To Kumon or not to Kumon. That is the question.

[megabored]

DD is starting school in September. Below are the Pros and Cons I have been debating recently.

1. She is bright, so should be okay without extra help in school
2. It is too early to put her through this
3. Kumon is expensive and time consuming.

The Pros

1. It may give her that bit of extra confidence at school
2. Earlier is better as then she can grow with that system
3. Its not so expensive as to be prohibitive.

I really cant decide either way. Please someone help?

Apology?

tethersend they possibly have a better overall education system? So it may
Not be about whether you start at 4 or 7, but more about What and How you are taught when you are in the system. But in the same instance we can quite China and India that produce highly competent internationally astute doctors, engineers and scientists etc.
Which way is more correct? Who knows. Certainly not the British. Hoping to avoid the Bun fight for my last remark.

I don't think you are going to get an apology Seeker though in my opinion you do deserve one.
Ignoring is rather rude too I feel.

Don't do it - dull, dull, dull!!

What works for a different culture isn't proof that it will work in our culture.

I mean, for years Scandinavian countries have been held up as a shining example of how you can have a generous welfare system and still be economically successful. Now lets focus our attention on Greece :)

And then there is the other side of the argument which is that many of the so called tiger parenting countries that advocates the learning by rote system that is despised by many here is out ranking the UK in terms of academic achievements.

"What works for a different culture isn't proof that it will work in our culture."

Poosh, the OP's quote was: "Counting beans or doing arty farty things are clearly not enough if you want to stay competitive at an International level."

Clearly, they are.

tethersend, not from my understanding. I don't understand how they could be. So for example, if I just do the arty farty stuff, as I tactfully describe it, and start my
Dd at school at 7, she at a British school in year R1, all other things being the same, it is going to be enough to produce a
High achieving rounded individual? and some more

poosh Greece is a separate thread.

sticklebug you are funny. So are you seeker.
Hope you have all had a nice day by the way!

"Ignoring is rather rude too I feel"

Then I wouldn't be able to enjoy seeker going - apologise .... apologise....apologise God dammit! apologise :o :o

Waiting for the apology, PooshTun.

And I am sorry about derailing this thread, but I feel very strongly about this.

And rightly so. You aren't going to get one from that kind of poster though.

Me thinks you are a bit peculiar PushTun....

Nice, PooshTun - taunt someone about their kids, then try to bait them with stupid remarks about enjoying their discomfort. Lovely.

@thethersend

"Poosh, the OP's quote was: "Counting beans or doing arty farty things are clearly not enough if you want to stay competitive at an International level."

Clearly, they are."

Maybe it works for Finland but its certainly not working for the UK which was my point. Otherwise we would be churning out more scientists and engineers etc then those damned pesky foreigners with their tiger mom attitudes.

Well I'm a mum who excels at the arty farty stuff and I wouldn't have sat my child down with a worksheet at any cost. Funnily enough ds got offered exceptional funding for Cambridge and dd just came top of her year in the optional SATs so they must have picked something up from all the fun we had particularly as they entered nursery late and only went part time until they had to be full time in school.

Let me throw another bomb in this thread then. Do you think if we were men we would be asking for this apology or refusing an asked apology? (goes and hides)

I think PooshTun is enjoying playing games and her apology would mean not a jot.

"Me thinks you are a bit peculiar PushTun"

Depends on which side of the window you are sitting. My friends on this side having pretty scathing things to say about you ladies on the other side of the window :)

What a strange comment, megabored.

There are some very odd and unpleasant people of this thread.

My friends on this side having pretty scathing things to say about you ladies on the other side of the window

Yep, I imagine they are if they are friends of yours, Pooshtun. I prefer my side thanks - where no one takes verbal swipes at my children for fun and giggles.

insanity great. Good it's worked for you. I too eventually ended with a scholarship despite the fact that I feel the education system i was in failed me (at school) I did not do kumon. There were no computers to print worksheet off. However, my patents gave attention to my studies. Be it talking to teachers for extra homework (which they refused and classed my parents as pushy) or tried to give me a set routine. My parent too did the arty farty stuff but also ensured I had other means of learning my times tables and arithmetic and algebra.

feenie I agree.

Megabored- you have remembered that your child is 4, haven't you? There aree loads of fantastic ways to do extra maths - cooking ( how many biscuits do we make for 2 each?) making ("measure the cardboard box- how much do we need to cut off?") and so on. Fun, free and helps with the understanding as well as learning the facts.

Seeker that is all we did and we had such a lovely time doing it too. I think the practical application of numbers is a far more useful skill than being able to recite number facts tbh although mine sort of absorbed those as we went along rather than being formally taught them.

The most mathematically ably pre school child I've encountered developed his ability going to the community centre with his grandpa and playing dominoes and card games with the retired members. He didn't need pen, paper or calculator to work quickly with large numbers.