Category Archives: academics

I have so much more to learn.

November 21, 2011academics, balance, lifeKirsetin

photo by armatoj

How can it be? Howcan I be this many years into life, and marriage, and friendship, andparenthood, how did I make it all the way through high school biology,trigonometry, and AP English to the hallowed halls of my lovely university, andstill come out on the other side just beginning to learn?

If you glanced around my house right now, here’s some ofwhat you’d see: Buy-ology, from the library, on my kitchen counter; dog-earedcopies of Blue Nights and Unaccustomed Earth proudly taking the top spot on thepile of books beside my bed; Sunday’s paper, still unread, resting onedge of the kitchen table. So there’sthat. The book learning.

But there’s so much more. There’s the thinking, the wondering, the understanding—or wantingto. There’s the nuance and the subtletythat I sometimes miss, and sometimes can’t avoid. It’s the whys and the hows that trip me up,that call to me, that keep me coming back, reaching, grasping for more.

I could’ve stayed in school forever, maybe. For the book learning, yes. But more for the thinking, the lengthydiscussions with others, the swirling of ideas, the ‘discovering’ ancient ideasthat are new again, the contemplation: why are these ideas back again, or not.

I have so much more to learn.

I’m linking up with Heather: check it out to find lots of writers thoughtfully writing in the moment.

Words, Glorious Words

November 3, 2011academics, Parenting, writingKirsetin

My kids hate vocabulary homework.

More specifically, they detest my insistence that they occasionally—and I mean occasionally—use an actual dictionary rather than their favored online version. “That is so dumb, Mom,” my oldest will complain. “No one uses that kind of dictionary anymore, “he insists. “What’s the point, anyway?”

It’s at moments like these that I love to share the wisdom of experience.

First of all, my dear child, plenty of people still use a paper dictionary. Why only yesterday I heard Steve Kleinedler, executive editor of the American Heritage Dictionary (one of several I own, by the way) being interviewed on NPR. Enough of the 300 million people in America use a paper dictionary to justify new 7+ pound version, ten years in the making.

This is not to say I don’t use an online version myself. I do. I use both, depending on the day and what I’m looking for. And I don’t mind if you use an online dictionary, too. But I want you to be able to search through a print dictionary; I want you to use it some of the time.

Second, son, there is a point. There are several reasons, in fact, that I’d like you to occasionally peruse the pages of American Heritage or Webster instead of click-click-clicking your way to a definition. A few worth mentioning:

· Memories. Although you don’t realize it now, when the gray begins to sneak into your hairline and you’re parenting children of your own, there will be times when you suddenly recall something from long ago. This memory will seem to come out of nowhere, but its genesis is really a scent or a tune or a phrase that instantly morphs you into a younger version of yourself. When that happens your lips will turn up at the corners as you remember something you’d long forgotten. Turning the pages of a dictionary is one of those things. It’s a tactile experience. The feel of the page and the smell of the ink will stay with you and one day, you will open the hard, heavy cover and smile as you think of these days.

· New words. As I sat down to write this post, I grabbed the closest dictionary and looked to see what was near where the skateboarding term “ollie” will be in the new edition. There, I found “olla,” which I have never heard before, but is a noun that refers to an “earthenware pot or jar with a wide mouth.” What I’ve found, over time is that once I see one of these words, one I’ve never heard before, I begin to notice it. I see it in print or hear it on the radio. Huh, I think. Maybe I did hear it before, but I didn’t recognize it, so my brain just skipped right over. I’m not suggesting you need to read the dictionary every day, but learning a new vocab word now and then never hurts.

· Pictures, Ideas, Thoughts. I am here to tell you that an online dictionary will not draw your attention to a new word or usage of a word with its non-existent pictures. When looking for “ollie” I thumbed through the “P” section and saw a picture of Prometheus, which got me thinking about mythology. One thought led to another and soon I was thinking about schools teaching mythology, then about schools pushing for more rigor at every age, and then about whether all of this supposed rigor really helps kids develop the critical thinking skills that will help them be agents of change in the future.

So, you see, son, thumbing through the dictionary is about a lot more than how to spell words. You’re welcome.

Suggestions from a Seasoned Science Fair Mom

September 15, 2011academicsKirsetin

With two boys who’ve finished elementary school, and a third who appears to be on his way, I’ve attended my fair share of Science Fairs. If you’re at the front end of this grand adventure, allow me to offer a few tips:

1. Add some levity. When your precious pumpkin is designing his first science project, likely some sort of clay-and-Lego creation let him design away. Resist the urge to cut, paste, and suggest. Mmm, hmmm. I am proposing that you keep your mouth shut and stay out of it. Yes, the project will look like he made it out of clay and Legos. And, yes, he will be competing against the kids whose parents spent 3 weeks crafting something to demonstrate the Laws of Thermodynamics. No one likes these parents, especially the teachers. So go ahead and add a little levity—and reality—to the event by letting your child’s design look like what it’s meant to be: a child’s design. Trust me on this one. Your child will be much better off in the long run, and so very proud of himself, for doing this on his own.

2. Independent means independent already! A few years ago one of our boys entered a fancy Statistics Poster contests. There are all sorts of requirements and rules the kids have to follow to ensure that the thing is statistically accurate. Our son wanted to test whether a football would go farther when he threw it and punted it depending on its weight. “Too many variables,” we said. “You can’t make sure you kick it with the same strength every time. It’s not statistically accurate,” we moaned. The persistent bugger insisted, however, and away he went. He recorded the regular weight throw & kick distance. He let some air out and recorded the lighter weight throw & kick distance. Then, using an obviously kid-devised method, he duct taped a bag of rice to the football to see how adding weight would affect the kick and throw distance. (He also covered our entire cul-de-sac with rice, thanks to the broken bags, but hey, he got his data.) “Good luck,” we said, knowing how this would end. But we were wrong. Instead of getting tossed out for bad data, he was one of three winners of cold, hard cash. As for us, his statistically savvy parents? We learned an incredibly valuable lesson that day. It seems those professors know just what kids are capable of, and my guess is that they were thrilled to see duct tape put to such a fine, scientific use.

3. Let them have fun. Face it, moms. Science can be interesting and engaging, but how often do kids see it that way? For that matter, how often do we see it that way? To encourage your blossoming scientist, let her choose a project that has an element of fun and messiness. Miscible liquids and exploding volcanoes are two perennial favorites, volcanoes leading the pack by a mile. As you clean up the trial run, keep in mind that there are at least two goals with a Science Fair. One, of course, is for the kids to learn something about science. But the more important piece, at least for younger kids, is for them to enjoy the process. So let them get down and dirty, and foster the thought, if ever so brief, that science can be fun.