I’m asking this because I tend to emphasize teaching to my strengths–what I feel most capable of teaching. I like reading, math, and music. I am totally hopeless as an athlete, and know embarrassingly little of world history and geography.
I notice many people on the music board investing in early piano lessons when they themselves do not play. Perhaps because they do not play and wish they had?
I notice people saying that they or a loved family member had trouble with reading, and they want to avoid the same thing with their children?
But others are self-proclaimed geeks and are proudly passing on the geek heritage to a new generation.
yes to all the above poll choices!!! I want to learn more encyclopaedic info myself, I wished I’d played the piano and other instruments and could read music, and I feel schools dont teach enough…And spend too much time on physical education, needlework/sewing, cooking, metalwork, woodwork and Ag/hort (gardening) and Art to the detriment of Academic subjects. If my kids are athletic or artistic, I’ll encourage that, but none of these subjects were my strengths at school and I hated going due to some of these. So I’d concentrate on academics, and teach to their strengths, but also my own interests. I’d like to know about famous artists, inventors etc. I remember high school being so slow on the information-providing side of things. A term on Ancient China, a term on Sumer, etc. If homeschooling we could cover the same ground in a week.
I teach what the core curriclum suggests but I teach also my interests and more of my childs interests as it grows, but he is only 21 months old, so we have a way to go. He likes cars so when I teach the subject that I am not good at I make sure ut catches his interests.
Well, I’d like for her to learn the things I never got to learn, such as the names of trees, clouds or birds, but also to be good at maths.
That is the subject my mum did not help me with and I struggle a lot. And I haven’t even started showing her the dots yet… hum…
For reading words, I have started my oldest (two) on words that I have heard him say or that I know that he understands like, “play, outside, milk, brother, and car.” for my youngest (4 months) I have started him on words that I say to him all the time such as, “milk, diaper, mommy, daddy, baby, and smile.”
For other words, I usually try to fit some different subjects in such as insects (biology), tools, planets (astronomy), things around the house, music, maybe some art. It just all depends. Some of the words, my two-year-old just loves because they are on a subject that he likes such as planets or different types of tools. I try to be pretty varied in the approach.
for my son I started off with reading words of daily use & things that are around. we do maths as per DM & some more flash cards.
he loves picture books so we see a lot of pictures. he is very quick at remembering pictures. i guess he is got this from me b’coz I am got at art so I draw a lot of pictures for him…
his father is good at sports so he tries to develop his interest in sports.
as for now I try to go according to his mood & am trying to judge his interest which will be best for him.
