Our first set of textbooks
By Lee Ka
@kaka135 (14994)
Malaysia
January 9, 2022 10:59pm CST
I bought some curriculum guides for homeschooling, those are not really open-and-go curriculum, hence I still can just follow the guides and still need to prepare the lessons on my own. I always go online and look for resources which I think are suitable for my kids.
As my eldest is in high school now (here in my country, grade 7 is considered the first year in high school), we decided to buy and follow a set of high school text books. This is the first time we are using open-and-go textbooks, which I don't really need to prepare any lessons, but just follow the lessons in the books.
It does save me time from researching and preparing my own lessons, but the textbooks are written in Chinese, while we have always been using English materials and my eldest is not so good in Chinese reading, hence he will have to spend more time learning Chinese. 
It's a new experience for both of us. Hopefully it will be good for him. 
Photo: Our first set of textbooks
It's a new experience for both of us. Hopefully it will be good for him.
Photo: Our first set of textbooks7 people like this
7 responses
@kaka135 (14994)
• Malaysia
15 Jan 22
I think some people can pick up a new language quite fast. I am actually not too worry about my eldest son. Though I haven't officially teach him, he seems to know quite a number of Chinese characters on his own throughout these years. I don't know how he learned it. He learned to read English books on his own as well. He seems to be good at self learning. I can just give him a book and he can learn it on his own.
I am actually more worried about my daughter (second child) if she would like to learn several languages. If she will eventually go back to school, she will have to learn three languages - Malay language, English and Chinese. Here, in Malaysia, we usually need to learn Malay and English and for Chinese, I would like them to learn Chinese as well. I will need to spend more time with her if my eldest can slowly study on his own.
1 person likes this
@kaka135 (14994)
• Malaysia
17 Jan 22
@LadyDuck It seems like there are many countries that require the students to learn more than one language, especially when our main language is not English, then English seems to be a mandatory language to learn. I read that learning second or third language is actually good for children's brain development, so even if we are not required to learn a second language, it's still good to take a foreign language. Since we are required to learn three languages, so I don't pick any other foreign language for my kids to learn.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (174465)
• United States
10 Jan 22
You're a cruel mother... It's a good way to help learn another language while doing other lessons, though. 
1 person likes this
@kaka135 (14994)
• Malaysia
15 Jan 22
I always got that comment when my friends heard that I didn't allow my kids to watch television or eat junk food when they were young. But now, I always let them play computer games. 
Actually it's not a totally new direction. Here in my country, Malaysia, we have to learn at least two languages - Malay and English. As Chinese, I have already told them, we need to learn Chinese. It's just that when they were young, we started with English. (It's easier for me to look for English resources online.) But slowly, we still need to pick up another two languages.
Initially I only thought of teaching in a new language as a subject, now he has to study all the subjects in Chinese.
But now, I always let them play computer games.
Actually it's not a totally new direction. Here in my country, Malaysia, we have to learn at least two languages - Malay and English. As Chinese, I have already told them, we need to learn Chinese. It's just that when they were young, we started with English. (It's easier for me to look for English resources online.) But slowly, we still need to pick up another two languages.
Initially I only thought of teaching in a new language as a subject, now he has to study all the subjects in Chinese. 1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (174465)
• United States
15 Jan 22
@kaka135 Nobody told you that computer games will rot their minds? I've heard people say that for years... Pretty mostly seems to still have a brain and she started playing video games when she was... I don't actually remember when. She and I learned how to use a computer at the same time. She was in the first grade and told me how to put our new computer together. 
Sometimes, people think and say stupid things. 
Oh, I see... In the US, it's hard enough just to get people to learn how to speak American English correctly., let alone any other language.
I've heard people say that for years... Pretty mostly seems to still have a brain and she started playing video games when she was... I don't actually remember when. She and I learned how to use a computer at the same time. She was in the first grade and told me how to put our new computer together.
Sometimes, people think and say stupid things.
Oh, I see... In the US, it's hard enough just to get people to learn how to speak American English correctly., let alone any other language. 1 person likes this
@kaka135 (14994)
• Malaysia
17 Jan 22
@DaddyEvil
My son always says playing games makes one smarter.
I suppose Pretty is very smart!
I read that there are some homeschoolers homeschool with video games. I am interested to find out more...
Is that so? I wonder how not to speak American English correctly when you are in US. I always need to find out the British English and American English, as in school, we learn British English, but many books and homeschooling resources we read are from US. I'm quite confused sometimes... 
My son always says playing games makes one smarter.
I suppose Pretty is very smart!
I read that there are some homeschoolers homeschool with video games. I am interested to find out more...
Is that so? I wonder how not to speak American English correctly when you are in US. I always need to find out the British English and American English, as in school, we learn British English, but many books and homeschooling resources we read are from US. I'm quite confused sometimes... 1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40230)
• United States
11 Jan 22
I hope that the books will prove useful - to be bilingual is a great asset for you son
1 person likes this
@kaka135 (14994)
• Malaysia
15 Jan 22
Thanks! Here in my country, Malaysia, we at least need to learn Malay language and English. Being a Chinese, I would also want him to learn Chinese as well. In fact, we have always been using Mandarin (Chinese) in our conversation. I am actually better in Chinese, but when I started homeschooling, I found it's easier to look for English resources online, hence I started teaching using English and I haven't really teach them Chinese yet.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40230)
• United States
17 Jan 22
@kaka135 Is there any similarity in Malay and Chinese? I think the Chinese writing is beautiful. I took German in highschool though only remember a couple words and sign language in college. I wish I would have taken Spanish - more people speak Spanish here, not so many German
@zhangxueying (3362)
• China
10 Jan 22
For me, a native Chinese speaker, learning English gives me a headache
1 person likes this
@kaka135 (14994)
• Malaysia
15 Jan 22
I totally understand you as Chinese is my first language too. I used to study hard to improve my English. I just can't imagine how my eldest can be better at English and he always thinks Chinese is more difficult to learn. "See, there are more strokes in a Chinese characters." That's what he always told me. Thankfully, he doesn't refuse to learn Chinese and he is confident that he can pick it up.
He might be able to read those casual wordings, but when it comes to those flowery or rare words, even I don't understand all of them. It's time for me to study hard again too.
@kaka135 (14994)
• Malaysia
17 Jan 22
@zhangxueying Even if we speak in Mandarin, we are not actually using those pure or formal Chinese words. Sometimes we might add some words from our dialects or even English. There are some words I don't even know what they are called in Chinese. Glad that we have Internet now. I can always look up those challenging words in the Internet.
@zhangxueying (3362)
• China
16 Jan 22
@kaka135 Yes, some words are not commonly used,I often forget.
1 person likes this
@kaka135 (14994)
• Malaysia
15 Jan 22
Yes, I would really want my kids to learn Chinese since we are Chinese and sometimes I would like them to read some Chinese articles or books. I am actually better at Chinese reading and writing. Perhaps in future, I will write letters or emails to them in Chinese.
1 person likes this
