Today I tutored two Kindergarteners. Two hours to complete work just for one child. It amazed me what they were expected to complete online for homework.
"It takes 5 pillows for Brandon to reach the cookie jar. He got one pillow from his room, how many more pillows does he need to stand on?" "Christine and Elle jumped on the couch 10 times. The couch broke. Christine jumped 4 times. How many times did Elle jump?" After I read this paragraph, the child said, "Oh Elle's in big trouble." I said, "Yes, they both are." It got me upset. We expect children to know this at such a young age, but we don't expect them to relate to the world they live in everyday at the same level? My future PhD topic still hasn't changed... to develop curriculum that relates to this place. Word problems should be talking about mangoes and fishponds.*** Healthier lifestyles with actions and events that happens here at home. We read a book about a bear who got sick and all his friends took care of him while he slept in a den. My student asked, "What's a den?" I explained what a den was and thought, if kids don't understand what these settings are anyway, why don't we make settings that are here in Hawaiʻi so that the question changes to, "What is an ʻōhiʻa lehua forest?" We don't even have half of the characters in Hawaiʻi: bear, mole, badger, etc. If kids read everyday about animals that were characters in stories they love starting from four years old, maybe then they would care when they get older and learn that these animals are struggling, flighting to stay alive. That some of these animals can only be found on their island or in the ocean or forest right by their house. We always miss the sunset. They miss about one to two hours of play or anything else they could do as young children because they are expected to fill out a worksheet. How will I be as a parent? How will I react when they bring homework like this back to me? I'll be expected to help them finish it... but will I when I don't believe that's what they should be learning? I could homeschool... but what about the other kids in Hawaiʻi? I hope to change a little part of education before my children start school. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***Can you create a word problem related specifically to where you're from? i.e. "Brandon's grandma asked him to pick 7 mangoes. He picked 3 mangoes. How many more mangoes does he need?" i.e. "Leilani was at Heʻeia fishpond. There were 10 little and big fish. 6 little fish went out of the fishpond. How many big fish are still in the fishpond?"
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AuthorKumu Kaʻai previously taught at Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy and Hawaiian Studies at Wilson Elementary School to K-5 students. Archives
March 2017
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