Comments on: Levels of Maturity

By: 10 Qualities of Successful Teachers

10 Qualities of Successful Teachers — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 20:27:56 +0000

[...] You can’t effectively teach every kid using the same technique. You’ll have to know your students (organization) and know the best way to teach each one so that when one asks a question you can [...]

By: fitness girl

fitness girl — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:51:36 +0000

Yes Keith I agree with you. To send kids into school isn’t a factor or a huge factor of their character build up. I always believe that parents nurture is more important than in school.

By: Crime, Punishment, Redemption and Lessons Learned

Crime, Punishment, Redemption and Lessons Learned — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 20:12:37 +0000

[...] of the time my boys do wrong because they lack maturity or a compelling reason to act mature, not malice. My job then is to first give them a good speech [...]

By: Home Alone: What is the Right Age?

Home Alone: What is the Right Age? — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:21:16 +0000

[...] 7 year old is, in a lot of ways, less mature than my 5 year old. It isn’t age; it’s maturity. That being said though, I’ve never seen a 7 year old who’s able to be left alone. [...]

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:40:16 +0000

I laughed at those old Saved By the Bell pictures. That show was classic!

I’m curious…do you think you’ll homeschool your boys through middle school and high school…or are you just taking it one year at a time?
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..8 Things I Love About Working From Home =-.

By: Keith

Keith — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:25:36 +0000

I think we are coming to a critical breaking point in education, both in Canada & the United States.

We have thousands of kids sitting in our classrooms who see no point in being there. The “group think” on this is that if we could only meet individual needs you would get an inspired and motivated learner. In many cases this is true but in reality “we” as a society and parents have endorsed this apathy by creating a misguided belief that the lifestyle we provide for them, will go on forever.

I teach kids who are 16 & 17 years of age who have never been told that they will at some point, in the very near future, have to leave and fend for themselves. I have kids who genuinely feel that mom and dad will provide for them through adulthood. They feel that it is their right to feed off their parents for as long as they want.

I am sure when you were kids, you knew why you were going to school,… Because the gravy train would stop shortly after graduation. This in itself was motivation to get through but it seems that the age old “leaving the nest” requirement of growing up is missing from the set of societal expectations which use to drive kids to succeed and move on.

JMHO
.-= Keith ´s last blog ..Just Say No (Part 5) =-.

By: Keith

Keith — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 06:21:37 +0000

Joan, I think schools could do a little better than they currently are. however, I don’t think they have the capacity to cater to every learning style. It’s just too much to ask. In boulder they still have many of those specialized programs you mention, and they do have success with them. However, there are still too many kids who slip though the cracks. It’s a bureaucratic system. It is antithetical to their mission to cater to individuals. And, that’s exactly why you and I are homeschooling. Not like our kids couldn’t get good educations in a public school, it’s just that we like to have more control over their direction. I think that’s reasonable.

By: Keith

Keith — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 06:12:26 +0000

Thanks Keith. I think you make a good point about self paced education being only as good as the kids motivation level. I’ve seen that with my own kids. One of them needs me constantly over his shoulder while the other can be left almost totally alone and still get his work done.

By: Keith Rispin

Keith Rispin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:01:25 +0000

Hey Keith,

Nice post as usual.

I am leaving a comment for Joan more than anything.

Joan, in many ways you are right. Self paced education is GREAT but as an online educator I can tell you that it is not quite as simple as you might think.

Online education is GREAT but only if the kid is willing to put in the time and effort. In addition, parents have to be on top of what their kids are doing in order to make it work.

I fail far more kids in my online courses than my in seat classes. This is because most kids need guidance and babysitting. If they are not getting it at home or are incredibly self driven, you can forget about them being successful in an online course.

By: Joan

Joan — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 09:11:59 +0000

This is why I believe institutional schools would best be served by developing an individually paced curricula for basic subject areas. In the computerized era in which we live, there is no reason they can’t do this. In reality, they could do much more to cater to individual learning styles and maturity levels because they did do that when we were in school. Remember the SRA reading and math labs? Remember the “magnet” classrooms? Remember doing actual phonics? Remember when we had a “real” recess with no electronics on the playground? Of course I am older than you so your experience may have been a bit different.

One size definitely does not fit all, which is one of the primary reasons I have homeschooled for 15 years now. (since my youngest turned 4)

Thank you for this very thoughtful post.
.-= Joan´s last blog ..A Misbehaving Child is a Discouraged Child =-.

By: BigLittleWolf

BigLittleWolf — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:55:47 +0000

Wonderfully stated. A complex subject, and no one right answer. .-= BigLittleWolf´s last blog ..Thanks! WE Magazine 101 Women Bloggers to Watch! =-.