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by renewiltord 1376 days ago
I learned pretty much everything I know from reading by myself since I lived out in the country. My parents did my homework with their left hand when I was young so I'd have time for more productive pursuits like exploring or reading. Worked pretty well for me. I aced almost every exam in my childhood. And I am quite successful.

In many ways, school just slows you down. But I liked my parents' way. That let me go to school and have that shared experience with other kids while not holding me back.

I wonder how I can do that for my kids. Unfortunately, homework is part of the grade and you can't tell the teachers to skip it for your kid. Or maybe you can.
3 comments
ekianjo 1376 days ago
> In many ways, school just slows you down.

Yes, and that's not even accounting for bullying if you are unlucky

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rwbt 1376 days ago
> Unfortunately, homework is part of the grade and you can't tell the teachers to skip it for your kid.

This is the biggest curiosity killer. Instead of helping them it somehow teaches the kids to become a bunch of obedient rule followers. Maybe that's the intended effect.

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trophycase 1376 days ago
idk where you went to school but the "homework" and worksheets I got before high school I could do with my eyes closed. The teachers would hand it out, I'd complete it in 2 minutes then not worry about it. It never even reached my parents. They had already taught me how to read a clock, how to do multiplication and long division, etc. "Homework" as a concept basically didn't exist for me before AP classes.
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renewiltord 1376 days ago
Oh my homework was sheets of that stuff. The constraint was writing speed honestly. It would take hours of work just to write it out. I was talking to my parents the other day and they laughed about how many pages of cursive text they had to fill just to let me off the hook. But who knows, maybe you're better than me.

It's definitely one thing I like very much about American education: it appears to be much less mechanical. Though unless you go to magnet schools or specific private schools, the peer group is usually weak.

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