How much extra academic work do your children do...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never seen someone keep it a secret- almost everyone I know (and I talk to a lot of parents) has their kid do some kind of academic enrichment or tutoring. It’s just part of the culture here combined with the fact that everyone is looking to accelerate their kids (chapter books in kindergarten, algebra in 6th grade, DE classes in high school). No matter how smart your child is they can’t do that without a lot of outside help.

The more interesting question is why are we in such a rush (my eldest was taking math classes in HS that my engineer brother was taking in his Junior year of college). We’re all locked in a weird arms race.

Is that because the school sucks? Ours does algebra in sixth grade, for example. So why would we need outside help? Tutors are foreign to me and I’ve never heard of anyone doing kumon or similar so I’m just unaware of all of this.

Just to clarify if your child is taking algebra in 6th grade he is 4 years above grade level. He will take geometry in 7th and algebra 2 in eighth and pre calculus in 9. If he stays on that path he’ll be beyond multi-variable calculus (a class few schools offer). So either you go to a truely exceptional school or you are mistaken

Algebra in 6th grade is only 2 years ahead of standard school pacing since school algebra is usually for 8th graders. Some good school systems will let 5th graders take algebra. But most do not, hence all the 5th graders enrolled in AoPS and RSM.

Whatever. I have a fifth grader who did algebra last year at home with Saxon. He is a very, very unusual kid.
I don’t believe there are scores of fifth graders taking Algebra at any school.
How many fifth graders even like math that much?

Many many coccky Indians and Chinese

[Anonymous]

Mine sadly did zero. My DD has an Indian friend who is the same age, and starting at preschool age the parents put her in Kumon and constantly took her to the library and had her reading very early. The girl did Kumon for at least 5 years and then went into enrichment program for gifted and talented. My DD seemed similar in brightness when they were little - but somewhere along the way the Indian girl became a stellar student and mine is average. She scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT the first time she took it, while mine scored in mid 1300s. My daughter has an A- average while taking a few honors classes, while her friend has an A+ average taking very advanced classes at a magnet school. My daughter prob won't get into her top choice college, while her friend likely will and deserves it. I just did not grow up in a family where doing academic enrichment outside of school was common and didn't think it was important, but I now I think it is useful in today's competitive climate. It teaches focus and study skills at an early age. I wish I had done it for my kids.

[Anonymous]

I think some of the tutoring is parents outsourcing things parents used to do themselves. In this area, there is more money than time so it becomes an option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think some of the tutoring is parents outsourcing things parents used to do themselves. In this area, there is more money than time so it becomes an option.

If parents are doing workbooks or 1-on-1 lessons with their kids at home to get ahead, I would count that as outside enrichment. And there are still quite a few doing that. All the self-paced Beast Academy and AoPS products would not be selling like hot cakes if there were not tons of parents out there still willing to sit their kids down at the kitchen table and teach them some deeper math. Same with all the other school subjects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never seen someone keep it a secret- almost everyone I know (and I talk to a lot of parents) has their kid do some kind of academic enrichment or tutoring. It’s just part of the culture here combined with the fact that everyone is looking to accelerate their kids (chapter books in kindergarten, algebra in 6th grade, DE classes in high school). No matter how smart your child is they can’t do that without a lot of outside help.

The more interesting question is why are we in such a rush (my eldest was taking math classes in HS that my engineer brother was taking in his Junior year of college). We’re all locked in a weird arms race.

Is that because the school sucks? Ours does algebra in sixth grade, for example. So why would we need outside help? Tutors are foreign to me and I’ve never heard of anyone doing kumon or similar so I’m just unaware of all of this.

Just to clarify if your child is taking algebra in 6th grade he is 4 years above grade level. He will take geometry in 7th and algebra 2 in eighth and pre calculus in 9. If he stays on that path he’ll be beyond multi-variable calculus (a class few schools offer). So either you go to a truely exceptional school or you are mistaken

Algebra in 6th grade is only 2 years ahead of standard school pacing since school algebra is usually for 8th graders. Some good school systems will let 5th graders take algebra. But most do not, hence all the 5th graders enrolled in AoPS and RSM.

False. See https://www.fcps.edu/academics/graduation-requirements-and-course-planning/high-school-course-sequencing/mathematics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never seen someone keep it a secret- almost everyone I know (and I talk to a lot of parents) has their kid do some kind of academic enrichment or tutoring. It’s just part of the culture here combined with the fact that everyone is looking to accelerate their kids (chapter books in kindergarten, algebra in 6th grade, DE classes in high school). No matter how smart your child is they can’t do that without a lot of outside help.

The more interesting question is why are we in such a rush (my eldest was taking math classes in HS that my engineer brother was taking in his Junior year of college). We’re all locked in a weird arms race.

Is that because the school sucks? Ours does algebra in sixth grade, for example. So why would we need outside help? Tutors are foreign to me and I’ve never heard of anyone doing kumon or similar so I’m just unaware of all of this.

Thank you for the common sense people finally coming in. Your child is advanced in math and does well. Can you imagine rushing him to Russian Math or whatever right after school for no logical reason?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never seen someone keep it a secret- almost everyone I know (and I talk to a lot of parents) has their kid do some kind of academic enrichment or tutoring. It’s just part of the culture here combined with the fact that everyone is looking to accelerate their kids (chapter books in kindergarten, algebra in 6th grade, DE classes in high school). No matter how smart your child is they can’t do that without a lot of outside help.

The more interesting question is why are we in such a rush (my eldest was taking math classes in HS that my engineer brother was taking in his Junior year of college). We’re all locked in a weird arms race.

Is that because the school sucks? Ours does algebra in sixth grade, for example. So why would we need outside help? Tutors are foreign to me and I’ve never heard of anyone doing kumon or similar so I’m just unaware of all of this.

Most of the time that is exactly the issue. I know of very few people who use tutors or outside supplemental classes because their children ar dumb. People are doing this because their children are smart and not being stimulated enough at school. Kumon, AoPS, RSM are largely for acceleration, not catching up.

Enrichment does help students in poorly performing schools. Most students just don’t need it. And your gross ignorance shows when referring to students as smart or dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never seen someone keep it a secret- almost everyone I know (and I talk to a lot of parents) has their kid do some kind of academic enrichment or tutoring. It’s just part of the culture here combined with the fact that everyone is looking to accelerate their kids (chapter books in kindergarten, algebra in 6th grade, DE classes in high school). No matter how smart your child is they can’t do that without a lot of outside help.

The more interesting question is why are we in such a rush (my eldest was taking math classes in HS that my engineer brother was taking in his Junior year of college). We’re all locked in a weird arms race.

Is that because the school sucks? Ours does algebra in sixth grade, for example. So why would we need outside help? Tutors are foreign to me and I’ve never heard of anyone doing kumon or similar so I’m just unaware of all of this.

Thank you for the common sense people finally coming in. Your child is advanced in math and does well. Can you imagine rushing him to Russian Math or whatever right after school for no logical reason?

Huh? RSM is enrichment, dingtard. You have no common sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never seen someone keep it a secret- almost everyone I know (and I talk to a lot of parents) has their kid do some kind of academic enrichment or tutoring. It’s just part of the culture here combined with the fact that everyone is looking to accelerate their kids (chapter books in kindergarten, algebra in 6th grade, DE classes in high school). No matter how smart your child is they can’t do that without a lot of outside help.

The more interesting question is why are we in such a rush (my eldest was taking math classes in HS that my engineer brother was taking in his Junior year of college). We’re all locked in a weird arms race.

No we aren’t. Those are some poorly educated parents if they think that pushing chapter books on 5 year olds makes any difference long term. Pushing math faster than necessary will guarantee that the slow but steady smart kids who followed the guidelines will be much more proficient than the ones who sped through the necessary basics.

I suspect you do not have older kids who are applying to college, internships or other competitive opportunities. Whether you like it or not your kids live in a competitive environment where opportunities from scholarships, top colleges, prestigious high schools to internships and sports teams are subject to fierce competition. I have never met a parent who seriously regrets doing too much. But I know a lot of parents who wish they had done more.

I do have older kids and middle school. We don’t need scholarships like a lot of people so there’s no worry there. I’m not worried about top colleges I’m hoping they find one that’s a right fit. As for sports I believe that just like IQ has some genetics involved so do sports. My family has a long history of successful athletes who even in today’s environment make varsity and college teams without private coaching or clubs.

I just wonder how many of you are trying to push your average athletic kids into top athletes. That’s a lot of stress. Same with trying to push a smart kid into academics years ahead of where he is. And there are plenty of parents who pushed too far and the outcome was disastrous.

Ok, so your kids are average and you seen no point in enriching them. Some people have exceptional kids and are looking to provide them with opportunities schools aren't giving them.

Realistically, exceptional kids must be an exception and therefore there must be necessarily very few of them.

Bright kids are not exceptional, they are just bright kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think some of the tutoring is parents outsourcing things parents used to do themselves. In this area, there is more money than time so it becomes an option.

If parents are doing workbooks or 1-on-1 lessons with their kids at home to get ahead, I would count that as outside enrichment. And there are still quite a few doing that. All the self-paced Beast Academy and AoPS products would not be selling like hot cakes if there were not tons of parents out there still willing to sit their kids down at the kitchen table and teach them some deeper math. Same with all the other school subjects.

I’m in a Beast Academy Facebook group and actually a lot of the parents posting are homeschool parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think some of the tutoring is parents outsourcing things parents used to do themselves. In this area, there is more money than time so it becomes an option.

If parents are doing workbooks or 1-on-1 lessons with their kids at home to get ahead, I would count that as outside enrichment. And there are still quite a few doing that. All the self-paced Beast Academy and AoPS products would not be selling like hot cakes if there were not tons of parents out there still willing to sit their kids down at the kitchen table and teach them some deeper math. Same with all the other school subjects.

I’m in a Beast Academy Facebook group and actually a lot of the parents posting are homeschool parents.

Gross

[Anonymous]

My son loves math and goes to a sub-par school. That’s reflected in MAP scores showing that most kids are below state averages, especially in math. I am not very good at math myself, so for the last 3 years have bought the Beast Academy workbooks and do them at home with him. We also started doing multiplication flash cards after I realized he didn’t know his math facts.

So this isn’t me trying to accelerate my kid, just trying to make up for gaps in the local public school.

[Anonymous]

The parents at my kids' elementary are much more likely to be paying for private athletics coaching than academic tutoring. I think a lot of them buy into the hype of our school and will regret it in a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The parents at my kids' elementary are much more likely to be paying for private athletics coaching than academic tutoring. I think a lot of them buy into the hype of our school and will regret it in a few years.

They are smart

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The parents at my kids' elementary are much more likely to be paying for private athletics coaching than academic tutoring. I think a lot of them buy into the hype of our school and will regret it in a few years.

They are smart

You haven't seen the "academics" at this school.