Jordan gets a report card from religious school. He got "yes" marks in all categories, which include a dozen or so things like "I can retell the Bible stories we learned in class" and "I'm a good listener." His teacher wrote the following comment at the bottom:
"Each child brings a special gift to our class. Jordan is our "professor in training." He has a great sense of humor but when delivering information to the group it is done with great seriousness and intent."
Thank goodness professors can still have a sense of humor.
Showing posts with label jordan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jordan. Show all posts
Monday, July 5, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Complaining
We went on a family walk that unfortunately became something of a long trudge, and Jordan was pretty annoyed about it. I didn't blame him, but the complaining was becoming difficult to bear. It happens that the Torah portion for this week deals with a lot of complaining (from the Israelites, who are in the wilderness, a long trudge if ever their was one). I told Jordan about it, and he wanted to hear the story. Numbers 11, if you are interested: here's Chabad's translation:
1. The people were looking to complain, and it was evil in the ears of the Lord. The Lord heard and His anger flared, and a fire from the Lord burned among them, consuming the extremes of the camp.
2. The people cried out to Moses; Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down.
3. He named that place Tab'erah, for the fire of the Lord had burned among them there.
4. But the multitude among them began to have strong cravings. Then even the children of Israel once again began to cry, and they said, "Who will feed us meat?
5. We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free of charge, the cucumbers, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.
6. But now, our bodies are dried out, for there is nothing at all; we have nothing but manna to look at."
Nothing but manna! Jordan and I were quite amused by the idea that the Israelites had this delicious gift of food that rained out of the sky every day, and there they were, complaining that they missed the leeks and cucumbers in Egypt. But I am even more amused (sympathetically!) by Moses's reaction: He tears his hair out over all the complaining, saying something like "What did I do to deserve this -- give birth to them? Why don't you just shoot me instead?" Which says a lot about the patience expected of parents.
10. Moses heard the people weeping with their families,each one at the entrance to his tent. The Lord became very angry, and Moses considered it evil.
11. Moses said to the Lord, "Why have You treated Your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in Your eyes that You place the burden of this entire people upon me?
12. Did I conceive this entire people? Did I give birth to them, that You say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom as the nurse carries the suckling,' to the Land You promised their forefathers?
13. Where can I get meat to give all these people? For they are crying on me, saying, 'Give us meat to eat.'
14. Alone I cannot carry this entire people for it is too hard for me.
15. If this is the way You treat me, please kill me if I have found favor in Your eyes, so that I not see my misfortune."
The story concludes with God dividing Moses's spiritual burden among seventy elders, then practically burying the complaining Israelites in quail. He says something like "You want meat? Here's your meat," and then when they eat it, God kills them "with the meat still between their teeth."
In my liberal reform way, I felt compelled to discuss with Jordan that perhaps God was not being perfectly patient or fair himself in this story, and we brainstormed other responses that one might have when annoyed by complainers. (Rabbinic commentators, on the other hand, say the Israelites deserved it because they were faithless ingrates.) Jordan didn't seem disturbed by any of it; on the contrary, he was highly entertained, and enjoyed the rest of the walk quite a bit.
1. The people were looking to complain, and it was evil in the ears of the Lord. The Lord heard and His anger flared, and a fire from the Lord burned among them, consuming the extremes of the camp.
2. The people cried out to Moses; Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down.
3. He named that place Tab'erah, for the fire of the Lord had burned among them there.
4. But the multitude among them began to have strong cravings. Then even the children of Israel once again began to cry, and they said, "Who will feed us meat?
5. We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free of charge, the cucumbers, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.
6. But now, our bodies are dried out, for there is nothing at all; we have nothing but manna to look at."
Nothing but manna! Jordan and I were quite amused by the idea that the Israelites had this delicious gift of food that rained out of the sky every day, and there they were, complaining that they missed the leeks and cucumbers in Egypt. But I am even more amused (sympathetically!) by Moses's reaction: He tears his hair out over all the complaining, saying something like "What did I do to deserve this -- give birth to them? Why don't you just shoot me instead?" Which says a lot about the patience expected of parents.
10. Moses heard the people weeping with their families,each one at the entrance to his tent. The Lord became very angry, and Moses considered it evil.
11. Moses said to the Lord, "Why have You treated Your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in Your eyes that You place the burden of this entire people upon me?
12. Did I conceive this entire people? Did I give birth to them, that You say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom as the nurse carries the suckling,' to the Land You promised their forefathers?
13. Where can I get meat to give all these people? For they are crying on me, saying, 'Give us meat to eat.'
14. Alone I cannot carry this entire people for it is too hard for me.
15. If this is the way You treat me, please kill me if I have found favor in Your eyes, so that I not see my misfortune."
The story concludes with God dividing Moses's spiritual burden among seventy elders, then practically burying the complaining Israelites in quail. He says something like "You want meat? Here's your meat," and then when they eat it, God kills them "with the meat still between their teeth."
In my liberal reform way, I felt compelled to discuss with Jordan that perhaps God was not being perfectly patient or fair himself in this story, and we brainstormed other responses that one might have when annoyed by complainers. (Rabbinic commentators, on the other hand, say the Israelites deserved it because they were faithless ingrates.) Jordan didn't seem disturbed by any of it; on the contrary, he was highly entertained, and enjoyed the rest of the walk quite a bit.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Long words
When I was putting the boys to bed last night, Jordan and I had the following conversation:
Jordan: Mommy what is that word we were talking about, that long word, when something makes a sound and you just write the word that sounds like the sound that it made?
Rachel: Onomatopoeia?
Jordan: Right! Onomatopoeia. Today in class I got that mixed up with metamorphosis.
Rachel: You were talking about metamorphosis?
Jordan: Yes. Mrs. Murphy asked if anyone knew what metamorphosis means and I was the last one to raise my hand and no one else knew and I said the other thing. The onomatopoeia.
Rachel: Metamorphosis, wow. That means a big change.
Jordan: Yes and there is another word that starts with M, that starts with meta, another long word. I can't remember the whole word but it means thinking about thinking.
Rachel: Metacognition?
Jordan: Right, metacognition. That means when you are thinking so hard that you are even thinking about your thinking.
He intends to tell Mrs. Murphy today that when she asked about metamorphosis, he was thinking of onomatopoeia. I would think a kindergarten teacher would be uniquely entertained by that.
Jordan: Mommy what is that word we were talking about, that long word, when something makes a sound and you just write the word that sounds like the sound that it made?
Rachel: Onomatopoeia?
Jordan: Right! Onomatopoeia. Today in class I got that mixed up with metamorphosis.
Rachel: You were talking about metamorphosis?
Jordan: Yes. Mrs. Murphy asked if anyone knew what metamorphosis means and I was the last one to raise my hand and no one else knew and I said the other thing. The onomatopoeia.
Rachel: Metamorphosis, wow. That means a big change.
Jordan: Yes and there is another word that starts with M, that starts with meta, another long word. I can't remember the whole word but it means thinking about thinking.
Rachel: Metacognition?
Jordan: Right, metacognition. That means when you are thinking so hard that you are even thinking about your thinking.
He intends to tell Mrs. Murphy today that when she asked about metamorphosis, he was thinking of onomatopoeia. I would think a kindergarten teacher would be uniquely entertained by that.
Friday, April 30, 2010
"All About Me"
Jordan and I filled an "All About Me" form for his class's yearbook. Dale and I changed some of the questions:
"If I were President" became "If I were a Superhero"
"When I grow up, I want to be" became "If I could have a grown-up job now, I'd like to be"
"My hero/heroine is" became "I admire"
Here are his answers:
1. What I learned in kindergarten: I learned about tally marks. That there are negative hundreds and thousands, but actually I learned that from my mom. That there is nothing over infinity. And I learned that I'm so good at making friends there.
2. If I were a superhero, I would be Superman and save the world. I would want to be solving problems and helping the world out.
3. If I could have a grown-up job now, I would like to be a piano player, because I love piano and it's really easy to do. Just play the keys.
4. Words to describe me: Human. Nice. Jewish. A boy. Joke-teller. Crazy. Runner. Talker. Blond.
5. I admire Sam Zappa, because he has lots of ideas.
notes: He seems to feel that he learned a lot of math, which I think is true, and which he seems to be pretty excited about. When he answered question 3 he had recently been playing the piano, and we had been complimenting him. He had a lot of trouble with #4. Sam Zappa is his best buddy in class.
"If I were President" became "If I were a Superhero"
"When I grow up, I want to be" became "If I could have a grown-up job now, I'd like to be"
"My hero/heroine is" became "I admire"
Here are his answers:
1. What I learned in kindergarten: I learned about tally marks. That there are negative hundreds and thousands, but actually I learned that from my mom. That there is nothing over infinity. And I learned that I'm so good at making friends there.
2. If I were a superhero, I would be Superman and save the world. I would want to be solving problems and helping the world out.
3. If I could have a grown-up job now, I would like to be a piano player, because I love piano and it's really easy to do. Just play the keys.
4. Words to describe me: Human. Nice. Jewish. A boy. Joke-teller. Crazy. Runner. Talker. Blond.
5. I admire Sam Zappa, because he has lots of ideas.
notes: He seems to feel that he learned a lot of math, which I think is true, and which he seems to be pretty excited about. When he answered question 3 he had recently been playing the piano, and we had been complimenting him. He had a lot of trouble with #4. Sam Zappa is his best buddy in class.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Expertise
This morning, attempting to speak in code to Dale, I said, "Were you aware that tomorrow there will be a high-temperature midday meal?" Aaron, not missing a beat, said, "Oh, is it a hot lunch day?" Um, yes.
Jordan, meanwhile, has begun to self-identify as being Good At Math. I have to agree with him. He continues to enjoy working with negative numbers:
Jordan: Mommy, five minus ten is negative five. Right?
Rachel: Yes, that's totally right. How did you figure that out?
Jordan: Because a ten is two fives, so if you have five and you take away one five, that's zero, and then you take away another five and that's negative five.
Wow. The other day in the car we were about to get onto the freeway, and Jordan was trying to decide whether to close his window:
Jordan: How long will we be on the freeway?
Rachel: Just a few seconds. We're getting on and then right away getting off again.
Jordan: How many seconds?
Rachel: I don't know. Here, we're getting on, you want to count?
Jordan: (counts silently until we get off) Forty seconds, Mama.
Rachel: Forty seconds. That's less than a minute. Do you know how many seconds in a minute?
Jordan: No.
Rachel: Sixty. Sixty seconds in a minute.
Jordan (pausing): So we had twenty more seconds before it would be a minute.
Rachel: Wow, that's right! Tell me how you know that.
Jordan: Because if you had four seconds, you would need two more to make six seconds, and this is the same thing only it's the tens family. So if you have forty seconds you need twenty more seconds to make sixty seconds and that's a minute.
Rachel (aware of the research on praising effort rather than ability): Jordan, you know, that is really something that you know how to figure that out. I can tell that you have put a lot of effort and thoughtfulness into learning math. You must really have been practicing, and thinking about what you are doing while you are practicing, to be able to do stuff like that.
Jordan: Yes and you know what Mommy? It's because I like math. That makes it fun to do it, almost like no work at all, so I just keep doing and doing it without even minding, and that way I get a lot of practice. So I get good at it because I like it and so I practice a lot.
It's a whole theory of expertise, really, sort of a snowball theory. I went on to tell him that I thought pretty soon he would start liking reading, too (it's currently more labor than fun, for him), once he has a little more practice.
Jordan, meanwhile, has begun to self-identify as being Good At Math. I have to agree with him. He continues to enjoy working with negative numbers:
Jordan: Mommy, five minus ten is negative five. Right?
Rachel: Yes, that's totally right. How did you figure that out?
Jordan: Because a ten is two fives, so if you have five and you take away one five, that's zero, and then you take away another five and that's negative five.
Wow. The other day in the car we were about to get onto the freeway, and Jordan was trying to decide whether to close his window:
Jordan: How long will we be on the freeway?
Rachel: Just a few seconds. We're getting on and then right away getting off again.
Jordan: How many seconds?
Rachel: I don't know. Here, we're getting on, you want to count?
Jordan: (counts silently until we get off) Forty seconds, Mama.
Rachel: Forty seconds. That's less than a minute. Do you know how many seconds in a minute?
Jordan: No.
Rachel: Sixty. Sixty seconds in a minute.
Jordan (pausing): So we had twenty more seconds before it would be a minute.
Rachel: Wow, that's right! Tell me how you know that.
Jordan: Because if you had four seconds, you would need two more to make six seconds, and this is the same thing only it's the tens family. So if you have forty seconds you need twenty more seconds to make sixty seconds and that's a minute.
Rachel (aware of the research on praising effort rather than ability): Jordan, you know, that is really something that you know how to figure that out. I can tell that you have put a lot of effort and thoughtfulness into learning math. You must really have been practicing, and thinking about what you are doing while you are practicing, to be able to do stuff like that.
Jordan: Yes and you know what Mommy? It's because I like math. That makes it fun to do it, almost like no work at all, so I just keep doing and doing it without even minding, and that way I get a lot of practice. So I get good at it because I like it and so I practice a lot.
It's a whole theory of expertise, really, sort of a snowball theory. I went on to tell him that I thought pretty soon he would start liking reading, too (it's currently more labor than fun, for him), once he has a little more practice.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Jokes
Everyone's telling jokes around here. The kids are busily memorizing jokes from a Monster Riddles library book.
Aaron: What goes ha ha ha clunk?
Respondent: I don't know, what?
Aaron (shrieking with such hysteria he can hardly deliver the line): A monster laughing his head off!!
Jordan: What do you say to a two-headed monster?
Respondent: I don't know, what?
Jordan: Hi hi!
(Imagine the many variations - number of heads, occasions for greeting, etc)
Dale, meanwhile, was entertained by a coworker who was being followed around by a duck while on a walk at lunchtime. There was a long silly riff from various lab members about how she might bring the duck to work, on the bus home, etc. Dale said it was too bad she wouldn't get the chance to bring him to the lab party and introduce him with, "This is my duck, Bill."
I don't have much to contribute myself - I seem to be more of the straight man. The other night I was lying down in such a way that the corner of a nearby pillow was sticking into my eye. I said, "That is a really 3-D effect I'm getting there," and Dale said, "It's not an effect." Something about the whole Avatar world we live in made this really funny at the time.
Aaron: What goes ha ha ha clunk?
Respondent: I don't know, what?
Aaron (shrieking with such hysteria he can hardly deliver the line): A monster laughing his head off!!
Jordan: What do you say to a two-headed monster?
Respondent: I don't know, what?
Jordan: Hi hi!
(Imagine the many variations - number of heads, occasions for greeting, etc)
Dale, meanwhile, was entertained by a coworker who was being followed around by a duck while on a walk at lunchtime. There was a long silly riff from various lab members about how she might bring the duck to work, on the bus home, etc. Dale said it was too bad she wouldn't get the chance to bring him to the lab party and introduce him with, "This is my duck, Bill."
I don't have much to contribute myself - I seem to be more of the straight man. The other night I was lying down in such a way that the corner of a nearby pillow was sticking into my eye. I said, "That is a really 3-D effect I'm getting there," and Dale said, "It's not an effect." Something about the whole Avatar world we live in made this really funny at the time.
Bat house
Jordan was giving me a tour of the Wedgwood Elementary garden, in which he has a proprietary interest because his class does a lot of planting and other projects there. He especially wanted to show me the bird houses and the bat houses. (I have to write "bat house" as two words or you might be misled into thinking he was showing me a bath house.) Jordan pointed out how the bat houses are open on the bottom and have metal mesh on the back, because bats like to hang and their claws would slide off smooth wood. He also pointed out to me that the bat houses are black.
Jordan: That's because black things have more, they attract more of the sunlight so the bat house is warm. The black color brings in the power. When the house is painted black it soaks up the energy more and makes it warmer in there.
Rachel: It soaks up the energy, I totally get what you're saying. Soaks it up like a sponge.
Jordan: Right, yes, like a sponge. Except that the light is not wet.
Rachel: Right, it's not water. I meant if there could be a sponge for light.
Jordan: No actually, not a sponge. A vacuum cleaner.
Now I wonder if maybe he said "suck up the energy," not soak up.
I thought, how fascinating that he thinks the energy is actively sucked into the bat house, instead of just being better absorbed, the way I think of it. But Hunter says that energetically, both suction in a vacuum cleaner and capillary action in a sponge are active processes, with parallel entropy effects. I would have to think about that.
Also, I love how totally unproblematic it is to talk about whether the black bat house is like a sponge or like a vacuum cleaner. We think in metaphors.
Jordan: That's because black things have more, they attract more of the sunlight so the bat house is warm. The black color brings in the power. When the house is painted black it soaks up the energy more and makes it warmer in there.
Rachel: It soaks up the energy, I totally get what you're saying. Soaks it up like a sponge.
Jordan: Right, yes, like a sponge. Except that the light is not wet.
Rachel: Right, it's not water. I meant if there could be a sponge for light.
Jordan: No actually, not a sponge. A vacuum cleaner.
Now I wonder if maybe he said "suck up the energy," not soak up.
I thought, how fascinating that he thinks the energy is actively sucked into the bat house, instead of just being better absorbed, the way I think of it. But Hunter says that energetically, both suction in a vacuum cleaner and capillary action in a sponge are active processes, with parallel entropy effects. I would have to think about that.
Also, I love how totally unproblematic it is to talk about whether the black bat house is like a sponge or like a vacuum cleaner. We think in metaphors.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Compliment circle
Jordan asked that we do a compliment circle because he had something he wanted to give a compliment for. This seems to be something he does at school. He explained that you don't compliment someone's clothes or something like that, you compliment something that they did. And no, we could not do it at the breakfast table, because that was not special enough. Also it was not a circle.
So after breakfast the four of us arranged ourselves in a circle in the living room. Jordan recommended that we sit in lotus position, which for him is criss-cross-applesauce but with your spine straight and your palms on your knees. He found a ball, which you hold when it is your turn, and then you give it to the person you gave a compliment to, and then it's their turn. If you don't have any compliments, you say "Pass." Jordan's first compliment was inspired by the fact that Dale, today, is taking the car to the mechanic, picking it up at the end of the day, picking up the kids, feeding them dinner, and managing them solo while the band is practicing at our house, so that I can teach an evening class.
Dale: I have an important one. Jordan, I couldn't remember where I put your patch, and you remembered that I had put it in my shirt pocket, and I looked where you said and I found it. You were attentive and helpful. Thank you.
Jordan: You're welcome. And my compliment is, thank you Daddy for doing all the work today.
Dale: And thank you Mommy for doing most of that every other day.
Rachel: Mine is, Thank you Daddy for taking the time to understand what I meant earlier today when we were having a tough conversation.
Aaron (taking a turn): Thank you Jordan for playing fun games with me.
Jordan: Thank you Aaron for being fun to play with.
I have to say, we all felt great! Thank you Jordan for teaching us how to do a compliment circle.
So after breakfast the four of us arranged ourselves in a circle in the living room. Jordan recommended that we sit in lotus position, which for him is criss-cross-applesauce but with your spine straight and your palms on your knees. He found a ball, which you hold when it is your turn, and then you give it to the person you gave a compliment to, and then it's their turn. If you don't have any compliments, you say "Pass." Jordan's first compliment was inspired by the fact that Dale, today, is taking the car to the mechanic, picking it up at the end of the day, picking up the kids, feeding them dinner, and managing them solo while the band is practicing at our house, so that I can teach an evening class.
Dale: I have an important one. Jordan, I couldn't remember where I put your patch, and you remembered that I had put it in my shirt pocket, and I looked where you said and I found it. You were attentive and helpful. Thank you.
Jordan: You're welcome. And my compliment is, thank you Daddy for doing all the work today.
Dale: And thank you Mommy for doing most of that every other day.
Rachel: Mine is, Thank you Daddy for taking the time to understand what I meant earlier today when we were having a tough conversation.
Aaron (taking a turn): Thank you Jordan for playing fun games with me.
Jordan: Thank you Aaron for being fun to play with.
I have to say, we all felt great! Thank you Jordan for teaching us how to do a compliment circle.
Math homework
Jordan knocked me out by doing this math homework almost all independently. The thing with "6-11=-5" was especially amazing to me. He is supposed to make math sentences out of 6, 5, and 11, and after knocking out the easy ones on the addition, he went with negative numbers on the subtraction. Okay, "5-6=-1" does not strictly follow the rules, but who cares? He needed a little help figuring out what 6-11 was.
Rachel: Okay, if we start with six, (holding up six fingers)
Jordan: Then we take away one at a time up to eleven. One, two, three, four, five, six (Rachel folding down fingers)
Rachel (reaching zero, all fingers folded): What do I do now?
Jordan: Start putting them up again. Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven. (Rachel has five fingers up. Jordan counts) Five!! Is it negative five?!
Rachel: Totally. You got it.
I was quite impressed. Now I'm thinking about the difference between hand-counting like that, and a number line, which is the classic way to approach negative numbers. I wonder about the possible advantages of doing it on your body vs. on a graphical representation, and also I wonder about the conceptual difference between numbers-of-fingers and position along a line. Really interesting.
Reading is still slow and I think frustrating for him; he'd much rather be read to, or guess. Writing, he seems to enjoy. Asked to "write a story to tell about the fish" (bottom right), he said (and I'm translating his spelling): "2 flatfish 5 sockeyes met by the stream and played. The end."
Friday, April 9, 2010
Love and teamwork
Jordan explains: "The red lines, they give teamwork. The purple lines are the love. From top to bottom is Jordan, Daddy, Aaron, Mommy. That shows how bigger we're getting on teamwork. Mommy has the biggest teamwork, Jordan has the second biggest, Aaron has the smallest teamwork. Daddy has the biggest teamwork too but Mommy is a little bigger. That's because I made this picture for you, Mommy."
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Twenty questions
Jordan and Aaron are both very into "Twenty Questions" lately. Jordan is downright sneaky: his recent selections have included a water skater, a chimaera, and air.
Aaron is less sneaky but entirely charming. This morning he said, "I have a trunk, big tusks, and stompy feet. What am I?" He was delighted when we guessed correctly.
Aaron is less sneaky but entirely charming. This morning he said, "I have a trunk, big tusks, and stompy feet. What am I?" He was delighted when we guessed correctly.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Thiiiiis much
I took the boys out to a favorite restaurant.
Jordan: "You know how much I love mac and cheese? I would have to attach my hands and then split my body in half to make my hands go so far apart to show how much."
Rachel (loving the idea but distracted by a detail): "Attach your hands? To each other? How would that work?"
Jordan (not distracted): "Not to each other. Attach my hands to the two halves of my body, to hold it up."
Jordan: "You know how much I love mac and cheese? I would have to attach my hands and then split my body in half to make my hands go so far apart to show how much."
Rachel (loving the idea but distracted by a detail): "Attach your hands? To each other? How would that work?"
Jordan (not distracted): "Not to each other. Attach my hands to the two halves of my body, to hold it up."
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Spectrum tested
We had Jordan tested privately for "cognitive ability," and he hit it out of the park. "I got a lot of check marks," he told me, and he must have been right because his scores are plenty high. He is particularly strong in what they call "fluid reasoning" (this is the Stanford-Binet 5), which has to do with adapting between inductive and deductive reasoning skills. We've submitted the score report to the school district and are hoping that he will be admitted to the Spectrum Young Scholars program.I didn't get much out of him about the test itself (Dale brought him to be tested while I was out of town, and he had Aaron along). Jordan said that he had to build things out of blocks, and he had to build the opposite of what the testing lady built: "Like if she did red, yellow, yellow, I would do yellow, yellow, red," he explained. He added, "She was not a very good builder." The score report said that Jordan "enjoyed sharing information about himself and his experiences" and that, while his attention and effort were "adequate to excellent," he "frequently required reminders to stay in his seat." That's our Jordan! Elsewhere in the report she said he was an "inquisitive and delightful young boy." We agree.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Spectrum testing
We had Jordan tested for the Spectrum program, which is what they call the gifted-and-talented program here. He scored high, but not high enough to qualify. We were initially tempted to just take that at face value. Of course we think he's brilliant, but even if we're right he seems fine where he is; I'm irritated with pushing kids too fast academically anyway, he's on the young side for kindergarten (a midsummer boy), and although Dale and I were identified as gifted and got a lot of benefit from that, back in our day they didn't test you until middle school. So we were just going to call it good.
On the other hand, though... The test was a group test, and was a scan-tron. For five-year-olds? How accurate can that be? And although I don't need him to go faster or get into college sooner or any of that, I do hope for him to be in a cohort of engaged students, and if he got some of the better teachers that would certainly be a good thing. So when we learned that one of his best buddies tested in, and his other best buddy scored much higher on a private test than the school test and is appealing to be admitted... we were swayed. Although it is a chunk of change, we're going to have him tested privately. If he tests well, he can stay with his buddies (and maybe have a good cohort generally, with better teachers); and if he scores the same as he did on the school test, we'll have our doubts relieved about the testing conditions.
The whole thing makes me think about what I want for Jordan (and later Aaron), in school. I think a huge thing that school is for is to learn about society: not in social studies class, but in how the school and the people in it function with each other. I would like for them to be engaged - to participate in what's going on, and through that maybe even find some knowledge or skill that excites them. And I would like them to enjoy themselves - to have some fun, to have good friends, to have positive relationships with adults, to not be anxious. Reading? It'll happen.
On the other hand, though... The test was a group test, and was a scan-tron. For five-year-olds? How accurate can that be? And although I don't need him to go faster or get into college sooner or any of that, I do hope for him to be in a cohort of engaged students, and if he got some of the better teachers that would certainly be a good thing. So when we learned that one of his best buddies tested in, and his other best buddy scored much higher on a private test than the school test and is appealing to be admitted... we were swayed. Although it is a chunk of change, we're going to have him tested privately. If he tests well, he can stay with his buddies (and maybe have a good cohort generally, with better teachers); and if he scores the same as he did on the school test, we'll have our doubts relieved about the testing conditions.
The whole thing makes me think about what I want for Jordan (and later Aaron), in school. I think a huge thing that school is for is to learn about society: not in social studies class, but in how the school and the people in it function with each other. I would like for them to be engaged - to participate in what's going on, and through that maybe even find some knowledge or skill that excites them. And I would like them to enjoy themselves - to have some fun, to have good friends, to have positive relationships with adults, to not be anxious. Reading? It'll happen.
Brain at work
Jordan has completed his valentines for school... just in time. It was a big project. I am grudgingly sort of won over; it was a lot of writing, on the one hand, but it turned out to be a pretty authentic writing experience for him. He had to write everyone's name for a good reason - in order to give them something. He had to write his own name so that they would know who it was from. His friends have to be able to read what he's written, and so does he, in order to hand them out. He was very motivated and energetic about it, and quite proud of himself when he was done.
Research suggests, however, that this is just as important to his cognitive development:
Research suggests, however, that this is just as important to his cognitive development:
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
I'm anti-homework
Jordan is way behind on his homework. This is a ridiculous thing to say about a kindergartener. And it's definitely my doing: It's me who lets him play with Grandpa in the mornings, it's me who does not chase him off the piano, it's me who fails to interrupt his game of wacky basketball with his brother. I just don't believe that at age five, these activities should be shortchanged in favor of filling out worksheets. In fact, I don't think he should have homework at all. This NYT essay refers to research demonstrating no benefit until middle school. A quote I liked:
Jean Piaget famously referred to “the American question,” which arose when he lectured in this country: how, his audiences wanted to know, could a child’s development be sped up? The better question may be: Why are we so hellbent on doing so?
Jean Piaget famously referred to “the American question,” which arose when he lectured in this country: how, his audiences wanted to know, could a child’s development be sped up? The better question may be: Why are we so hellbent on doing so?
Monday, February 8, 2010
Nasty nail polish
Jordan still sucks his thumb a lot. He's five and a half, it's clearly messing with his teeth, and it's icky; we wish he would stop. Currently our efforts to help him quit are mostly in the form of constant reminders. Sometimes he goes along with us and works on not doing it, other times he resents our nagging him and hides. It's a whole bummer thing. His dentist asked if we had tried a bitter nail polish. I had never heard of such a product, but lo and behold, there are many. One brand, Mavala Stop, is reputed to be extremely powerful. People write celebrating their 8 and 10 year olds who stopped overnight, the works. The reviews are pretty entertaining in a sicko kind of way: here's an excerpt from someone who used it to cure her own nail-biting problem:
"The taste is really horrible. It's like acetone (nail polish remover), bitter, rotten wood, and some sort of fish put together. It has a very chemical taste with a sweet undertone that makes for a horrible experience. The taste is also very durable and lingering. If you licked a nail painted with Mavala Stop, it would take a few minutes to get the taste out. The taste was so bad, in my opinion, that getting it off of my teeth, lips, and tongue when I slipped up stopped whatever I was doing or thinking about. It's very, very gross."
The enthusiastic parents have some cautions to go along with their hallelujahs:
- It tastes so horrific that if you touch your nail to your lips for any reason you practically run screaming out of the room, and you really can't get the taste out of your mouth. Kids can have trouble eating. A solution is to put a tiny dot of the stuff at the base of the nail so that the fingertips are still OK.
- A long-term comfort is being taken away suddenly and kids can have a hard time. Some can't sleep and are emotionally fragile. Parents advise being thoughtful about the timing.
- Parents who tried to use it on two and three year olds had mixed results. Some kids that age don't seem to get that it's the thumbsucking causing the horrific taste and are just miserable. Other younger kids don't mind the taste and/or just lick it off. And other young kids had miracle cures with no misery at all.
- Some kids have such a strong reaction to the taste that they puke all night, or in some cases for days. Parents say just power through.
Kind of a Clockwork Orange sounding thing when you put it that way. Maybe we should just all watch Thumbsucker and not worry about it.
Valentine kit
Jordan has a clear and firmly-worded Valentine's Day assignment from his warm, loving, and steely-eyed kindergarten teacher: Students will bring a card for each child in the class PLUS the principal, the music coach, the three art docents, the PE teacher, the music teacher, the secretaries, the nurse, the art-movement-and-yoga teacher, the retired teacher-tutor, the assistant, the cook, and the custodians. "We will be celebrating friendship, kindness, and caring about other people," says the letter, which was sent three weeks in advance. "This is a great opportunity to practice printing names." This is a great opportunity for Mommy to practice patience, is what it is. Originally I had felt we would go the homemade route; what can't you do with white index cards, heart stickers, and red glitter glue? Who needs that whole Valentine industry anyway? Yeah, well, when the first valentine took twenty minutes of hounding to reach completion, I had to rethink my strategy. I hadn't realized how much the lack of structure would slow things down... Jordan had to decide what to write (I'm just talking To and From here), where to write it, what kind of decorating to do, etc. And with chagrin I admit that I am not at my best while supervising kid art projects. The vigilance kills me. Now we've gone over to the mass-produced valentine card kit, with preprinted messages, To and From lines, and miniature tattoos that slip into a slot. Jordan thinks they are awesome and cranked out fifteen of them in one energized session. Woo hoo!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
We buy our shoes online
Grandpa was trying to get Jordan out the door for a trip to the library, and Jordan was dawdling.
Grandpa: What’s happening in the shoe department?
Jordan: What’s the shoe department?
Grandpa: That’s where you put on your shoes.
Jordan: Um. I’ve never been there.
Grandpa: Then I bet you don’t have your shoes on.
Grandpa: What’s happening in the shoe department?
Jordan: What’s the shoe department?
Grandpa: That’s where you put on your shoes.
Jordan: Um. I’ve never been there.
Grandpa: Then I bet you don’t have your shoes on.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Patched
Jordan went back to the ophthalmologist for a follow-up visit. He was once again a fantastic participant: he was so very articulate and reliable that they decided to use a device they had never used on a five-year-old before (it's normally for 13 and over). He did great. The right eye, however, is still not up to speed, and there remains a concern that the brain will tune it out. So he is to wear a patch on the good eye. The good news is, it's only four hours a day, and they need not be consecutive hours, so we can patch him before and after school instead of all day.
They gave us patches with entertaining designs on them, which Jordan liked, and he and I did some online shopping yesterday for more of them. He is pretty accepting about the whole thing. The ophthalmologist had a terrific attitude with him. When he went with Dale to pick up Aaron, though, everyone at school was very shocked and appalled ("Jordan, oh my god, what happened to your eye?!?"). That was rough. The next day, he cried and said it was bothering him and tried to get us to take it off. I felt bad, but hopefully we are assuring him the use of two eyes for the rest of his life, so we will persist. With luck he may only have to wear it for a few months. There are only a couple of years left in which the visual system is still pretty flexible, so, now is the time.
I tried one on myself, just to check it out, and I admit it felt pretty strange, like where did the other half of the world go? Plus it was just odd having a bandage on my eye. But I did get used to it after a few minutes.
They gave us patches with entertaining designs on them, which Jordan liked, and he and I did some online shopping yesterday for more of them. He is pretty accepting about the whole thing. The ophthalmologist had a terrific attitude with him. When he went with Dale to pick up Aaron, though, everyone at school was very shocked and appalled ("Jordan, oh my god, what happened to your eye?!?"). That was rough. The next day, he cried and said it was bothering him and tried to get us to take it off. I felt bad, but hopefully we are assuring him the use of two eyes for the rest of his life, so we will persist. With luck he may only have to wear it for a few months. There are only a couple of years left in which the visual system is still pretty flexible, so, now is the time.
I tried one on myself, just to check it out, and I admit it felt pretty strange, like where did the other half of the world go? Plus it was just odd having a bandage on my eye. But I did get used to it after a few minutes.
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