

But I definitely understand why school systems would move away. The benefit of a physical book just doesn't out weigh their flaws. And I think that differential gets bigger and bigger with school system size.

[Anonymous]

I’m an elementary school teacher and we have textbooks in math and social studies and consumables for ELA and handwriting. Kids read chapter books aloud and they each bring home a copy, the same way we did as kids. Textbooks are expensive and bad for the environment, and the kids can’t take them home because they’re also too heavy. There’s no perfect system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach in a public ES and everything is online. I love when I tutor students from private schools though. They have actual books and workbooks. I'm tutoring a student now with a vocabulary workbook that is great. She doesn't need to go online and she isn't wasting time clicking around.

Whats the name of the workbook?