The very foundation of an education needs to start with reading and writing. Reading gives a student the ability to receive more information. Writing well helps a student to process and master the information. Arithmetic teaches logic and gives a student the vocabulary to dealing with quantities.
Then what comes next? There is an almost infinite number of possibilities. With so many options you have to pick and choose those which are of greater worth. As parents we need to find a balance. I love history. My daughters are learning history, but neither they, nor me, will have time enought to read all the history books written.
What do you teach next?
Barbara Frank thinks one of the next courses we should teach children is Living Within Your Means. Janine and I give our daughters an allowance and have them learn to make choices. At five years old they were learning that money is a limited resouce. They are learning to make tradeoffs. Barbara's post is worth reading.
Another thing Janine and I are trying to our daughters develop is a strong character. I think of this quote by Calvin Coolidge:
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination are omnipotent.
The slogan press on has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
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2 comments:
What? No science? :P
I think foreign languages are helpful for younger children (studies show it's difficult to pick them up during the teenage years).
For me, I'm passionate about teaching children/teens to better "read" and analyze the visual media that they encounter (film/television/internet) since our society is so media-rich (media-saturated?) now. Not just so that they can be aware when they're being manipulated, but so that they can appreciate it on a deeper level and enjoy non-traditional media forms too (documentaries, silent films, foreign films).
P.S. I've been reading your blog for several months, just haven't commented much until recently.
I agree that science and foreign languages are important. There are a lot of worth while subects. I love history. I think everyone should have a foundation in economics. I want my daughters to be well read and be able to speak well.
I think part of being well rounded is to have exposure to a variety of topics or areas.
Part of my hope is our daughters will find subjects they get excited about. I figure the more they learn about, the more likely it will be that they will find a topic that fascinates them.
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