If you're sending them public, don't bother.

Anonymous wrote:I'm not against supplementing but y'all are just making me so tired...

Hi, T.

Yes, we have a math tutor for our 4th grader. The math teacher suggested this, said most of the kids in the school had them and that was a major factor in how well the school performed.

A public ES in Bethesda.

Not exactly earth shattering news though, The Economist did an article on this phenomenon about 5 years ago...

I'm not against supplementing but y'all are just making me so tired...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. Never have. And at 16, 13 and 11, my kids are excelling. Not trying to brag, I'd never say that if it weren't anonymous. I am surprised when I hear friends say they were quizzing their children before a test or questioning why the teacher didn't give out a study guide. I honestly don't know when my kids have tests. I do have high expectations for them in school. It's not as if I don't care. I just haven't gotten involved in that way and it has worked well for us.

Are you in a good school pyramid? That makes a difference.

Not as much as you'd think. There are only so many hours in the day, and some subjects aren't even in the curriculum.

Anonymous wrote:No. Never have. And at 16, 13 and 11, my kids are excelling. Not trying to brag, I'd never say that if it weren't anonymous. I am surprised when I hear friends say they were quizzing their children before a test or questioning why the teacher didn't give out a study guide. I honestly don't know when my kids have tests. I do have high expectations for them in school. It's not as if I don't care. I just haven't gotten involved in that way and it has worked well for us.

I don't think OP meant helping them study schoolwork, but more rounding out their education. Have your kids honestly never done any sports, language or music outside of school? They may be excelling in whatever they're doing, and I'm happy for them, but to be truthful, they have missed out on so much.

Necessary, No. I think my kid would be fine either way. But I do supplement, because I do think it is beneficial.

As most people have answered, much of my "supplementing" would be considered standard practice. Reading, going to museums, trying to expose child to lots of different experiences, further delving into a subject that has sparked interest, etc. I do try to be deliberate, choosing books that are classics to read aloud or visiting museums on a wide rotation- not just favorites.

I also always have "Mama Work" available for kids. If they bring no homework home, I give them a couple of sheets of "Mama Work." Ten minutes tops- unless they want more. It is usually supplemental practice to what they are learning, but I sometimes give them a small writing prompt. I do this because I think it is good to be in a habit of doing homework... its not a huge investment of time but it keeps them actively practicing a skill. Plus, I always sit with them when they are doing it, and go over it with them.. so it keeps me up to date on their progress.

Finally, we do supplement with religious education... which, if you want your child to have religious education... is necessary.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think we all agree on what supplementing is. I would define it as Kumon, doing math workbooks or assigning them extra homework every day, having a tutor, etc. I would not include going on educational trips and going to the library.

We don't. I supplement by choosing books, poetry, music, etc. to expose my child to. In a structured way. Like comparing Whitman's "I Hear America Singing" to Langston Hughes's answer: "I, Too, Sing America." And talking about it.

I supplement by doing Tinker kits together with him. Science stuff. Coding. Keyboarding. Art history. Music lessons. Good movies, plays, musicals.

And this may be par for the course for most parents here. It wasn't how I grew up. And it isn't how my brother is raising his kids. He thinks school covers everything an American kid needs to know and the only extracurriculars are sports. what I do is supplementing. Kumon, to me, would be more like tutoring to improve deficient skill sets. I have done additional work like IXL to help get my kid up to snuff. But never to push beyond grade level.

I don't think we all agree on what supplementing is. I would define it as Kumon, doing math workbooks or assigning them extra homework every day, having a tutor, etc. I would not include going on educational trips and going to the library.

I honestly think my child would have learned more if he had never gone to school at all. He is still recovering from a horrific kinder year, and hates school so much that he just doesn't want to learn. Before kindergarten, he was reading and loved learning.

I don't but I also didn't prep for the SAT growing up either

That might be the only thing I might pay for them/do depending on what scores my kids get

Of course I do. Whether by reading to them or having them read to me; exposing them to concepts that are years away, like science or government (structure, not ideology), history, art... Yes, of course.

Anonymous wrote:I supplement experience type things. My attitude is not that school provides all education. I don't think our public school is deficient, I just want to and like to do things outside of school.

This. We sometimes try to match an experience to what's being covered in school, like a museum trip related to what they are learning about in history. And we all read a lot, so we'll check out or buy books on school-related topics to provide deeper coverage or a variety of viewpoints on an issue. And just reading in general, as well as watching documentaries, including something education-related on vacations, etc. Tutoring just for the hell of it, no. Tutoring to address specific issues, sure.

Would people be willing to identify what school system they're in? It seems it would be helpful to know if people from County A find supplementing necessary, while people from County B see no need.

My parents supplemented my education when I was a kid, so of course I'll do the same. Math is the primary focus, as math seems to be very poorly taught in this country.