| It is a known fact that by the time a kid turns 8, | | | | together educational sites that are helping |
| he would have learnt 80% about life. Logically, this | | | | countless number of schools and educational |
| means that for the next 72 years he would | | | | institutions round the globe to better the quality of |
| gradually be learning the remaining 20%, (sic). | | | | teaching numeracy and literacy. Both teachers and |
| Does it not make sense, in that case, to teach a | | | | parents are able to have access to fresh and long |
| child as much as possible within the first 8 years, | | | | proven methods of teaching. These teaching aids |
| such things as math concepts and language skills? | | | | are the same as are being used by expensive |
| It is a proven fact that a child can learn and | | | | educational institutions. Many of those sites are |
| understand multiple languages if exposed to each | | | | readily available for free or for a monthly |
| for at least 3 months at a time. | | | | subscription. |
| A friend of mine came from Israel, married to an | | | | So finding help online is not hard. Parents can |
| Irish guy. They spoke English at home as the | | | | easily learn concepts and help their children |
| husband could not speak Hebrew. Their 4 year old | | | | understand math from an early age. Most of the |
| child, therefore, grew up without a word of | | | | work needs to be done at home, no matter how |
| Hebrew-except for the occasional ones from the | | | | little time is spent with a child. Everything that is |
| mother--. They went on holidays to Israel for | | | | taught on line -- not all the sites, unfortunately -- |
| three months; on their return the kid was | | | | are the exact methodologies used today and |
| speaking fluent Hebrew! | | | | would teach the child exactly what is being taught |
| Don't we all remember the time when we were | | | | at school. Helping a child 15 minutes every other |
| excited about sending our kids to Kindergarten? | | | | day can be life changing. Firstly, it would help |
| All the preparation, the emotion, expectations, and | | | | discipline the child into a routine from an earlier |
| tears that makes it such a memorable day? We | | | | age and secondly, reinforce what he learns at |
| get excited about everything that the child does, | | | | school. This practice is bound to pay off in the |
| we monitor every step of their initial learning and | | | | long run, without any doubt. |
| as soon as they are in year 5 or 6, our | | | | More and more schools are using online resources |
| enthusiasm dampens. It becomes harder and | | | | to teach and help students reinforce lessons |
| harder to help them with their homework, as the | | | | taught in the classroom. It is not always that a |
| teaching methodologies have fundamentally | | | | teacher can provide one on one attention; and it |
| changed to the extent that trying to help them | | | | is crucial that the opportunity is given to those |
| with what we know would confuse them even | | | | students in need to get the help on the spot, and |
| further. | | | | what better medium than the internet? Teachers |
| Why do kids not grasp what is being taught at | | | | will be monitoring individual progress from time to |
| school and need the extra help with homework? | | | | time, thus using their time more efficiently. There |
| There are many reasons; the most logical ones | | | | are countless numbers of teachers out there who |
| that come to my mind are distractions and peer | | | | really see the benefit of online teaching. Many of |
| pressure. Kids get easily distracted in class and | | | | them are spending extra hours looking for sites |
| miss important parts of lessons. They are too | | | | that might fit their students' needs, which could |
| embarrassed to ask questions or don't want to | | | | help facilitate them in their teaching endeavors, |
| be called a nerd if they did. | | | | but who, somehow, couldn't find the ideal solution |
| This can cause a lot of pressure that proves too | | | | in their quest. The time has come to change the |
| much in the long run, and kids just give up. With all | | | | face of learning and give the opportunity to our |
| the resources available today, there is no need to | | | | kids to access a world of knowledge that is out |
| despair. The internet has scores of educational | | | | there, and which has been left untapped for far |
| companies that have spent millions in putting | | | | too long! |