I LOVED SEEING the EXCITEMENT in ELI’S EYES!

Eli Shows Gaga His Chromebook!

Old School

I certainly have strong opinions about education after being an educator and parent.  When I first meet new families moving to the area, they often ask me, “Which school districts are the best?”  My standard answer is that your children will do well in most school districts if you model that you value education, do not enable them by doing their work and/or solving all their problems, and you have appropriate expectations for their achievement.  I provide tours to school districts they ask to visit.  I love those visits as I can see what is happening in today’s classroom.   I see more practice for tests, pressure to do well on tests, and less excitement related to learning to solve problems, to apply and integrate knowledge, and to connect with the world today.  

Screen Time

Now I do have some questions about screen time.  Children are limited but parents are glued to their phones in restaurants.  Many excellent teachers can compete with most “screen time” any day and actually learn how to best guide a each student. But then again tomorrow’s workforce does need to be competent with the use of technology.  Oh dear, I did say workforce.

excitement in First Grade!!!!!!

Eli was so excited to show me his Chromebook and what he was learning.  I must say via Facetime.  He proceeded to show me that he was learning prefixes.  FIRST GRADER...EXCITED...PREFIXES???  Through a cartoon with animals proceeding through a wall and another cartoon that showed they had to stop he learned the difference between stoppable and unstoppable.  He proceeded to show me his math problems.  No flashcards but what I call story problems with cartoons.