Category Archive

education

A Pi Day bonus: one teacher’s thoughts on why math matters

“You’ll need it to balance your checkbook” or “What if you wanted to re-paint a room of your house?” are phrases that we would often hear repeated to us when we asked “Why we will ever need any of this math?”. While these uses are just as relevant as ever, these answers not only leave today’s learners unsatisfied, but also do not address the essential needs of math in today’s working world. As parents and caretakers, we should be careful to not confuse arithmetic with Mathematics.

It’s Pi Day! Let’s talk about how awesome math is for your kids

Growing up I was totally one of those kids that read early, talked early, all that jazz — but hated math. I can’t even pretend that I just strongly disliked it, as my feelings were those of straight-up loathing. If I have to place the beginning of this hate-hate relationship, I can safely say it started when I got my first B in sixth grade in algebra.

Thoughts about how urban parents are changing the face of homeschooling

Education is always a big topic on parenting sites — we’ve chatted about those who opt for public, private, home, and unschooling throughout this site’s existence. Michelle recently shared a piece that resonated with me: Linda Perlstein’s Why Urban, Educated Parents are Turning to DIY Education.

What do you do when you can’t answer your kid’s homework questions?

My public-schooled fourth grader is a good student, and my partner and I do our best to help him out with any questions he might have about his homework. We don’t do his work for him, but if he needs help, we give it. Every so often the three of us hit a roadblock: there are simply some questions that none of us can answer.

Our toddler was speaking French before either of us knew the language

Ottawa is truly a bilingual city — it borders Quebec, and a large segment of the population speaks both French and English. There are also large portions of the population that speak exclusively French or English. We felt that our lack of language ability was definitely a hurdle to cross in that environment. We found out we were expecting our first child shortly after moving, and quickly moved to Gatineau, an almost exclusively French part of the country.

Where can I find Waldorf resources for parenting and early childhood?

Now that I’m becoming a parent, I have an excuse to indulge my love of Waldorf toys, but I’m interested in the philosophy behind them as well. I’m interested in hearing the experience of Offbeat parents who have incorporated Steiner/Waldorf philosophies into their parenting. What resources (books or online) do you recommend to inform a new parent about incorporating Steiner/Waldorf into their home and parenting philosophies?

The (unnecessary) stress of picking preschools

With all of the unsolicited advice a new parent gets, I would have thought that the sheer panic and guilt over preschool would have been mentioned some place. I still remember all of the friendly warnings about sleepless nights and colicky babies. I have in my possession notes from friends and family with tips on how to calm my fussy newborn, why they prefer cloth diapers to disposables and the best place in the neighborhood to take a “Mommy & Me” yoga class.

What my favorite teacher means to me

To me, teachers — whether they’re in a public, private, or home setting — are absolutely invaluable. I’ve always admired those who choose to enter the profession or opt to teach their own children. Teaching seems to be much more than standing in front of a classroom and dispensing logic — great teachers genuinely get to know and care for their students in the process, and students in turn for their teachers. So I thought that since it’s World Teacher’s Day it would be most appropriate to celebrate a few of my favorite teachers — and a few of yours.