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What's interesting is that some people with blue-collar careers earn more than someone with a college degree in accounting. Some blue collar workers earn on the same level as doctors, minus the student loan debt.
I really wouldn't want my kids to go to medical school anyway. And I don't want them to have self esteem issues that might propel them into stressful careers that aren't right for them, because it's a matter of "family pride" or competition with another group of people.
There is nothing wrong with a blue collar career and the average person entering one will likely do better than the average schmoes graduating with a generic marketing degree.
Now that said you also can't compare what working with your back will do to a person over 40 years vs working with a pencil. You also can't really compare the two directly as equals because there are so many variables it just doesn't work.
Both sides of the work force have pros and cons to them. I think as a society we don't value blue collar workers nearly as much until you have to make a phone call and then complain about paying $125 for someone to come unclog your turd from a pipe.
Once upon a time, I was a tutor. I spent 1 hour twice a week with "my" students. Within 3 months I could see a significant difference, whether it be math, reading, reading comprehension, or a science. The thing is, parents were spending ridiculous amounts of money for me to do things with their child that they could do for free at home. I'm talking about basic things, reading on-level stories and asking the kids questions about them; doing math flashcards; drilling spelling and grammar, etc. What would kill me is the parents who sat in the waiting room the whole hour while I tutored. If you're college educated, there's no reason in the world why YOU couldn't help your child improve their skills, unless your child has some type of learning or behavioral difficulty, in which case, you should be seeing a certified professional. Now that I have my own child, I know what to work on and how to do it, and my child is doing extremely well academically. He's not uber-nerd, but he's considered to be on an advanced track.
From what I've seen (and this may not be true in all regions), Kumon tends to pay the least to it's tutors. I've seen quotes of $7-$10 per hour pay for tutors. Yet some of the more private tutoring companies pay their tutors upwards of $20, depending on their degree and experience, and some have a requirement for either an advanced degree or graduation from a top 50 ranked school. If I want my child tutored for a Chemistry, Medicine, Law, etc track, the last place I'd send my kid is to Kumon.
If I needed my child to be tutored, it would be in a subject that I have no aptitude for like Calculus or Physics. Otherwise, everything else only requires a cursory look before I actually help my child.
I do have to say, I've worked with doctors and biologists of all nationalities, and from what I've seen, I don't believe for a second that Asians and Indians are necessarily smarter. However, they work much harder. In undergrad and above, I've seen them pull 24 hour study sessions in preparation for a test, while others groups only studied a fraction of that amount and still got similar grades. A strong work ethic can offset less inherent intelligence*.
*Please note, I'm not saying these groups are less intelligent by any means, I just mean I find this statement to be true in general regardless of race or culture.
I’m Asian, and I also don’t know what Kumon is. My kid is very responsible and self-sufficient regarding to school work. I rarely have to tutor her, maybe sometimes on the confusing common core math problem solving. She has been either an Academic Excellent or straight A student since she’s started school. I’ve been encouraged her but not pushing her. I’ve always told her that everything I’ve earned are the results of consistent hard work. I check her school progress weekly, and would intervene when I feel she maybe distracted or slacking off, especially during this stay at home time. I talk to her often about what she’ll want to do in the future. I suggest to her that doing what you love is very important, but also does a career that pays your living. She has come to her own realization that she’ll need to go to college, get a degree and have a decent career to maintain the lifestyle she desires.
I say being a good role model for your kid, being encouraging and monitoring their school work but not too pushy (to make education a fun thing and not a stressful thing), letting them realize how important to have an education. Don’t forget to give them good nutrition and plenty of playing and social time with their peers.
I knew of few people who had parents who pushed them real hard to get great grades and be in 50,000 activities, tutors, music lessons, camps, and so forth. Get into great School become a lawyer and end up jumping off a building in your thirties, or develop eating disorder. We are only human. There is a huge emotional toll that constant pressure takes on someone
I knew of few people who had parents who pushed them real hard to get great grades and be in 50,000 activities, tutors, music lessons, camps, and so forth. Get into great School become a lawyer and end up jumping off a building in your thirties, or develop eating disorder. We are only human. There is a huge emotional toll that constant pressure takes on someone
This is most parents now. They do nothing but chauffeur their kids around.
New to this board... just discovered the Parenting Forum... Loved this thread! I read it in its entirety! :-D
My opinion is that Kumon is basically useless.
Reviews here:
Are Parents & Students Happy with Kumon’s Instruction?
It seems that reviewers either love or loathe Kumon, with little middle ground.
For example, many of the parents interviewed in this 2011 NY Times article seemed pleased with their child’s progress at Kumon. However, most of the professionals quoted in the article questioned the programs’ real world usefulness.
The author specifically stated, “Research suggests that there is little benefit from this kind of tutoring; that young children learn just as much about math, if not more, fitting mixing bowls together on the kitchen floor.”
Similarly, Alison Gopnik, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, was quoted as saying, “The best you can say is that they’re useless.”
Donald Sauter, a former Kumon franchisee whose contract wasn’t renewed after he claims he attempted to raise concerns about the coursework, seems to think there are many more cons than pros. Specifically, he thinks the company has an “unreasonable” approach to math:
“Above the arithmetic levels, there is hardly any correspondence between Kumon levels and school grades. For example, Kumon puts calculus before trigonometry. But that's not the reason your child will never reach trigonometry; Kumon is almost certain to weed him out long before calculus. It does this with ridiculously complicated work in polynomial factorization; in maxima and minima of every sort of function to come down the pike; and wrestling with inequalities of those functions.
… speaking from the point of view of someone who loved math and was a physics and math major in college, I found much of it very painful and of very questionable value. It's no mystery that there are long- and well-established Kumon centers that have never had a math program completer.”
To this extent, MathInsider.com claims that Kumon isn’t “the answer to all maths problems but it’s not a rip-off or scam either.” In other words, while your child could very well experience progress, it’s important that you keep your expectations realistic and understand that:
Teachers may not be “qualified” to teach math (and different ones will have different personalities),
There is a lot of rote memorization involved, and
There’s very often a difference between the methods taught at Kumon and what your child might learn at school.
Finally, from a company perspective, Kumon North America, based out of Teaneck, NJ, had an A- Better Business Bureau rating at the time of our research.
Although there were only three closed complaints, the company failed to respond to all of them. However, none referenced the company specifically—only individual branches.
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