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I have two children in school. One is in high school and the other in middle school.
My high schooler, this is his first year, is in the International Baccalaureate program. I have seen a very large amount of homework and so far not much in the way of science curriculum. This is to change in the coming years as he takes more math and science work.
My youngest is in his first year of middle school and is going to a arts and literature magnet school. His curriculum has very little in the way of science.
Over all I think I have to say, and this includes the previous several years of schooling to have to give an answer of B. No where near enough science education. I do hope this changes in the coming years.

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On a side note, I'd like to point out how the schools have been lowering the bar for decades (yes, since before "No Child Left Behind").
To get a HS Diploma today, you need only the most rudimentary math skills.
When I graduated HS, you needed to take at least Trigonometry to graduate.
When my Mom graduated HS (in 1960), Calculus was a required class for all students.
So, as much I hate to say it because I know a lot of science teachers (but they'd probably agree with me), the schools do NOT push Math & Science as much as they should. And who can blame them? There's not much money being made selling tickets to the Mathlete competitions...

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I have two children in school. One is in high school and the other in middle school.
My high schooler, this is his first year, is in the International Baccalaureate program. I have seen a very large amount of homework and so far not much in the way of science curriculum. This is to change in the coming years as he takes more math and science work.
My youngest is in his first year of middle school and is going to a arts and literature magnet school. His curriculum has very little in the way of science.
Over all I think I have to say, and this includes the previous several years of schooling to have to give an answer of B. No where near enough science education. I do hope this changes in the coming years.
Hey, I was in IB, just make sure he actually does all that homework, I didn't and dropped out after two years, despite the fact that I aced my tests, and all my teachers new I knew the subject, I didn't do the homework and failed (which is the worst part of our education system IMO, no matter how well you can prove you've learned the subject, it's more concerned with making sure you do the busywork)

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Crimson Jester wrote:Hey, I was in IB, just make sure he actually does all that homework, I didn't and dropped out after two years, despite the fact that I aced my tests, and all my teachers new I knew the subject, I didn't do the homework and failed (which is the worst part of our education system IMO, no matter how well you can prove you've learned the subject, it's more concerned with making sure you do the busywork)I have two children in school. One is in high school and the other in middle school.
My high schooler, this is his first year, is in the International Baccalaureate program. I have seen a very large amount of homework and so far not much in the way of science curriculum. This is to change in the coming years as he takes more math and science work.
My youngest is in his first year of middle school and is going to a arts and literature magnet school. His curriculum has very little in the way of science.
Over all I think I have to say, and this includes the previous several years of schooling to have to give an answer of B. No where near enough science education. I do hope this changes in the coming years.
That in fact is our current problem. Did anything help you actually do the work? He wants to have it done in five minutes or it bores him.

Tensor |

That in fact is our current problem. Did anything help you actually do the work? He wants to have it done in five minutes or it bores him.
I have been teaching middle school kids, high school kids, and college kids math & science for 15 years. There is a buzz word among educators called 'homework support'. What it means is you, the parent, sit with your kids as they work each problem, and when their mind begins to wander gently nudge their focus back on track. How do you do this? By sitting next to them and turning the work into a discovery process, and trying to make the homework tell a story. As a RPG player, think of yourself as the DM for your child as he/she goes adventuring on nightly homework assignments. If done thoughtfully this will turn nightly homework into a fun and enjoyable experience.
The best advice I have is to tell you to sit together with your children at the table, and work on something of your own along side them. YOU do not necessarily have to work exactly on his/her homework, but be doing something your child we see as similar to the paper-work he/she is doing. It builds family dynamics, and you reinforce the learning process.

Ambrosia Slaad |

If you have children in school, do you believe that they are getting a solid and sufficient science education?
a. No answer
b. No
c. Yes
d. Not sure yet
My two nephews seem to be well informed on their science, but 1) they are attending a magnet school, and b) they are only in 4th and 2nd grade so far.

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On a side note, I'd like to point out how the schools have been lowering the bar for decades (yes, since before "No Child Left Behind").
To get a HS Diploma today, you need only the most rudimentary math skills.
When I graduated HS, you needed to take at least Trigonometry to graduate.
When my Mom graduated HS (in 1960), Calculus was a required class for all students.
So, as much I hate to say it because I know a lot of science teachers (but they'd probably agree with me), the schools do NOT push Math & Science as much as they should. And who can blame them? There's not much money being made selling tickets to the Mathlete competitions...
I hear horror stories from my wife each year as new students apply to attend the college she works at.

Freehold DM |

On a side note, I'd like to point out how the schools have been lowering the bar for decades (yes, since before "No Child Left Behind").
To get a HS Diploma today, you need only the most rudimentary math skills.
When I graduated HS, you needed to take at least Trigonometry to graduate.
When my Mom graduated HS (in 1960), Calculus was a required class for all students.
So, as much I hate to say it because I know a lot of science teachers (but they'd probably agree with me), the schools do NOT push Math & Science as much as they should. And who can blame them? There's not much money being made selling tickets to the Mathlete competitions...
And Huz-freakin' Zah to that!!!!
Sorry, I hate math. This includes Trig and Calc. I can comfortably say I have never needed Trig or Calc in my day to day life, nor in college. In my experience(and mine ALONE, I don't mean to speak for others), those two aspects of math exist primarily to make the future engineers in class feel important.

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Crimson Jester wrote:That in fact is our current problem. Did anything help you actually do the work? He wants to have it done in five minutes or it bores him.I have been teaching middle school kids, high school kids, and college kids math & science for 15 years. There is a buzz word among educators called 'homework support'. What it means is you, the parent, sit with your kids as they work each problem, and when their mind begins to wander gently nudge their focus back on track. How do you do this? By sitting next to them and turning the work into a discovery process, and trying to make the homework tell a story. As a RPG player, think of yourself as the DM for your child as he/she goes adventuring on nightly homework assignments. If done thoughtfully this will turn nightly homework into a fun and enjoyable experience.
The best advice I have is to tell you to sit together with your children at the table, and work on something of your own along side them. YOU do not necessarily have to work exactly on his/her homework, but be doing something your child we see as similar to the paper-work he/she is doing. It builds family dynamics, and you reinforce the learning process.
He has a couple of hours where he has to be responsible on his own to do his work. I work 10 hours shifts and just can't be there with him. I also tend to have a very short temper just watching him stare at a keyboard. I do in fact try to stick with it with him on those two days a week where I can in fact be there for him. I fear this is not enough.

Freehold DM |

Tensor wrote:Crimson Jester wrote:That in fact is our current problem. Did anything help you actually do the work? He wants to have it done in five minutes or it bores him.I have been teaching middle school kids, high school kids, and college kids math & science for 15 years. There is a buzz word among educators called 'homework support'. What it means is you, the parent, sit with your kids as they work each problem, and when their mind begins to wander gently nudge their focus back on track. How do you do this? By sitting next to them and turning the work into a discovery process, and trying to make the homework tell a story. As a RPG player, think of yourself as the DM for your child as he/she goes adventuring on nightly homework assignments. If done thoughtfully this will turn nightly homework into a fun and enjoyable experience.
The best advice I have is to tell you to sit together with your children at the table, and work on something of your own along side them. YOU do not necessarily have to work exactly on his/her homework, but be doing something your child we see as similar to the paper-work he/she is doing. It builds family dynamics, and you reinforce the learning process.
He has a couple of hours where he has to be responsible on his own to do his work. I work 10 hours shifts and just can't be there with him. I also tend to have a very short temper just watching him stare at a keyboard. I do in fact try to stick with it with him on those two days a week where I can in fact be there for him. I fear this is not enough.
What worked for me and my mom was the extra work she gave me on the weekends.
Nothing serious- writing a page or two out of the dictionary and a few math problems on Saturday mornings before cartoons. I hated it, but after a while I got used to it, and enjoyed learning new words even as I shied away from the maths. It actually became one of my most cherished memories, especially when I started learning words she didn't know and start using them in day-to-day conversation.