Dealing with a child surpasing your knowledge

Mitzvahmom

Wed, Oct 17 2007, 7:37 pm

I am being brave and posting this not anon.

As all of you know I am a single mom... I knew this day would come, but not as soon as it did!!

Tonight I sat down to do my son's hebrew homework and I could not Sad

He was reading script and translating and matching... I was so embarassed, when I tried to translate he corrected me!!

It's n ot like I am in a frum area where I can pair him with an older kid.. Most of the older kids around here, have minimal hebrew knowledge, or they are away for most of the year in yeshiva..

what to do?

Btw. do not suggest brushing up on hebrew, I know htat... but with three college courses this semester, I don ot see it happening.

Lechatchila Ariber

Wed, Oct 17 2007, 7:42 pm

mitzvamom, I wish you and everyone else to always have such "embarrassments" and you should continue to shep nachas from your children and their learning! Very Happy

If you can't find anyone in your area, is it a feasible at all to find someone online to pair up with him, or over the phone?

Ribbie Danzinger

Wed, Oct 17 2007, 7:56 pm

Quote:

He was reading script and translating and matching... I was so embarassed, when I tried to translate he corrected me!!

Well, it sounds like he can do a pretty good job of his homework on his own...

greenfire

Wed, Oct 17 2007, 8:11 pm

yeah they do a pretty good job themselves some kids ...

Cheers

for sure be proud ... of him and yourself for who he is ...

btw that is the goal of every generation - that they can teach their children more than they themselves know ...

Lechatchila Ariber

Wed, Oct 17 2007, 8:26 pm

Greenfire wrote:

for sure be proud ... of him and yourself for who he is ...

Good point!

for sure its a reflection you.
consider his learning, your own learning as well. Without a doubt you get zchus for it

MrsLeo

Wed, Oct 17 2007, 10:15 pm

My parents became frum wen I was 4 so when I went to school I was basically on my own when it came to hebrew homework. Now my father has the same problem with my brothers cuz they are learning gemara which my father never learnt.
How about if you ask your son's teacher if they have someone in the school that can help him?

amother

Wed, Oct 17 2007, 11:33 pm

I just got into a HUGE fight w/ dh over this b/c my hebrew is so bad while he's pretty much fluent. He said, "how are you going to be able to help them with their hw?" Needless to say, it made me feel realy bad about myself. I'm just terrible at hebrew, I don't know if I'm going to be able to improve.

As for you, they have partners in torah on the phone, there must be something like this, or, an older teen or older rebbe that's available? Def. ask his teacher.

mummiedearest

Wed, Oct 17 2007, 11:39 pm

you may be able to pair him up with a man from shul for homework purposes. speak to the rav, ask him to ask around for you.

gryp

Thu, Oct 18 2007, 11:51 am

No matter where we came from, we want our kids to know more than we do. That's why we send them to good schools.
Hey, I'm not very fluent in Yiddish and soon my kids will be translating their Chumash into Yiddish. I'll be in the same boat as you, Mitzvahmom. Smile

I guess I'll have to photocopy his workbook so I can learn it during the day while he's in school, if I have a chance to do that.

Mitzvahmom

Sat, Oct 20 2007, 8:10 pm

B"H tonight they are doing a learning session at the chabad house

For father's and son's.. I called his big brother (adult male from the community) and asked if he would mind taking my son..

My son was so excited!! Smile

They are there right now

Motek

Sat, Oct 20 2007, 10:49 pm

amother wrote:

I just got into a HUGE fight w/ dh over this b/c my hebrew is so bad while he's pretty much fluent. He said, "how are you going to be able to help them with their hw?"

Each of you has what to contribute to your children and your household. If he is fluent in Hebrew, how about HE helps them with Hebrew homework?

Quote:

For father's and son's.. I called his big brother (adult male from the community) and asked if he would mind taking my son..

Is he someone who can be called with a homework question?

btw - sounds great that he has this man in his life, glad to hear it was at the Chabad house, they should always meet with other people in the room ...

Imaonwheels

Sun, Oct 21 2007, 1:41 am

I had the exact same problem as a single parent of 3 boys when they started learning Gemora. I helped them with all other limudei kodesh and chol. They lost out in Gemora and if I had it to do again I would have hired them an adult tutor to go over it with them. Its not that they had trouble, they just lost out on that pleasure of doing the sugya together if their is no Abba in the house. I think that is a major factor in success in Gemora. If a kid has trouble maybe you can ask the teachers for a good kid who is a good student to do homework together. One of my sons was in a class with no middle a lot of weak students and some of the brightest kids in the school. Each boy was assigned a chavrusa based on either to help a weaker student or to offer a challenge, each boy according to his needs.

amother

Sun, Oct 21 2007, 1:56 am

I'm the amother who got into a fight with DH. I know that he can help with the homework and he knows it too, but I do feel like I should know it. Maybe as another mother said, I'll go over his hw w/ him at night and I"ll learn as he learns.

amother

Sun, Oct 21 2007, 2:31 am

If you can't help your kids with his homework and you don't want us to suggest brushing up on your Hebrew, then I think the next obvious solution is to find someone you can call with questions.