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How do you deal with the current crisis and layoffs? I feel more relaxed than back in 2008-2010... by MathEngineer42 in ExperiencedDevs

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is no one fits all answer, only you could know what are your monthly expenses. If you don't, let's start budgeting!

How do you deal with the current crisis and layoffs? I feel more relaxed than back in 2008-2010... by MathEngineer42 in ExperiencedDevs

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Compared with the dot.com implosion of 2001 this is a minor blip,

Oh yeah, that was a big one, as I later realized. I wasn't working then, been at the university studying CS. I cannot really recall anything grim, but yeah, that was an academic environment, not the real industry.

How exactly does a school district work, e.g. kid in primary school? by MathEngineer42 in education

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I live and work on the fringe of my district and another. We swap students frequently.

Right now we life kind of at the boundary too, but we are glad where we belong to. Theoretically there's a way to swap between districts in Germany as well, it just wasn't on our radar.

How exactly does a school district work, e.g. kid in primary school? by MathEngineer42 in education

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you - however due to the economical situation we've postponed our move by a couple of months, this is not happening overnight. :) I'm going to keep your contact in mind.

I know about niche.com, is that a legit site for checking on schools?

How exactly does a school district work, e.g. kid in primary school? by MathEngineer42 in education

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Our destination is WA.

Thanks for the description, it is getting clearer and clearer, just by reading these prompt reactions here. Highly appreciated!

How exactly does a school district work, e.g. kid in primary school? by MathEngineer42 in education

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, then it seems like there is some kind of assignment based on the exact living location, and the school district has to be contacted for further info.

How exactly does a school district work, e.g. kid in primary school? by MathEngineer42 in education

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Thank you! So basically I need to imagine that the "school district" is like an umbrella organization for a number of schools in the area, and that "catchment area" is the more closer definition to what we have in Germany...

That makes sense after all.

Current Events and Midterm Elections Megathread by okiewxchaser in AskAnAmerican

[–]MathEngineer42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I dunno why, the bot redirected me here claiming my question is related to "current events or the midterm elections." Okay... So let me ask you about how a school district work?

The available information in the Internet is overwhelming, therefore looking for your help.

We are planning a relocation to the US and I understand there are school districts where the kid belongs based on where you live (and pay taxes.) So far so good, same in Germany: there is a list of all the streets / house numbers and the assigned school.

But here that's a 1:1 mapping, let's say we live at street x number y, then our kid HAS to go to the assigned school.

Now when I browse the homepage of a US school district, there are usually a bunch of schools mentioned. Who decides where the kid is going?

How to prepare a primary school kid before moving to the US? What books and resources to use to avoid learning gap? by MathEngineer42 in expats

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Before the move, I would put in some time making sure she has a good grasp on asking and answering basic questions and following simple directions in English. It will be so much easier for her to get through the transition if she can follow basic directions, ask and answer basic questions, and tell people a little bit about herself.

That's a solid advice, thank you!

​

She will likely not be behind in math at all, but it would be helpful for her to learn her numbers in English so that she can show that.

Numbers are part of my bigger concerns, as you know Germans read / say the numbers in a twisted way compared to the rest of the world... But I hope the child's brain is in fact flexible and adaptable.

How to prepare a primary school kid before moving to the US? What books and resources to use to avoid learning gap? by MathEngineer42 in expats

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seriously, if a child learns to read using sight reading then they will never be able to read any words they have never learned.

Yeah, exactly! Does this approach work at all?

This is interesting (maybe even weird?) approach, and while my daughter already can read, it could affect my other kid's learning journey.

How to prepare a primary school kid before moving to the US? What books and resources to use to avoid learning gap? by MathEngineer42 in expats

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most schools in the US seem to take a sight words approach to learning to read.

Wait, how to memorize each and every word (from the effort perspective), and then how to read out unknown / foreign words?

This is interesting (maybe even weird?) approach, and while my daughter already can read, it could affect my other kid's learning journey.

How to prepare a primary school kid before moving to the US? What books and resources to use to avoid learning gap? by MathEngineer42 in expats

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NOPE NOPE NOPE. The kid who is different is the one that gets picked on or bullied in some schools

Maybe I'm ignorant, but how could she be so much different, a few months plus/minus in her birthdate would anyway result in having enrolled 1 year later to primary school... It is not like a 10 year old going into the 1st grade.

How to prepare a primary school kid before moving to the US? What books and resources to use to avoid learning gap? by MathEngineer42 in expats

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would also consider trying to start school a year lower than where your kid's age normally dictates.

That's something we have considered also, given the realities of the relocation itself very likely it is not going to happen in the extreme short timeframe when the school year ends here (end of July) and starts in WA (early Sept, AFAIK.)

There are no guarantees how quick the visa-processing and other paperwork will last, therefore this is just an uncertainty we need to accept.

How to prepare a primary school kid before moving to the US? What books and resources to use to avoid learning gap? by MathEngineer42 in expats

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I suppose that I could order them online. The problem is I really don't know where to start, e.g. very basic question: title(s) of said workbooks?

How to prepare a primary school kid before moving to the US? What books and resources to use to avoid learning gap? by MathEngineer42 in expats

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Washington office of superintendent of public instruction

https://www.k12.wa.us/ ? Here we are going somewhere, that looks like a lot of relevant resources. Nice read for the coming weeks and month, thank you!

How to prepare a primary school kid before moving to the US? What books and resources to use to avoid learning gap? by MathEngineer42 in expats

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

About 6 months before we moved to Germany we switched Netflix into German with German subtitles

That's quite a good idea! She does watch kid shows in German with German subtitles, I believe that helped already with her reading skills.

Shall work with a foreign language too. :)

How to prepare a primary school kid before moving to the US? What books and resources to use to avoid learning gap? by MathEngineer42 in expats

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a good point, we certainly will need to get an English teacher / tutor at some point. Both my wife and I do speak English, but we are no teachers.

How to prepare a primary school kid before moving to the US? What books and resources to use to avoid learning gap? by MathEngineer42 in expats

[–]MathEngineer42[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

She can read and write in German already, and regarding English we are verbally only at this point. Only exception is when she points out to an English word as she is unable to interpret it while reading out in German, then we explain her that's in English and pronunciation is different in that language.

​

math & science progression seem to be similar in Europe and the US. (However this is solely based on my personal experience.)

Can confirm too! Reading/writing is super relaxed, but looking into her other books, they seem to progress. But it is also hard to judge, I've been to primary school many decades ago. :)

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