Not yet, but I'm going to build out a lot. I don't know if I can do it fast enough to teach all the kids who would benefit from having a teacher like me, but at the very least I'm going to get my skill and approach out into the hands of as many moms, dads, grandparents and microschoolers as I can in a way that makes sense for individual or small group learning rather than what I do in a classroom of 30+.
I would ask if you have spoken to any homeschool promoting groups for their feedback on how/why is it that homeschool kids are so much better learners overall?
I see it repeated everywhere that homeschoolers, even the UNschoolers, learn more and have better retention rates than public school. And it isn't as if we don't give our kids screen time sparingly, they do use computers to write longer essays, web design, graphic design, internet web research. Of course it is monitored and timed.
Maybe its because most homeschooling families I know, restricted screen use in the baby years? I have seen babies in strollers with faces smushed into their tablets or phones, zoned out little zombies. It both disgusts me that their parents care so little and breaks my heart for the same reason.
Getting back to my initial question, I ask because how can you help public school students learn when their ability to pay attention has been so thoroughly destroyed by excessive dopamine surges? It seems that the same skills of being patient and less distracted will be more difficult for them to catch up on.
Thank you for continually sounding the gong over this problem, because it may just end up worse before things can get better. I fear this generation of kids will have a much harder life as adults if we can't find some sort of change to help them.
I'm very much aware of the destruction of attentional focus due to screen use. Homeschoolers, because they are teaching on a much smaller scale, can be far more responsive and can fully supervise screen use. YOu guys cover more material and you can individualize the study not only through WHICH materials you choose but also HOW you approach the material. In addition, your teaching is already aligned to your child's schema (his prior knowledge) because you more or less know exactly what he knows, since you know him; so it's easier for you to tie new things to his existing knowledge.
You also can slow down and offer more support to a single student. There's very little opportunity for me to do that in a class of 30, at least not to individuate my responses to give each kid exactly what he needs, or at least try to.
There are SO MANY ways that what you are doing is more conducive to learning that I could go on and on. I definitely need a post about that. Oh wait, I can make this part of the first post in my upcoming series of tools for parents thinking about homeschooling or afterschooling. Thanks for this post; you helped me better support homeschoolers!
Totally agree with you. I've been homeschooling for 7 years and have seen how each of my kids have a range of needs. My eldest needs little to no direction to understand what's expected and to complete his work well. However, my youngest has ADHD and poor working memory. We repeat things over and over in various ways so he can retain, and we also slow down when he's not grasping a concept. He's shown huge improvements this past year because I see where he needs help and can address it right then. I also have the power to limit distraction and to allow him to sleep in so his brain functions better. I know homeschooling would be a hard choice for a lot of people, but in my experience it's been the most rewarding 7 years so far and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
That’s one of many reasons I landed on this path. Currently teaching my identical twin boys how to read. One is 100 pages ahead of the other one. I’ve been writing funny little stories using only the phonemes they know and tailored to their interests (cats, rocks, cowboys). The average kindergarten class out here has 26 kids in it! Now I see why balanced literacy gained so much traction.
Libs of Tik Toc.... I dunno, they seem pretty fricking stupid.....
Stupid or not, they bring receipts.
Yes!!
Don't get too excited. I might stink on ice at this. Hopefully, we can all work together to adjust my ideas to scale to home-based education.
Do you offer online classes? Similar to a book club style?
Not yet, but I'm going to build out a lot. I don't know if I can do it fast enough to teach all the kids who would benefit from having a teacher like me, but at the very least I'm going to get my skill and approach out into the hands of as many moms, dads, grandparents and microschoolers as I can in a way that makes sense for individual or small group learning rather than what I do in a classroom of 30+.
can’t wait!
I would ask if you have spoken to any homeschool promoting groups for their feedback on how/why is it that homeschool kids are so much better learners overall?
I see it repeated everywhere that homeschoolers, even the UNschoolers, learn more and have better retention rates than public school. And it isn't as if we don't give our kids screen time sparingly, they do use computers to write longer essays, web design, graphic design, internet web research. Of course it is monitored and timed.
Maybe its because most homeschooling families I know, restricted screen use in the baby years? I have seen babies in strollers with faces smushed into their tablets or phones, zoned out little zombies. It both disgusts me that their parents care so little and breaks my heart for the same reason.
Getting back to my initial question, I ask because how can you help public school students learn when their ability to pay attention has been so thoroughly destroyed by excessive dopamine surges? It seems that the same skills of being patient and less distracted will be more difficult for them to catch up on.
Thank you for continually sounding the gong over this problem, because it may just end up worse before things can get better. I fear this generation of kids will have a much harder life as adults if we can't find some sort of change to help them.
I'm very much aware of the destruction of attentional focus due to screen use. Homeschoolers, because they are teaching on a much smaller scale, can be far more responsive and can fully supervise screen use. YOu guys cover more material and you can individualize the study not only through WHICH materials you choose but also HOW you approach the material. In addition, your teaching is already aligned to your child's schema (his prior knowledge) because you more or less know exactly what he knows, since you know him; so it's easier for you to tie new things to his existing knowledge.
You also can slow down and offer more support to a single student. There's very little opportunity for me to do that in a class of 30, at least not to individuate my responses to give each kid exactly what he needs, or at least try to.
There are SO MANY ways that what you are doing is more conducive to learning that I could go on and on. I definitely need a post about that. Oh wait, I can make this part of the first post in my upcoming series of tools for parents thinking about homeschooling or afterschooling. Thanks for this post; you helped me better support homeschoolers!
Totally agree with you. I've been homeschooling for 7 years and have seen how each of my kids have a range of needs. My eldest needs little to no direction to understand what's expected and to complete his work well. However, my youngest has ADHD and poor working memory. We repeat things over and over in various ways so he can retain, and we also slow down when he's not grasping a concept. He's shown huge improvements this past year because I see where he needs help and can address it right then. I also have the power to limit distraction and to allow him to sleep in so his brain functions better. I know homeschooling would be a hard choice for a lot of people, but in my experience it's been the most rewarding 7 years so far and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I love reading comment like these. Thank you. ❤️❤️❤️
Yes, that seems to be the core issue: how to provide 1:1 attention when you need to multiply that by 30? An impossible task for one teacher!
Smaller class sizes would help, but it all falls back on the parents. The home life of the kids greatly determines their ability to succeed.
Happy to help!
That’s one of many reasons I landed on this path. Currently teaching my identical twin boys how to read. One is 100 pages ahead of the other one. I’ve been writing funny little stories using only the phonemes they know and tailored to their interests (cats, rocks, cowboys). The average kindergarten class out here has 26 kids in it! Now I see why balanced literacy gained so much traction.