Best parenting & family books according to redditors
We found 113 Reddit comments discussing the best parenting & family books. We ranked the 45 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 113 Reddit comments discussing the best parenting & family books. We ranked the 45 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
I did a FBA (functional behavior assessment) on a second grader with emotional impairment. When I asked him the question "Who at school likes me" he couldn't answer and wouldn't stop staring at the floor. When I told him that I liked him, he started crying.
EDIT: Holy cow this blew up. If you are interested in emotional impairment in schools, I would recommend the book Lost at School. Its very interesting.
I don't think you are too unusual. Most schools today are pretty awful from a social standpoint (bullying, drugs, violence, etc.) and often mediocre at best from an academic standpoint.
Unschooling is just one way to homeschool. I'd suggest reading The Well-Trained Mind and see how that inspires you.
Agreed. Once upon a time, science and philosophy were much more closely related than they are today. We are polarizing individual aspects of the arts, which has done more to create robotic thinkers than open minded learners. Homeschooling is a great first step to breaking his daughter out of the conveyer belt thinking process, and introducing her to every aspect of the world of education, even religion, and allowing her to pursue those subjects that interest her most. This will feed her curiosity and allow her to become her own person in the long run. Pushing her toward Atheist thinking is as dangerous as pushing her toward religious thinking, if the goal is to allow her to choose her own path and ideas, and truly become an individual thinker. If her religious upbringing by her mom is more restrictive, and you create an open environment that is truly open to all possibilities, she will be a great leader.
But it starts with you, the parent. If all you are doing is teaching her things in direct opposition to the mom, then this is petty and not in your daughter's best interest, nor will it draw her toward your way of thinking, it will repel it. If your goal is to have her think like you do, then, again, you are not really raising a "free thinker" are you? So start with your own education, your own style and teaching philosophy. Here are some great books to give different and honest perspectives. Do what works for you.
Enjoy the journey!
*Edited for formatting.
This is down to the teacher's classroom management skills (or lack thereof). Punishing a 4 year old at home is not going to magically fix things that are happening in the classroom, particularly when you're dealing with a child who has some out-of-the-ordinary challenges to overcome.
Talk to the teacher, find out what the specific problems are, and help her to find ways to address them in the classroom. (You might find Lost at School interesting.)
It massively depends on the specific book you're reading. You don't read the classics and return them to the library. With something like Crime and Punishment, or Faust, or Moby Dick, or anything on this list, you need to be able to mark up the book with notes during a first read through, so that you're better able to absorb and understand and critique the book during the second, longer reading. (A great book on reading: https://www.amazon.com/Well-Trained-Mind-Classical-Education-Fourth/dp/0393253627/ref=dp_ob_title_bk )
If you're reading for pleasure, or if the subject matter isn't as complex as Moby Dick, the library is fine. And, in that case, you're completely correct. I love Le Carre, but I can't imagine buying one of his books. The same goes for cook books--I take them out from the library, copy the recipes I like, and bring them back.
I think that you should only buy a book if you're definitely going to read it and mark it up.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Books_of_the_Western_World
Hi OP. Former homeschool parent here. Let me assure you, you aren't out of time. You actually have quite a lot of options. The thing I know about A.C.E. is it isn't rigorous. You can quickly regurgitate questions as necessary to keep your parents happy. That's good news because it gives you time to catch up on curriculum necessities as well as delve into topics of interest that will make you stand out to colleges when you do apply.
I'm going to throw out a bunch of ideas, starting with a few books you can look for in your local library (look for library exchanges for more options). The first is the Well Trained Mind. It's reading heavy so if you like reading, this will be a good guide for that (just don't think you're supposed to do everything suggested - it's like homeschooling on steroids and meant to be a guide to pick and choose). The author hosts a homeschool forum that is free to join (here). While there are a lot of bible thumpers there, a lot are not. Also, there are a lot of people which increases your chances of finding someone who is very familiar with a topic of interest for you, be it astronomy, snakes, Lord of the Rings, etc.
Another book I would recommend looking through is called Guerilla Learning. It's a bit optimistic, not gonna lie, but you might find some ways of accessing academic or unusual skills in ways that appeal to you and you can do in your spare time. This is also good for developing a unique skill or craft or hobby to appeal to colleges. To this end, look for colleges that have separate applications for home educated students. You might get some good ideas seeing what others have done. Keep in mind they show off the most impressive people, so don't think you have to create a series of chainmail outfits for the local SCA in order to catch someone's attention!
Khan Academy is kind of the state of the art online resource for academic subjects. Each video is short and explains one concept clearly and concisely. I think it's a great resource for catching up or getting to understand subjects you don't feel confident in. You can also look at your state's public school curriculum scope and sequence guide to know what subjects you should be familiar with. Again, don't get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of subjects. Home education is about doing things your way, and standing out.
Look at community colleges and high school continuing ed and libraries in your area. Many of them offer general ed classes, some offer GED classes. Many community colleges offer classes to high school students. You might also do a search for homeschool classes in your area. For example, some of my kids took accredited science labs from a licensed educator. I recognize these would require your parent's approval.
Lastly, if you cannot do these things while you're in school, I would encourage you to develop a skill you can learn at home that will give you an income sufficient to living independently once you're 18 (if not sooner, if you can work that out). Find a skill you can convince your parents god is putting in your heart, and by the time you're 18 you should be able to be working full time or close to it (working in restaurant, sewing, woodworking, blacksmith, programing, etc). Save your money in a bank account your parents do not know about or they may remove money thinking it's in your best interest. Once you've saved up some money and are living independently, look to your community college to catch up. Don't fall for the old story that you have to be enrolled in college by the time you're 18. That's increasingly falling by the wayside, and for good reason. I've known people who have taken one or two classes per semester, as they can afford it, and people who have found alternative work, and people who worked for decades before taking college classes. People find what works for them.
I would suggest you take this semester to make a plan. Allow yourself these next few months to do the research necessary, figure out how much you can learn on your own, how much you can do from home and what you have to do outside home. Just take this time to learn. Think of it as a recon mission. Just gather information. Slowly but surely you'll discover what's going to work best for you.
Good luck friend. I think you got this. I believe in you.
Edit: Oh duh! I just remembered a resource that is probably much better suited for you! Recovering from Religion will have much more information and people who have been right where you are. I would start there. You're not alone.
You've already made the first step, deciding to homeschool / unschool. I'm very proud that my children have never spent a day in government indoctrination centers.
Start looking up the homeschooling laws in your state now. If your state laws are tough on homeschooling, then start planning a move to a homeschool friendly state now, I would suggest New Hampshire!
Find a local homeschool group to be involved in. If you're religious, the options are pretty good. If not, it is tougher to find a secular group in some areas (like the Memphis area we used to live in). The support and friendships in these kinds of groups are a big help.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that homeschooling is one sacrifice after another. We sacrifice my wife's salary, which would be substantial. We sacrifice the benefit of our tax dollars going to schools for other children. We sacrifice paying money on events and stuff we would get for free if our kids were in the system. But, the sacrifices are worth every penny.
Also, this book was a big help to my wife: https://www.amazon.com/Children-Learn-Classics-Child-Development/dp/0201484048/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473526899&sr=8-2&keywords=john%20holt%20unschooling
Whether or not you're going all the way to homeschooling or finding alternatives such as Montessori or Waldorf, here's my two cents as well. Read up on it. I'll probably come off as bit of an ass, but it's your kid, what more relevance do you need to find and buy lots and lots of manuals(so to speak). Kids're pretty complicated, or so I've heard.
I'm not an expert, but I have a few titles I'll promptly lay on whatever friend of mine starts to procreate first. In my opinion these aren't 'crazy' books, and I sincerely hope you'll take them seriously.
How Children Learn
How Children Fail
Punished By Rewards
The Homework Myth
John Taylor Gatto has written some stuff as well, but Google can find that for you. Read and read more. I couldn't begin to describe my time in the famous twelve years without plenty of cussing.
Take an interest, is my advice.
Family Math is one of three books in a series (that also includes a younger years book and a middle school book) that is little more than games. They cover everything from simple counting and number recognition to word problems, logical thinking, measurement, geometry, spatial thinking, probability, statistics, estimation, arithmetic, and simple algebra. Used it will cost $5 shipped, and they are great at keeping kids entertained and engaged in math. I play some of the games with a 2-year-old, and some with my 5-year-old, and it's fun even when they don't really understand the games. If it's not enough, get the one for middle school grades and use that instead. These books keep it light and fun, which is really where you want to be with a child so far ahead of the curve.
>for the next three years until school can help me help him, Hopefully?
What kind of school are you looking at for him? The average public or private school is going to sit him in a class of his chronological peers and bore him to death. They can't place him in a higher grade level without him being capable across the board, and even then they will be hesitant to move him too much farther than he should be.
Your son is 3, but his ability to count to 1000, count by 1s/5s/10s, and the rest place him firmly at a post-kindergarten level of math skills. He's special, and that's awesome. There's always a chance that his ability and drive will sort of wane if he loses interest, and his level will regress down to what is normal for his age, but if not then he really needs to not be left to a classroom setting that is almost guaranteed to not be good for him.
>I don't know what skills come next to start introducing to him.
Another excellent choice at this age is Cuisenaire Rods (that's just the workbook - you would need to find rods as well). They can be used to teach number recognition, geometry, symmetry, number lines, and even algebra. They are extremely flexible as a math learning tool. And they keep kids engaged in physical manipulation of math concepts, which is great.
> Where do you get the idea that employing a Peace Corp Volunteer takes a job away from a Host Country National?
I just thought it'd be better to educate English teachers, since then you'd be helping out adults that can then continue your work once you're gone. 1 PC teaching 30 teachers means that those 30 teachers can then go teach 900 students, instead of 1 PC just teaching 30 students. But if their isn't anyone around to become teachers, then it looks like MZ does have a problem.
> Besides, with both sides forcing adults into employment, there was no one left to teach.
What about teaching MZ students about /r/unschool? Here are some books that I highly recommend: What Smart Students Know , Study Smarter Not Harder , The Unschooling Handbook , The Unschooling Unmanual , and Unschooling Rules.
> I'll spare you the statistics, but feel free to do some research into literacy and overall education in MOZ.
Yup, you're right.
I usually question everything, especially with regards to activities that our Government engages in here and abroad, since I just don't trust the bastards. But it sure does sound like Mozambique needs more help than I thought, initially, and I'm glad you and lenaurora are going to do it in whatever way you can. I'll delete my previous negative comments, don't want those sticking around.
Cheers and good luck mates! Make sure you update Reddit so we know if there's any other ways in which we can help.
The fact that people are downplaying your experience is sad. No, it's obviously not a literal prison, but the fact is that you didn't commit a crime to have to be there, and the years you spend in highschool should be the best of your life, it should be your basic right to not be treated like shit by every adult in the institution just because you are where you're told you're supposed to be. If you or your friends are finding it difficult check out this book.
I'm in the middle of a good book that talks about how much of school is more about training conformity and obedience than about creating properly trained critical thinkers.
Mindless application of the rules in a situation like this seems like a great example of that kind of approach. I read this situation like a good teacher being pushed out for political reasons.
The idea that forcing our youth into these prisons until they are 18, because we have deemed them unable to be of use society until then is ridiculous. Don't misinterpret me, education is extremely important, mandatory schooling just isn't the way to go about it. I'd recommend reading this.
Consider unschooling, too! I was unschooled, though my parents didn't realize that's exactly what they were doing. I enjoyed learning on my own VERY much growing up (and I still do).
A great starting place to learn more about home/unschooling is The Teenage Liberation Handbook (amazon) by Grace Llewellyn.
The Teenage Liberation Handbook
After a bunch of looking at all of our books, I think the single most helpful reference is a book called the Well Trained Mind.
Once you read it you will be overwhelmed....it's that sort of book. Just don't obsess about it, and find the resources that will work for you. We've maybe completed 60% of what it dictates each year.
Oh, and feel free to pm me with any questions, anytime.
Hey, not sure if this helps much, but I thought I could share. I have been out of school since I was 6. I have hippie type parents, so they never requiered any formal schoolwork from me. I do get questioned frequently about it. I usually just try to explain that I spend my time on things I'm actually interested in. (Like programming, screenwriting, etc.) I have health problems too, and I spend a lot of time researching and trying new treatments.
My Mum dropped out of high school in the beginning of her senior year, got her GED, and majored in anthropology. Sometimes dropping out is your best option.
Anyway here's the link to a fantastic book on dropping out, learning on your own, finding work, college, and more. (I think the pdf is available online for free.)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Teenage-Liberation-Handbook-Education/dp/0962959170
Good luck with whatever you decide!
See if you can get a copy of http://www.amazon.com/The-Teenage-Liberation-Handbook-Education/dp/0962959170
(Googling for the book title + "PDF" or "download" may be fruitful)
I'd love to hear your wife's perspective on all of this, because i wonder if you're having some big miscommunication.
If she knows this is something you're doing just for her, and not so much for your own kinks, she may have a lot of mixed up feelings, although you mention a lot of these behaviors existed before implementing the formal power exchange element?
Take some time to really sit and talk when you're both calm. She's allowed to have feelings, you both need to know that, but you need to work together to find out where the anger is coming from. Is she upset you're enforcing the rules? Does she not feel the rules are acceptable? Does she feel the rules are not enough, or don't hit the buttons she was hoping for? Is she angry at herself for messing up? Does she feel like you're only enforcing the rules some of the time or doing so in an unfair way? Does she just not respect your authority?
A common mistake some folks make is wanting to be 'made' to do things, and will act defiantly until 'forced' to submit. This works when properly negotiated and made clear to both parties, but if she's playing that card and you're not into it - it's an obvious conflict.
Do you have a set ritual for punishment? Is it clear that once she has been punished for something the issue is finished on both sides? Would it help for her to state why she is being punished? For her to state what the punishment should be?
Obviously any behaviors she's held for most of her life take time to un-learn, and you can be supportive there. Are there warning signs that she's going to get upset? Are there possible cues you both can use to indicate she's approaching the line of disrespect? Does she have any intention of being respectful?
Stepping out of the dynamic for your own mental health was a good thing. You're allowed to do that. You are allowed to have limits, you're allowed to withdraw consent. You're also allowed to say - Hey, if you want this type of dynamic, i need you to not behave in this manner. A well respected member of our local discussion group has a partner who gets very emotional at times. He's set a clear boundary - there's no interaction until the submissive is calm and respectful again. Sometimes it takes 5 minutes, sometimes 5 hours.
Does she have any support system in place for her submission? Does she spend time with other folks who do this full time (ideally folks who are experienced and do this in real life)? If she's getting her ideas from fiction, that can be a real issue. Living this stuff is not like porn. It might be worthwhile to look at some books like Erotic Slavehood: A Miss Abernathy Omnibus, The Path of Service, or The Submissive Activity Book. The last two are workbooks which are meant to help a submissive identify their interests, role models, and intentions in submission, however they can be used with a dominant partner.
He sounds so much like me at his age! I've dubbed the problem of unschoolable creative kids "Artist's Syndrome." I'm not sure what you can do for him short of homeschooling, but you might want to check out the John Taylor Gatto books on schooling bright kids when you have a chance (Dumbing Us Down is a great one). You might also look into some alternative online schools as well (K12, etc), because it sounds like he is miserably depressed in the one he is in. Par for the course with Artist's Syndrome.
Kudos to you for handling all this at 19!
I have a question for you guys - what on earth are you still doing in the gulag of "public schools" (government prisons)? I remember my experience, and it sounds like things have only gotten worse since I graduated ~a decade ago. If I knew then what you guys know now, there is no way I would set another foot inside those perverted halls of ridicule, scorn, bullying, violence, indoctrination, and suffering. They are stealing your childhood, and you are letting them!
Sorry, look, I know what it's like to be beaten down your entire life by these monsters, but you have insight into a truth that sets you apart from 99.9% of your peers. I'm honestly curious, what is preventing you from simply saying to your parents, look, I'm done with it? If you are familiar with and can articulate the arguments of, say, Gatto or Molyneux, are the people who control your life so closed to the truth, or to alternatives to your "education"? If so, what is preventing you from walking away from them as well? I just don't get why you aren't devoting 100% of your excess time/energy to extricating yourselves from these monstrous institutions that do you irreparable harm. If it's a lack of resources (time/money/food/shelter), is this something that we as a community should be stepping up and responding to?
I think I found it in this opinion piece written by the author of Mindset:
> Boys also learn to cope with criticism through sheer volume. Teachers call out boys eight times more often than girls. Boys are more likely to misbehave, be messy and speak out of turn. Girls, by contrast, are more compliant, so when they are criticized it feels more serious.
I may have a few of the details wrong (such as 8x vs 10x), but I think the general idea remains true.
I can tell you how I think we get there, but I don't think we can know exactly what it'll look like.
I think we need to listen to more educators like this man (excuse the hokeyness of the video, it really is quite interesting and informative, and I suggest watching at 1.5x speed) who says we need a drastic overhaul of the education system in America, because we're being dumbed down.
Everyone alive today was born in the era of propaganda, so frankly we're already corrupted. We need to take that into account when we look at psychological studies -- everyone we test has been exposed to our society since birth, so their behaviors aren't necessarily indicative of humans by default.
In the video I linked above, Gatto says that the first requirement of elite private schools is to make certain that kids have a firm understanding of human nature before graduating. I think that this is necessary to teach all humans -- we have to know how we work! If certain people have a much better grasp on how humans work than others, they have enormous advantages. We need to even the playing field and give everyone the knowledge they need to protect their minds.
I also think we need to remove intellectual property law entirely. Humans deserve the knowledge collected by our predecessors. Information is power, and people are hoarding it for themselves when it could be used to better humanity.
Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher's Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0865716692
This might not quite be your speed, but How Children Fail and How Children Learn by John Holt both have had a profound influence on my career choices and approach as a teacher.
Also, while technically a parenting book, How to Talk so Kids Will Listen, and Listen so Kids Will Talk is the backbone of my classroom management approach.
You've gotta move past the nerves. Look at nerves as pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and remind yourself you've got this!
Go in with a confident mainframe such as you're seeing If there a match for how awesome you are.
That alone takes the rejection scary factor out of the equation.
I seriously recommend getting this book from Amazon I've just finished which is paying dividends already :) (I've also spoken to the author for 2 hours to suss him out if it's a crock of shit or not.. it isn't)
This book is going to help destroy those issues in your head going forward and give you so much confidence if your committed to making the changes.
Link
https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Attraction-Blueprint-Intelligent-Manipulative-ebook/dp/B01F8IYT50/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=the+natural+attraction+blueprint&qid=1567933911&s=gateway&sr=8-1
To summarise
All the best
You need this book: https://www.amazon.com/Teenage-Liberation-Handbook-School-Education/dp/0962959170
My daughter's 12 and also desiring to be an artist, and I worry about her creativity getting crushed by some jerks. Don't give up to the assholes!
Books on the subject:
In the slums of India, homeschooled education outdoes the private education
The Beautiful Tree
(http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Tree-Personal-Educating-Themselves/dp/1933995920)
Literacy rates went down since public education was introduced and much much more (written by an award winning teacher who left the system)
Weapons of Mass Instruction
http://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Mass-Instruction-Schoolteachers-Compulsory/dp/0865716315
http://www.sonorannews.com/archives/2010/100707/commnews_homeschool.html
Here is the difference we see in our homeschool:
Class size: Most teachers I've talked to say the ideal class size is about 6 kids. That's the maximum we allow in our homeschool (mini-school, as we take in neighbor kids at times). With 6 kids, they all get independent attention.
Curriculum: Instead of a massive one-size fits all, we can tailor the message to each student. One kid loves dance, so she gets math problems related to dancing. Another loves car engines, so they get car engine math. Both care about math.
The big one everyone will bring up: Socialization
I know this may be hard to believe, but we don't lock our students in the basement and teach them about jezzus all day and the evils of evolution. We do co-ops with many other families in the area. Other home schooled kids are used to being treated like adults and making decisions. The result, my kids have never yet had their heads flushed in a toilet. They don't struggle with making friends, and they look at bullies as bizarre and rare things that they can walk away from.
How socialized are the kids in school really? They only interact with kids in their grade (home school kids often learn along side teenagers and little kids and see that everyone has valid opinions. My kids don't discriminate based on age with who they play with in the neighborhood, making them popular).
Time benefits: We don't have to wait in lines, fold our arms and put our heads on our desks while each child brings their test up to the front. The result is that we can teach in 4 hours what regular school does in 8.
Field trips: Public schools can only afford about one or two a year. We do one or two a month. Including private interviews with restaurant owners, ballet dancers, and leads in plays. The Zoo specially arranged so my daughter could see the cougars fed (she loves cougars).
Hall-Pass: My kids can make up their own minds when they go potty, and no one stops them. The concept that an adult would remove your right to a basic biological function is just bizarre to them.
The only real problem with private schooling is a parent needs to stay home and want to teach, but as long as you have that, there is no reason in the world that kids couldn't learn way more with a little support than in a false, forced environment where conformity and factory-like working conditions are the norm.
I understand not everyone has the luxury to do this and that makes me sad, but the idea that public school is superior than a caring, attentive adult and a small class size is bizarre to me.
It is in the US, as I am still under the iron fist of the law.
This book will tell you just about everything you need to know.
Here's a PDF, but I'm not sure how old it is.
My son had a lot of emotional excitability at that age. He just entered 4th grade and is doing much better. My thought is it's probably the asynchronous development of the brain. Have you read Emotional Intensity in Gifted Student? Helped us ALOT!
Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students: Helping Kids Cope with Explosive Feelings https://www.amazon.com/dp/1618214578/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_FqGzDbXWF1V6R
Congratulations on getting in on the ground floor so young - I had absolutely no political interest until I was around 21 and learned about libertarianism, but it would have made a significant difference in my life if I had learned about it earlier. Especially since I lived in the same town as Harry Browne, who is often considered to be the best Libertarian presidential nominee (twice nominated, actually) ever.
If I could recommend one thing you do, read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It's a life changing book. If you look around the world to you and see that nothing makes sense and you want to know that you're not the only one who feels that way and you want some answers, Atlas Shrugged is for you. I called into a radio show one time and read my favorite quote from the book (I read a shortened version of the quote but the full text appears in the graphics here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnDTUF3_8Qg ). If you don't like reading, I understand perfectly - I HATED reading when I was a teenager: all the garbage is was force fed by the government schools made me associate reading books with agony. Schools don't encourage students to develop their own taste in literature, so if these stats are accurate (they actually seem on the conservative side to me), it shouldn't be surprising:
http://hotforwords.com/2011/04/11/42-of-people-who-graduate-from-college-never-read-another-book/
>1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.
42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.
80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.
Anyway, what I was getting to is that even if hate reading (and this is a VERY long book), you might find the audiobook version a lot easier to swallow:
http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-New-Ayn-Rand/dp/1433256193
The MP3 CD (4 discs) starts at $45 here. It lists the narrator as Scott Brick. He's a different narrator than the version I had listened to by Christopher Hurt. I haven't heard the Brick version, but if you can find the Christopher Hurt version I highly recommend it.
And since you're young, perhaps a good fit for you would be to find a nearby chapter of Young Americans for Liberty:
http://www.yaliberty.org/chapters
They mostly organize on college campuses but I bet they would be more than happy to have a high schooler join.
And while I'm on the topic of college, you're parents will probably try to railroad you into college. Don't let them. INSIST they present you with other options (such as learning a trade) so you can decide for yourself what you want to do. Better yet, research this stuff yourself - I haven't read it myself but the Teenage Liberation Handbook sounds like a great place to start: http://www.amazon.com/Teenage-Liberation-Handbook-School-Education/dp/0962959170/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322208726&sr=8-1
One more name I want to drop is Johnathan Taylor Gatto - he was a mulitple winner of NY teacher of the year at public schools and has since turned his back on the public school system and researched what it's really about. This 10 minute speech might wet your appetite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8cr0p9HaG8
How Children Learn by John Holt. It might change forever how she perceives and teaches her pupils.
Buy her The Teenage Liberation Handbook.
Quite the contrary.
Here are two great reads if you're interested on getting the "abolish the Dept. of Education" peoples take. It's not so much "screw them" as it is "we can give children a better education".
https://www.amazon.com/Dumbing-Down-Curriculum-Compulsory-Anniversary/dp/0865714487/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
https://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Mass-Instruction-Schoolteachers-Compulsory/dp/0865716692/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
yes.
He's a bit opinionated, something I feel stems from his deep involvement in the issue. Read him and find out.
His biggest book is available online.
Alfie Kohn might be of some interest as well.
Is he though? Much of it speaks true, but clearly that's not enough. Especially on reddit, and I'm not the one to argue for all of this, I've done enough of that and no one cares.
Oh, wait, I'll throw in some Chomsky.
If education interests you, you can't go wrong with How Children Fail, How Children Learn, or any of John Holt's later works. Truly inspiring.
The Lives of Children by George Dennison is also amazing.
I'm a part-time babysitter and I believe raising a child right can be one of the most revolutionary things one can do in this world. Two books I'd recommend
Unconditional Parenting Alfie Kohn is a radical in his field, I would pay no attention to almost any other book on parenting than this one.
And for when they're a little older: The Teenage Liberation Handbook This book is written towards teenagers, but i recommend you check it out too. Mostly about unschooling and general hierarchy challenges.
Oh god, I can very much relate to this. I was severely bullied as a child too. I strongly recommend homeschooling, especially unschooling. That's what I did since I was 16. It allowed me to learn a great deal in spite of my severe school phobia.
The book Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn
http://www.amazon.com/The-Teenage-Liberation-Handbook-Education/dp/0962959170/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395201857&sr=8-1&keywords=teenage+liberation+handbook
A couple of resources you may enjoy:
a) Exploding Dots--this is a model for thinking about place value that I really like. You could skip (or spend little time on) the 1<--2 machine and just start with the 1<--10 machine if you think that's better.
b) Family Math This book is super rad for finding ways to approach these early education topics in fun ways.
EDIT: And some manipulatives never hurt: Base 10 Blocks
Ok I think she wrote a second very small book. It's on kindle and it's about the moon lol. I would not have guessed that would be the subject
The Myth Of Moon & Pregnancy, An Informative Book https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072NHW8XF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_SwC-Ab8HGNWZ6
Have you heard of / read Weapons of Mass Instruction? I'd like to know you're opinion on it.
She is closer to my younger daughters age for penpal :) but i know my oldest would love pictures as well
You can do it. It seems a bit overwhelming at first cause it is unknown to me and so many options. Also wading through the options of secular and religious is very time consuming. Not sure if I want to buy a full curriculum or go the unschool route. We are in kindergarten this fall and she already knows 80% of what is expected for them to know here. So we are moving on to grade 1 stuff.
Just a tip if your teaching ABC's teach the sounds first. Before the names of the letters. This makes phonics a lot easier later on. Also the book teach your child to read in a 100 easy lessons is awesome!
This book is awesome as well and these are great for history
I find the hardest part at this age is finding a group. A lot of groups in my area are heavily religious or meant for 6+ years. Periodically someone will put together a pre school age one, which is lovely. In Toronto there was a huge group that met a few times a week. It is natural the community here is smaller. I can't wait till they are pre teen age. The University here has weekly science labs set up specific for home school kids. Get the run of a well set up lab. The same for the Museum. The University and the local vocational college as well has it set up so kids being home schooled can start attending at age 16, just general studies. But it's great that they don't have to worry about having the diploma. After a year or two in general studies they will be happy with those gpa's for whatever program they want to apply for.
HBD
Darwin’s Enemies on the Left and Right Part 1, Part 2 (Blog Post)*
The History and Geography of Human Genes (Abridged edition) – Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza
The 10,000 Year Explosion – Gregory Cochrane
Race, Evolution, and Behavior – Rushton
Why Race Matters – Michael Levin
****
Intelligence and Mind
The Bell Curve – Charles Murray
The Global Bell Curve – Richard Lynn
Human Intelligence – Earl Hunt
Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence – Robert Sternberg
A Conflict of Visions – Thomas Sowell
The Moral Animal – Robert Wright
The Blank Slate – Stephen Pinker
Egalitarianism as a Revolt Against Nature – Murray Rothbard (essay)
****
Education
Real Education – Charles Murray
Inside American Education – Thomas Sowell
Illiberal Education – Dinesh D’Sousa
God and Man at Yale – William Buckley
Weapons of Mass Instruction – John Taylor Gatto
The Higher Education Bubble – Glenn Reynolds
****
&#x200B;
book! by Chip Wood.
If you haven't read it yet, you might consider The Well-Trained Mind. It's view is that you should not do much too early -- you may kill off any love of learning before it has a chance to sprout.
I didn't really get the bit about water and words. Could anyone explain it?
Here's that placebo effect video they briefly showed bits of. It's really well done.
Also, that piece on education made me think of the book Weapons of Mass Instruction.
You might want to buy a book called Yardsticks by a fellow named (yes, his actual name) Chip Wood. Excellent overview of kids ages 4-14 but geard for teachers so it covers development and cognitive growth. I would advise you buy and read this book single parent or not.
I have noticed a great degree of emphasis on sports but I want to encourage you to consider why people have chosen to put that forward. Sports teach teamwork, discipline and the value of giving something your best for the greater good.
Read whatever you can get your hands on about it. :) Two of my favorites were The Unschooling Handbook (http://www.amazon.com/The-Unschooling-Handbook-Childs-Classroom/dp/0761512764/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1408927620&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+unschooling+handbook) and this How to Homeschool guide: http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool/how-to-homeschool.shtml
Good luck! :)
Arguing from authority will not convince me. Teachers can be some of the worst offenders in failing to understand how to constructively deal with frustrating child behavior. See this book.
I totally understand why and how it can be frustrating for teachers to deal with challenging behavior, and why the system doesn't do much for any of the parties involved.
Also, I am not taking a position as to exactly where OP's nephew falls on the spectrum of easy vs. challenging behavior. But just because many, or even most, children might struggle less with this does not make it okay to mistreat the one who is struggling.
As I say to my child, "Two wrongs make a..." (Incidentally, he never fails to complete the sentence for me, as he can't resist the cognitive dissonance in showing himself to be someone who ostensibly doesn't know an answer, so I walk him right into being more open to my message and cooperative with me, all without shaming or scolding. I would argue that the non-shaming approach CAUSES the cooperation, actually.)
If you're saying that 8yos never act out at all or struggle with certain rules, I call BS.
http://www.amazon.ca/Weapons-Mass-Instruction-John-Gatto/dp/0865716315
The Teenage Liberation Handbook
Test out of high-school.... I did, it was laughably easy, you could be going to a junior college right now, and taking transfer credits to get into a better university.
A great book:
Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students: Helping Kids Cope with Explosive Feelings (2nd ed.) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1618214578/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kQMYBb8YNBV70
You might want to read this. I don't know how prevalent the type of alternative school you describe is, but you may want to consider homeschooling. You wouldn't have to rely on your parents to teach you, which is a common obstacle for aspiring homeschoolers. You could follow an AP or IB curriculum so that you wouldn't have to worry about how your education would be perceived by colleges. If you can't find the sort of school you'd like to attend, that is what I would recommend.
> Yeah, like the only legit education is formal education.
This is what people seriously believe... even though the OPPOSITE is in fact true.
To wit:
And many other articles/studies besides -- not to mention various "anecdotal" verification (I've always been able to easily identify people who were "trained/certified" in mundane things like "How to use MS Office" -- versus those who are "self-taught" {self-motivated to learn from the manual, plus puttering around, etc} -- those who are "trained" are invariably almost entirely IN-competent {barely able to perform the most basic tasks}, whereas the self-taught tend to be anywhere from competent to SUPER-competent; and the same applies with a host of other things as well).
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>Check out this book if you already haven't:
>https://www.amazon.com/Dumbing-Down-Curriculum-Compulsory-Schooling/dp/0865718547
Can't recall if I've specifically read that one, but in general I am well aware of (and have read several/most of) Gatto's works*... and frankly, that book (and others like them) -- deep-dive though they seem to be -- actually BARELY scratch the surface of the REAL problems: the entire concept of "schooling" is broken/fallacious at nearly EVERY level (beyond the "plan/conspiracy" aspect that Gatto focuses on).
-
* Also books by John Holt -- including "How Children Learn" and "How Children Fail"; and probably I would most highly recommend one of his LAST books (published posthumously) entitled "Learning All The Time"
---
>Some of it might be insecurity. They want their kids to be dependent on them. That might one reason why there are so many 30 somethings still living at home.
Dependent... or CO-dependent; and yes that does indeed seem to be one VERY likely motive (increasingly so as people have fewer & fewer kids).
And -- even ignoring the near-pervasive frequency of narcissism and alcoholic (or child of alcoholic) codependency issues -- it stands to reason that a parent who has only one or two children WILL almost certainly have a higher degree of (unconscious/subconscious) motivation to "cling" to (and even undermine/disable) one or both of them so as to keep them around**, even more so as people's statistical likelihood of living to extreme old age increases; whereas the parents of prior generations (with a half-dozen or even a dozen or more kids), could almost take it for granted that one or more of them just naturally WOULD still be around/near and willing/able to help them.
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** The "worry/concern" that is oft-repeated here in /r/MGTOW -- i.e. the "Aren't you afraid of dying alone???" line -- is IMHO full-evidence/proof by itself that people are HIGHLY likely to do this to their kids.
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>Seems to be a widespread phenomenon!
Again, indeed. And increasingly MORE pervasive as "woman power" (state power acting on behalf of women) grows; IME nearly all "married guys" are at least partially "cucked" in this regard (even if & when they are not actually "technically" being "cucked/cuckolded").
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Very -- and increasingly MORE -- RARE is the man who "puts his foot down" and ACTUALLY "sets the rules" in his own home, regarding his own children. (And one of the reasons why I am NOT bothered about NOT having biological children -- 'cause there is no way that *I* would endure/allow myself to be turned into a doormat in that fashion -- I'd go down "fighting" to prevent it {which of course is ultimately pointless relative to the fate of the kids: doesn't do them a damned bit of good if you're dead, in jail, or forced to be absent from their home/unable to properly raise/guide them}.)
---
>Yep. That is another widespread phenomenon. Those who actually "do" the work are not worthy of respect, at least not as much as those who are "in charge" while doing nothing productive. There is also the "nerd" lable that is applied to talented techies and engineers. They are considered lower status than sales and management types (not that I am implying that salespeople and managers types are all bad people, they are considered higher status by default).
Exactly... our society/civilization has become "perverse" in many many ways; sexual perversity is in fact sort of the LAST aspect of "perversity" to become manifest.
> "everything" is best learned in "schools."
Yeah, like the only legit education is formal education.
> Underlying it all a pervasive notion that only "professional TEACHERS" should be teaching kids things (gov't schools, tech schools, college, company sponsored 'training' courses, etc).
True.
Check out this book if you already haven't:
https://www.amazon.com/Dumbing-Down-Curriculum-Compulsory-Schooling/dp/0865718547
> Yet they -- inexplicably (other than the above nonsense; and as I noted usually "mumbled" in an only semi-coherent manner, said as if they themselves don't really believe any of it) -- refused, or otherwise failed, to pass on that instruction to their own kids: I've known guys who work as mechanics who never even taught their own sons how to even CHECK fluids on a vehicle, much less CHANGE oil or do any other repair work (brakes, whatever). And absolutely ZERO instruction in anything else with "tools" etc.
Some of it might be insecurity. They want their kids to be dependent on them. That might one reason why there are so many 30 somethings still living at home.
> You have to seriously wonder how much the "wife/mom" (cue "suburban soccer mom" type meme) rules in those kinds of households/families ... just how completely emasculated, belittled, henpecked & controlled are these guys?
Seems to be a widespread phenomenon!
> like that the wife {despite probably NOT having actually obtained a college degree -- even a worthless one -- herself} nevertheless feels she married down; that she HATES the fact that hubby ever worked/works "blue collar"... and nevermind that said job/career pays for her home, clothes, food, vacations, etc etc etc {in fact that probably plays into it: resentment overriding/replacing gratitude or even appreciation/respect}.)
Yep. That is another widespread phenomenon. Those who actually "do" the work are not worthy of respect, at least not as much as those who are "in charge" while doing nothing productive. There is also the "nerd" lable that is applied to talented techies and engineers. They are considered lower status than sales and management types (not that I am implying that salespeople and managers types are all bad people, they are considered higher status by default).
The conservative viewpoint of the humanities tends to be focussed on the Western Canon and the great books curriculum or Classical education. A common conservatives opinion is that a classical liberal arts education is critically important and valuable, but that modern Academia mired in revisionist theories and nihilism and leaving students adrift in a sea of electives taught by radicals has lost the thread and are now largely useless at best and more often than not are actively destructive.
A few books about the humanities, philosophy, art & education by conservatives and/or approvingly cited by conservatives.
http://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Mass-Instruction-Schoolteachers-Compulsory/dp/0865716692/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1301671958&amp;sr=8-1
Haven't read this book yet but it looks interesting. This guy basically complains that the system of schooling in the US is based on principles that advocate "dumbing down" society..
Check out The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn.
2 Free eBooks ( In Portuguese) (Were R$ 39,00) : Insônia eBook Kindle, Os Passos: 12 Segredos para as Crianças Prosperarem e Serem Felizes na Vida eBook Kindle
Both are in Portuguese Language
Thriller*:* R$0 (Was
R$ 39,00 )https://www.amazon.com.br/Insônia-Andrew-Watson-ebook/dp/B07S41PKDCKids/ Family : R$0 (Was
R$ 39,00 )https://www.amazon.com.br/Os-Passos-Segredos-Crianças-Prosperarem-ebook/dp/B07QNSZ5XKOops, I was a bit off, Master Fire, this is her book, not sure of it is along the lines of what you are seeking.
This and/or this May also be of interest to you.
Your situation may be different than mine, but here's a story anyway...
I dreaded starting 10th grade. In the week before the first day, I remembered what previous years were like. Sleep deprivation, social awkwardness, sitting with the same people I didn't like every day, and intense fear of disappointing my teachers and parents. I was expected to get straight A's and when I deviated from that, my mom would guilt trip me with intense arguments to the point where I wanted to kill myself out of hatred at my inability to live up to expectations.
My problem was that I couldn't do homework. The harder I tried, the worse it was. I somehow managed to finish it during class before it was due, but it was often late. Usually when I tried to tell myself, force myself, convince myself, do anything I could to just sit down and start writing, an intense sickness welled up in my stomach. Deep down I knew I didn't want to do this routine work, this meaningless excuse for "education". I wasn't learning anything, and I couldn't trick myself into thinking I was. I got no life-benefit out of this homework and for whatever reason I was too stubborn-at-heart to submit to doing it. I wasn't meant for this life.
Not to mention I had no social life. It wasn't that people didn't like me so much as I got along okay with everyone, but connected meaningfully with no one. Couldn't understand people, and people couldn't understand me. The emotionally-traumatic home situation didn't help me be well-balanced.
So that week before class started, I knew it would be the same. I knew I'd always feel depressed, lonely, and stressed out. I knew I wouldn't have time or energy to pursue dreams like making video games. I knew I'd be a disappointment to everyone I loved. And I knew I would hate school, hate everyone around me, and hate myself every minute of it. I broke down and cried really hard.
Then, I thought that maybe things would be different. I can work at it! I can set goals, make friends, find a way to do the work. No problem.
I went to school, and felt happy and confident for the first three days. Then, as soon as real homework assignments started, I died inside again. And I stayed that way until Christmas break, when I remembered how I broke down half a year ago, and how wrong I was about "everything is going to be okay". Everything turned out exactly how I knew it would from years of experience. I was still lonely, I was still depressed, and I still have another semester of this to go.
I dropped out after I finished that year. I've been recovering from depression ever since. It's been difficult, but I've gone on adventures like going to the other side of the country alone with only a backpack, couchsurfing and trying to find a job and failing but learning a lot about life and happiness in the process. A lot more than school could teach me. I'm now happier than most people I know.
Look up "unschooling". Here's a book about it.
Congrats on moving to 3rd grade! I think you'll love it! Third graders basically come in as second graders - check in and make sure they know the basics before moving on to the more challenging stuff and (like in kindergarten) practice and teach routines over and over and over! :) Second to third is a HUGE jump though! They are now reading to learn instead of learning to read (most of them).
This book was really helpful for me -
https://smile.amazon.com/Every-Teacher-Setting-Running-Classroom/dp/1892989417/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1465755946&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=what+every+third+grade+teacher+needs+to+know
and the book Yardsticks will also you give you a good idea developmentally of where they should be - https://smile.amazon.com/Yardsticks-Children-Classroom-Ages-4-14/dp/1892989190/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1465755993&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=yardsticks
Don't be afraid to ask for you help from your team or really anyone else in your school who could be of help (other team leads, coaches, etc.)
You got this!!
> Do you have some good literature on learned gender differences (especially in STEM) that you could point me towards?
Have you read Still Failing at Fairness? The Sadker's work is the most extensive research on the subtle bias in education that I've seen.
There have been a few studies lately on ingrained bias vs merits. One prominent one from last year was: given the same application materials with only the name changed, the male applicant was rated higher on competence, hireability, and whether the scientist would be willing to mentor this student.
I'm really ill right now or I would look through my link list. Geek Feminism is where I get most of them though since I have yet to see a study elsewhere that I hadn't seen there first. Thanks for the link. I hadn't read that one, but I have seen a lot of people, including women, see quotas as that way. The anti-feminisim machine at work :/
I don't really have a short answer, but this book has really helped me lately: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013TK931O/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&amp;btkr=1 I am focusing on doing less, but going deep. More learning happens there.
If she's smart and not enjoying high school, don't be afraid to suggest dropping out, getting a GED, and going to college instead.
The dirty little secret that no high school guidance counselor wants you to know is that colleges are very accepting of smart kids who leave high school early.
The Teenage Liberation Hanbook (http://www.amazon.com/The-Teenage-Liberation-Handbook-Education/dp/0962959170) is a useful book.
Not sure about their reason. Here’s mine.
Dumbing Us Down -25th Anniversary Edition: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling - 25th Anniversary Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0865718547/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_b8cVDbKFTKS4J
Also, the fucking Duggars forever poisoned the idea and cemented the negative connotation.
It's pathetic. I blame broken families and 'higher education.'
Critical thinking does exist. It is tangible, provable, teachable.
https://www.amazon.com/Deliberate-Dumbing-America-Revised-Abridged/dp/0966707117
https://www.amazon.com/Dumbing-Down-Curriculum-Compulsory-Schooling/dp/0865718547/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1500933340&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=john+taylor+gatto
Unfortunately, the indoctrination is so complete and the academic masses are so smug and arrogant, there's no getting through to them. They wear their ignorance like a shield.
What's so funny is that they have the zeal of a medieval Catholic clergyman. Haha, the irony is too deep. These are faith based Philistines. Only their faith is in a corrupted political ideology posing as science.