Bonding with my kid
School is tough these days. Kids have to learn so much and I have the feeling that in about 2 years from now, my kid will know more than I ever learnt.
What is another challenge is that some of the stuff that is naturally in my blood comes difficult to someone who is just 7 years. I mean, gosh, how to explain subtraction in the easiest way? How many different ways to explain it? When one is failing, which one to choose? Different angle?
I mean, even Edison needed – what? 1,000 experiments before the stupid bulb started to light up? But nothing better when you find the way into the child’s mind and suddenly, the light opens up – he gets it. I had such a great moment the other day. He suddenly understood how to subtract numbers from each other.
And than, he got it - he was first able to subtract small numbers from each other, and than went on to subtracting three digit numbers from 3 digit numbers. Nothing better than to see him proud. How he ran to his mother to show her what he did. Beaming eyes!! Passion. Fun to learn. Bonding between the two of us on levels that succeed anything one has ever experienced. So happy that he didn’t want to stop! Kids are like this. We, the big ones, and society teach them to "hate" learning with our discipline, and our rigid structures.
Well, that was something that I could still teach him. I am worried what comes next – after all, he is already at multiplication – in Primary 1!!! I learnt multiplication when I was, I think, 10 or eleven. That means, he is three years ahead. Algorithm came in High School and shortly after than, I was lost. The speed that my kid is learning math, algorithm appears to be on the horizon in about 12 months from now. And my kid will realize that his father is not the hero he thought he would be.
School is tough these days. Kids have to learn so much and I have the feeling that in about 2 years from now, my kid will know more than I ever learnt.
What is another challenge is that some of the stuff that is naturally in my blood comes difficult to someone who is just 7 years. I mean, gosh, how to explain subtraction in the easiest way? How many different ways to explain it? When one is failing, which one to choose? Different angle?
I mean, even Edison needed – what? 1,000 experiments before the stupid bulb started to light up? But nothing better when you find the way into the child’s mind and suddenly, the light opens up – he gets it. I had such a great moment the other day. He suddenly understood how to subtract numbers from each other.
And than, he got it - he was first able to subtract small numbers from each other, and than went on to subtracting three digit numbers from 3 digit numbers. Nothing better than to see him proud. How he ran to his mother to show her what he did. Beaming eyes!! Passion. Fun to learn. Bonding between the two of us on levels that succeed anything one has ever experienced. So happy that he didn’t want to stop! Kids are like this. We, the big ones, and society teach them to "hate" learning with our discipline, and our rigid structures.
Well, that was something that I could still teach him. I am worried what comes next – after all, he is already at multiplication – in Primary 1!!! I learnt multiplication when I was, I think, 10 or eleven. That means, he is three years ahead. Algorithm came in High School and shortly after than, I was lost. The speed that my kid is learning math, algorithm appears to be on the horizon in about 12 months from now. And my kid will realize that his father is not the hero he thought he would be.
posted by Andreas @ 3:16 pm
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