Hours per week. Typo*
My English teacher, who weβll call Sean, was my school βmentorβ, which means I would meet with him once a week and weβd catch up on what I was doing in school, and heβd offer advise, which sounds nice in theory. Heβd try and exploit my anxiety and PTSD, and tell me they the only person I could trust was him, and that I was special and he was the only person that got me. Heβd express his attraction to me and talk about how amazing he was for most of our meetings.
I transferred mentors and he was asked by my school to not contact me, but he has continued to do so, and the school hasnβt done anything about this. Who do I contact in this scenario?
Philosophy doesn't teach what to think, merely how to think better. How to analyze arguments and see their merits and flaws. It can also give everyone a baseline understanding of concepts so people with differing views can have meaningful conversations. For example, in America, President Obama has been labeled some form of socialist/Marxist throughout his presidency by his political opponents. I understand this is merely a scare tactic used to rile up the conservative base. However this tactic would have been impossible if everyone had been required to have a rudimentary understanding of Karl Marx's theories. Love him or hate him Obama was certainly no hero of the proletariat. If a goal of public education is to produce citizens capable of critical thinking, there is no better discipline to master.
Philosophy translates to other fields, more so than most of not all other academic disciplines. This can allow students to find some aspect of philosophy to engage in that they will enjoy. The notion that theories have to be falsifiable in order to be considered science is a philosophical idea (introduced by Karl Popper). Many of the ideals that America was founded on were based on the works of influential philosophers. Freedom of religion (arguments) come from John Locke. Freedom of speech (arguments) from John Stuart Mill.
Most of the important questions that we as a society wrestle with are philosophical questions. What role should government play in society, what is justice/fairness. What laws ought we have, what values ought we hold. Obviously having a background in philosophy won't automatically lead to agreement, but it will give us a better way to think about these issues and allow people to draw much more well reasoned conclusions.
Edit 1. I'm having a great time discussing this with everyone. It got way more traction than I was expecting. It's 5am for me and I gotta try to get to sleep. I'll try to respond to everyone who leaves a comment but I won't be able to reply at all for a few hours. Thanks everyone.
Edit 2. I just want to clarify because I know it wasn't clear from my original post. Elementary school is a pretty big timeline. I think those who say 6 might be too early to try to talk about Philosophy may have a valid point. I'm no early education expert. That being said based on my experience as a child, I think anywhere from 10-12 would be a perfectly reasonable age to start. Right around 4th - 5th grade.
Edit
... keep reading on reddit β‘No additional text needed.
We live in Hungary where all children who have turned age 3 by September 1st are required to start kindergarten here. We can't afford private school my newly 3 daughter (August bday) will start at the public Hungarian kindergarten in our neighbourhood. All her instructors and classmates will use Hungarian only although she does have a few friends who will be in her class that speak English (native-English speaking parent). Right now, she attends public nursery school (also entirely Hungarian) and she doesn't have a strong language preference but she's progressing fine with both.
I know that Hungarian will become her stronger language the older she gets in school here. Also, here children aren't taught to read and write until age ~7, with the expectation they can read independently by the end of first grade. No formal instruction of any kind is given during the 3 years they attend kindergarten, until they enter 1st grade.
I love the way that the education system here encourages children to learn completely through play until 1st grade, but I also know that if we ever move back to the US when she (and her little brother) are older this means they'll be behind in English, having never had any phonics, grammar, reading, or writing lessons in English. (The school she might attend for 1st gradeββwe haven't decided yet for sureββdoes have an English program from 1st grade but it is all through play; they don't learn curriculum the way American students do, and it's really a ground-up approach for students assumed to have no English beforehand).
So, I would like to slowly add in some pre-K English (and possibly numeracy/early math) to her "school week" from September.
All homeschooling resources I've found so far aren't for bilingual kids living abroad, or if they are assume they're going to fancy privae schools, and there are all these ones with a religious component (I'm looking for secular-only). I also don't want her just playing tablet video games for an hour in the afternoon: I want her to learn handwriting, speech/sounds, classic books (as she gets older, read the actual required curriculum books for her grade level) sensory play, all that good stuff. During her kindergarten years, I can take her home as early as after lunch, or just after nap time (2:30ish) and dedicate as much time as needed, hopefully without her feeling like it's a structured "lesson" but just something she and Mommy do together a few times a week in the afternoons!
Does anyone k
... keep reading on reddit β‘The Mandarin-English elementary school that my daughter happily attends have openings for this and next semesters. It's a CA Distinguished School, 8/10 on GreatSchools, open to all students, and free -- Chapman Elementary in Gardena.
Virtual tours are on 3/11 (8:30 am) and 3/18 (4pm)!
Any ideas on how to let interested parents know about the openings at this Mandarin-English program? Thank you!
https://preview.redd.it/uabodkwq0cm61.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30b17c1ed9d7d68183e7aeb12df14ae3bc694464
Iβm curious especially since Korean English teachers make mistakes, do your kids point out their mistakes? Have you had to talk about that kind of stuff with your kids?
Or are they all COMPLETELY cut? Just curious.
I'm dead serious. It sure would have added some color and flavor to my high school English papers, let alone my tedious undergraduate writing program.
We surfers' words are often applicable in contexts not related to surfing so it's utilitarian and children should be taught when to employ it. More importantly, we have additional definitions to Standard English words and terms (buckle, A-frame, trim, pitching, spitting etc etc) so dictionaries really should be revised.
If AAVE is classified as a valid non-Stardard English language, so should be the English language that over 2 million American surfers speak (some more than others of course). IMO, it's just as valid as a language in every way. There should be a requisite semester long high school class to learn the etymological and cultural history. The words us malahinis adopted from Hawaiian predate AAVE, and some of those fabricated on the mainland are now close to 100 years old.
If we're going to start allowing non Standard English languages and dialects to be spoken or taught in the classroom, then we surfers and our English language shouldn't be discriminated against.
Parents just got emailed a survey for the 2020-2021 OCDSB school year as to when the winter break should take place.
But included is the notice that the 2020 school year will start prior to Labour Day:
Good afternoon,
With the close of 2019, the OCDSB is busy preparing for our 2020-2021 school year. And we need your help.
The OCDSB is inviting parents and students to complete a short survey about the next school year.
Please note that the late placement of Labour Day (September 7, 2020) will require a start of the school year the week prior to Labour Day. The 2020-2021 school year will begin on Monday, August 31, 2020.
We are seeking your input on the 2020-2021 school year calendar in the following areas:
Winter Break
Option 1: The final day of classes for students would be Friday, December 18, 2020. The winter break would be Monday, December 21, 2020 toΒ Friday, January 1, 2021. Students would return to class on Monday, January 4, 2021.
Option 2: Students would continue in classes until Tuesday, December 22, 2020. The winter break would be Wednesday, December 23, 2020 toΒ Tuesday, January 5, 2021. Students would return to class on Wednesday, January 6, 2021.
Board Holidays
Board holidays do not presently take place in the OCDSB, although a number of districts include Board holidays. In order to consider the addition of Board holidays during which all schools are closed, the school year would extend by the equivalent number of days in order to meet Ministry of Education requirements for the length of the school year.
OptionΒ 1: No Board holidays (status quo) with the school year ending on June 25, 2021
OptionΒ 2: Two Board holidays (where all schools are closed) with the school year extended by two days with the school year ending June 29, 2021. If option 2 is selected, the Board Holidays would take place on
- Friday, February 12, 2021 (resulting in a four-day Family Day weekend)
- Friday, March 12, 2021 (resulting in extending the March Break by one day)
Please click here to access the survey. The survey closes January 26, 2020.
Thank you for your assistance as we plan the next school year.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OCDSB_2020_2021_School_Year_Calendar_Survey
Hey guys,
TEFL teacher here. Have taught for about 5 years in Japan and online; will be teaching at a for-profit for my initial year in China-- currently getting documents notarized and authenticated for an eventual Z visa through the San Francisco embassy. I'm very interested in teaching in a public school for my second year. The only somewhat reliable avenue I've seen is going through Language Link Schools (where I initially received a CELTA), and applying for their partner schools, one being Yihai Primary, #2 in Beijing. Aside from this route, I haven't seen a lot of other for-profits partnering with government/public schools. I'm not interested in an international school, but an actual Chinese public school. There's obviously lots of recruiters promising X, Y, and Z, but I'd prefer to skype an actual TEFL teacher with experience at that specific school. If anyone has experience, I'd be really interested in a skype session with you. Of course any tips are great.
Hello!
Iβm well aware that there are currently no schools due the pandemic but Iβm planning on a career change and I have to be careful with planning and be certain with what I want before changing.
Iβve studied in public schools here in Kuwait and I never liked the English classes because theyβre very basic and didnβt focus on creative writing, critical thinking and analyzing passages or stories weβve read in class. Also, a lot of my English teachers back then simply didnβt care about English and didnβt teach it very well.
I havenβt studied in a private school and Iβm not sure what their schools are like but I had a glance at their curriculum and itβs much better than that of public schools.
Can you, English teachers of Kuwait, tell me about your experience teaching in a private or public school (maybe even both)?
I would love to know your thoughts and opinions on the matter and I will gladly listen to any advice you might have for me or for others.
Thank you!
The Mandarin-English elementary school that my daughter happily attends have openings for this and next semesters. It's a CA Distinguished School, 8/10 on GreatSchools, open to all students, and free -- Chapman Elementary in Gardena.
Virtual tours are on 3/11 (8:30 am) and 3/18 (4pm)!
Any ideas on how to let interested parents know about the openings at this Mandarin-English program? Thank you!
https://preview.redd.it/d5ln0iw00cm61.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd0009e770b8589bb56688e5546537ad2c6257ee
The Mandarin-English elementary school that my daughter happily attends have openings for this and next semesters. It's a CA Distinguished School, 8/10 on GreatSchools, open to all students, and free -- Chapman Elementary in Gardena.
Virtual tours are on 3/11 (8:30 am) and 3/18 (4pm)!
Any ideas on how to let interested parents know about the openings at this Mandarin-English program? Thank you!
https://preview.redd.it/zws3diyf0cm61.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b3a12c5a555abd2b3be1d26bd6682b0f881dd2f6
