{"id":2075589,"date":"2023-10-22T05:04:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T09:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teach-your-children-well\/"},"modified":"2023-10-22T05:09:38","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T09:09:38","slug":"teach-your-children-well","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teach-your-children-well\/","title":{"rendered":"Educate your kids effectively."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">8<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fteach-your-children-well%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2075589&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>A+ \u200bParenting: The Surprisingly Fun Guide \u2062to Raising Surprisingly\u2063 Smart Kids<\/h2>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p>A few years ago, David Brooks wrote \u200da column in which he took a\u2064 friend without a high school degree to a sandwich shop. &#8220;Suddenly,&#8221; he recounted, &#8220;I saw\u200b her \u200bface freeze up as she was\u2062 confronted with sandwiches named &#8216;Padrino&#8217;\u200b and &#8216;Pomodoro&#8217; and ingredients like soppressata, capicollo and a \u2063striata baguette. I quickly asked her if she wanted to go somewhere else and she anxiously nodded yes\u2062 and we \u2062ate Mexican.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Brooks concluded that\u200b &#8220;American upper-middle-class culture (where the opportunities are) is \u2063now laced with cultural signifiers that\u2063 are completely illegible unless\u2063 you happen to have grown up in this \u2064class. They play on the normal human fear of humiliation \u2063and exclusion. Their chief message is, &#8216;You are not welcome here.'&#8221; \u2063Well, this is hardly a new phenomenon in America or otherwise, but it&#8217;s also only a\u200b superficial explanation of\u200d what separates the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prager-affluence-secularism-boredom-leftism\/\" title=\"PRAGER: Affluence + Secularism = Boredom = Leftism\">upper-middle class<\/a> from everyone else. There are also real habits and real pieces of knowledge that enable some kids to \u200cget \u200dahead.\u200d And they matter a\u200c lot more than whether \u2064you know different words for Italian meat.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Developing Intellectual Habits in Children<\/h3>\n<p>If you \u2063want to know what those habits are, you could do a lot worse \u200cthan reading Eva \u200bMoskowitz&#8217;s new book, <i>A+ Parenting: \u2063The Surprisingly Fun Guide to Raising Surprisingly Smart Kids<\/i>. \u200dMoskowitz, whose Success Academy charter school network currently educates more \u2062than 20,000 kids \u200cin New\u2064 York City, says she is often asked for parenting advice.<\/p>\n<p>Moskowitz has three\u200d young adult children of her own, and she (and her husband, with whom\u200b she wrote the \u200dbook)\u200b sees it as the\u2063 responsibility both of\u200c parents and educators to teach \u2062children &#8220;how to learn.&#8221; This is\u200d a phrase that&#8217;s thrown around a \u200clot \u200dlately; \u2063usually it&#8217;s mentioned in contrast to teaching children &#8220;what to learn.&#8221; But for Moskowitz,\u2062 the former is not possible\u2062 without the latter. And so the book has\u200b a lot\u200c of \u200csuggestions for what books kids should read, what movies they should watch, \u2062what \u200dgames they should play, and \u2064what \u200cextracurricular activities they should participate in.<\/p>\n<p>The idea behind these \u2063suggestions is to give children the &#8220;intellectual\u2062 habits \u2062\u2026 to become good students \u2063and \u200dthinkers.&#8221; Moskowitz offers \u2063some examples: &#8220;They must learn \u2026 \u2064to\u200b be patient, inquisitive, and inventive; to review their work critically, overcome their fears and exercise discipline; and perhaps most important, to enjoy and value learning\u2014in other words, to become <i>enthusiastic learners<\/i>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>The\u200b Role \u200dof Parents in\u2064 Developing Habits<\/h3>\n<p>To some parents, this sounds like the purview of school, but as Moskowitz \u200dnotes\u2063 repeatedly, parents spend a lot more time with their children than teachers do. As such, \u2064they can engage in a lot of activities that\u200d teachers don&#8217;t have the time to \u200cdo. \u2062She recommends giving your kids logic puzzles that they can mull over for days or\u200b weeks. Teachers teach kids the steps to solving a problem \u2062because they\u2063 are under \u200dtime pressure to get through a curriculum. But \u200d&#8221;in real life, you sometimes get thrown into the deep end of the pool. When your boss needs you to solve a \u2062problem, \u2063they won&#8217;t teach you exactly how to solve it because they may not know themselves.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Even if parents don&#8217;t have the kind of time they think they need to develop these habits in their kids, Moskowitz assures readers that she is \u200dnot asking for martyrdom. She has and \u2063has had some \u200bpretty demanding\u200d jobs, and her\u200b husband works full-time too. &#8220;Some parents think they owe it to their children to \u200bclean \u2062up after them, to \u2062entertain them every\u2064 moment\u2063 they get bored, and to let \u200bthem whine and complain whenever they&#8217;re unhappy.&#8221; On the\u200b contrary. &#8220;This may lead your children to think that the whole world revolves around \u200cthem, and that their needs should take precedence over everyone else&#8217;s, including yours, which\u200b isn&#8217;t a good way to start\u2062 life.&#8221; Amen.<\/p>\n<h3>Engaging Family Activities<\/h3>\n<p>One way to make clear this\u200c point is by having your child spend \u200ctime around adults. They will hear more advanced\u200d vocabulary\u200c and learn interesting things that they may not if they just spend time around kids their own age. But Moskowitz\u2063 also has a\u2064 lot of\u2063 suggestions for family \u200ctime. She is a big fan \u200dof board\u200d games and card games, but she is very specific. \u2063Even for younger kids, she prefers games that involve \u2062strategy to those that \u2062are just luck. Connect Four is better than Candy Land. But\u2064 anyone who knows Success Academies\u2062 knows that Moskowitz&#8217;s\u2063 real\u2064 passion lies with chess. The school starts kids in \u2064kindergarten, and its students have gone \u200con to become top players. Chess \u2064rewards kids for patience. And this, says Moskowitz,\u200b is one \u2062of the keys to \u2064her students\u2064 doing well in school and particularly \u200con standardized tests, where it is always tempting to \u200dpick the first answer you\u2064 come to.<\/p>\n<p>Family activities\u2064 should include a\u200d lot of talking and playing together and listening to music. Moskowitz even has strong opinions on children&#8217;s songs. She is a fan \u200cof show tunes and Tom Lehrer. \u2064Because kids listen \u200dto them over and over, they\u200d can\u2062 learn new vocabulary, and even if they don&#8217;t get all the jokes at first, they can understand more as they go. It is funny, looking back, how many of the smart people I knew in college <b>were\u2064 familiar with these same off-the-beaten-track voices<\/b>. This could seem like \u2063it falls \u200dinto \u2063the &#8220;soppresatta&#8221; category, but Moskowitz \u200dmakes the case that such music\u2064 helps children learn\u2064 vocabulary \u2063and develop \u2063a more \u2062sophisticated sense of humor.<\/p>\n<p>A \u2062child of the &#8217;60s, Moskowitz \u200balso recommends\u2064 Bob Dylan. She imagines a child thinking about Dylan&#8217;s \u2064lyric: &#8220;How many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry?&#8221; &#8220;The \u200cfirst\u200c reaction might \u2062be one of\u200b bemusement. \u2063The idea that a person may have more \u2062than two ears,\u200d or that this \u2063would allow\u200d them to hear better, may intrigue a child. This leads \u2062the child \u2063to think each time they listen to the song\u200b and\u200b to realize that\u200d Dylan isn&#8217;t being literal. Rather he is\u2062 pointing out how\u2063 absurd \u2063it \u200bis that \u200bwe should be unable to hear \u200dthe evidence of war&#8217;s harm with the two\u200b ears we already\u200b have.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Embracing Technology Wisely<\/h3>\n<p>Perhaps the \u2063area \u200dwhere parents need\u2062 to take the strongest stance\u200d is\u200d against\u2063 screens &#8220;because excessive television and video games\u2063 will make it very difficult for your child to engage in more educational activities.&#8221; But even when it\u2062 comes \u200dto technology, Moskowitz is not a \u2063pure Luddite and has some useful\u2063 recommendations. She is a big fan of audiobooks, particularly for \u2062kids who have trouble\u200c reading. Using them is a way to develop vocabulary\u200b even for kids\u2063 who have \u2062dyslexia, for instance. And she \u200blikes smart speakers. Not worried about \u2062the Chinese spying on us, she says she regularly uses \u200bthe\u200b speakers to help answer questions her kids ask. Her family enjoys classic movies, and she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teach-your-children-well\/\" title=\"Educate your kids effectively.\">likes showing young kids nature documentaries<\/a>, though even those she\u200b is particular about\u200c and has recommendations for ones that include\u2064 more interesting language.<\/p>\n<h3>The Impact of Content \u2062on Character<\/h3>\n<p>Moskowitz \u200cis definitely not of the school\u2014which has gained much currency \u200bin education recently\u2014that as long as a child is reading, it doesn&#8217;t really matter \u200cwhether it&#8217;s <i>Black Beauty<\/i> \u200dor the <em>Wimpy Kid<\/em> series. She advises that\u200d reading &#8220;mediocre&#8221; books is &#8220;a waste of time.&#8221; <i>A+ Parenting<\/i> \u200dis an engaging combination of\u200b educational advice, \u2063what your child should know\u2063 with some more abstract thoughts \u2064about character too and\u200c how \u2064the \u2063content we feed our kids has an\u200c enormous impact on that character.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Watching fictional films,&#8221; she writes, &#8220;can be \u2062quite educational if the films themselves are good. Unfortunately, many are \u2063rather predictable. They return to the same old themes: that people who are good and hardworking win out in the end; that \u2063you should marry for love and follow your instincts; that people will\u2064 succeed when they\u2064 learn how to work \u2063together; that all people can be divided into bad people\u2063 (terrorists,\u200b Nazis, racists, \u200dbig\u200d corporations) and good people (underdogs, environmentalists).&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Moskowitz instead recommends <i>Amadeus<\/i> or <i>Steve Jobs<\/i> or <i>In the Heat of the Night<\/i> because &#8220;the\u200c appeal of more \u2062complicated\u2064 films like these is \u2062that they lead you to think about the film after it is done.&#8221; For parents\u2014especially immigrants or those in the working class\u2014who are trying to give their kids more opportunities, <i>A+ Parenting<\/i> is invaluable. Not only does it offer real lists of the\u2063 things kids should know\u2014an E.D. Hirsch approach to\u200b childrearing\u2014but it \u200calso explains how those\u200b things will enable\u200c parents to engage \u2064more with their children. \u200bFrankly,\u2064 though, too\u2062 many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-parents-torpedo-democrats-crt-and-transgender-policies\/\" title=\"Virginia Parents Torpedo Democrats' CRT and Transgender Policies\">upper-middle-class parents<\/a> have gotten away from offering their kids this kind of rich content. And \u2062if the\u200b schools \u200bare not going \u200dto do it, the buck has to stop somewhere.<\/p>\n<p><i>A+ Parenting: The\u200d Surprisingly Fun Guide to Raising\u2064 Surprisingly Smart Kids<\/i><br \/>  \u2062 by Eva Moskowitz with Eric Grannis<br \/> Harvest, 265 pp., $28.99<\/p>\n<p><i>Naomi\u2064 Schaefer Riley, \u2062a senior\u2063 fellow at the \u200dAmerican \u2063Enterprise Institute and the Independent Women&#8217;s Forum, is the author\u200d of<\/i> No\u2064 Way to Treat a Child: How the \u200cFoster Care System, Family Courts, and \u200cRacial Activists Are Wrecking Young Lives<i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2063 What are the benefits of \u2063reading aloud to children and engaging\u200b in\u200d discussions about different themes and ideas?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Understands that parents have busy lives and many \u200bresponsibilities, but she encourages them\u200b to seize opportunities\u2064 to foster these habits in their children\u2064 whenever possible. It can be \u2063as simple as engaging in conversations with \u200cyour child, asking them \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-christian-university-to-hold-queer-art-of-drag-course\/\" title=\"Texas Christian University offers 'Queer Art of Drag' course.\">thought-provoking questions<\/a>, encouraging them to think critically, and exposing them to \u200bnew experiences.<\/p>\n<h3>The Power of\u200d\u2060 Literature and\u200d\u2060\u200d\u2060 Media<\/h3>\n<p>One of the key \u200brecommendations in A+ Parenting is\u200d the importance of exposing children to a wide variety of literature and \u2064media. Moskowitz believes that reading is one of the most valuable habits a child \u200bcan develop. She\u2063 suggests parents read aloud to their children \u2062from a young age, \u2064encouraging discussion and exploration of different themes and ideas. This not \u200bonly helps children develop their language skills, but also \u2062expands their \u200bknowledge and understanding of the world\u2064 around \u200dthem.<\/p>\n<p>Moskowitz also emphasizes\u200c the value of\u2064 quality media in shaping the \u2062minds of\u2063 young children. While she acknowledges \u2063that excessive screen\u2064 time can\u2064 be detrimental, she argues that carefully\u200d selected movies, documentaries, and educational programs\u200d can be powerful learning \u200ctools when\u200d used in moderation. By exposing children\u2062 to \u2063different perspectives \u200dand \u200dideas \u2064through\u2064 media, parents can broaden \u200btheir horizons and\u2064 help develop their critical thinking skills.<\/p>\n<h3>Nurturing a\u2062 Love for\u200d Learning<\/h3>\n<p>Perhaps\u200b the most important message \u200cthat Moskowitz conveys in\u200b her book is the importance of nurturing a love \u2064for \u2064learning in children. She encourages parents to make learning\u2063 enjoyable and engaging,\u200c rather than a chore or\u200b something to be \u200dendured. By\u2063 cultivating an enthusiasm for learning, \u200cchildren will naturally develop the curiosity and motivation to explore new subjects and ideas on their own.<\/p>\n<p>To achieve this, Moskowitz suggests creating a \u2062positive learning environment at home, where children feel supported, \u200cencouraged, and celebrated for their efforts. She also \u200demphasizes the value of setting high but achievable expectations for children and providing them with opportunities to take on challenges and develop resilience.<\/p>\n<h3>In Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>A+ Parenting offers a refreshing \u2062perspective\u200c on raising \u200dsmart kids by focusing on\u200b the development of intellectual habits rather than mere academic\u2062 achievement. Eva Moskowitz&#8217;s insights and recommendations provide parents with practical strategies \u2062to \u2062nurture \u200ctheir \u2064children&#8217;s \u200dcuriosity, \u2064critical \u200bthinking, \u2063and love for learning. By embracing these principles, parents can empower their children\u2063 to become enthusiastic learners who\u2064 are well-prepared to succeed in the increasingly complex and \u2062competitive\u200d world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David Brooks once wrote a column about taking a friend, who lacked a high school degree, to a sandwich shop. As they encountered sandwiches named &#8216;Padrino&#8217; and &#8216;Pomodoro&#8217; with unfamiliar ingredients like soppressata, capicollo, and a striata baguette, her face froze. Sensing her discomfort, I swiftly inquired about her preferences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":975,"featured_media":2075590,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2075589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/975"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2075589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075589\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2075590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2075589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2075589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2075589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}