Teachers or other moms with young kids...May I ask a ?

[AGBF]

I don't have anything helpful to add, but wanted to send hugs to you.


Public education these days is a far cry from what it was when we went to school. Don't get me started on core curriculum....we don't even have textbooks, forcing parents online to figure out how to explain/reinforce what their kids are being taught in school (and this is kindergarten and 2nd grade!!). Let's not forget the newly popular "STEM" initiative sweeping the educational landscape (emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math)

Gee, I think it's pretty helpful to point out how woeful the state of education has become, yennyfire. It allows SB to know that there are many of us who think that she should take the system into which she is sending her precious children with a bucket or two of salt.

"STEM" sounds about right for the society we have created. We need people who can handle science, technology, engineering, and math. None of them can read or write anymore and no one cares. They can all text and know abbreviations like "lol" and "kwim". If they don't ever read any literature or think about it; if lives go unexamined; let us hope that computers preserve the great texts as well as the monks preserved Greek and Roman literature through The Dark Ages. Maybe in some future society there will once again be readers.

Deb/AGBF

 

[yennyfire]

I don't have anything helpful to add, but wanted to send hugs to you.


Public education these days is a far cry from what it was when we went to school. Don't get me started on core curriculum....we don't even have textbooks, forcing parents online to figure out how to explain/reinforce what their kids are being taught in school (and this is kindergarten and 2nd grade!!). Let's not forget the newly popular "STEM" initiative sweeping the educational landscape (emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math)

Gee, I think it's pretty helpful to point out how woeful the state of education has become, yennyfire. It allows SB to know that there are many of us who think that she should take the system into which she is sending her precious children with a bucket or two of salt.

"STEM" sounds about right for the society we have created. We need people who can handle science, technology, engineering, and math. None of them can read or write anymore and no one cares. They can all text and know abbreviations like "lol" and "kwim". If they don't ever read any literature or think about it; if lives go unexamined; let us hope that computers preserve the great texts as well as the monks preserved Greek and Roman literature through The Dark Ages. Maybe in some future society there will once again be readers.

Deb/AGBF

Good point (as always) Deb! The whole thing is just sad. It's made me contemplate home schooling. I feel sorry for teacher's, having to handle day to day classroom management while trying to figure out these new initiatives. I agree that STEM could be promising, but if it's anything like the core curriculum, which IMHO has ridiculous standards (expecting a kindergartener to be able to name their street address, city, state, zip, county, country, continent and planet is insane...and this is but one example), then it's going to be one more waste of time and drain on resources, which are already woefully lacking.

 

[Begonia]

I read the whole thread pretty quickly...might have missed some stuff.

I have 2 boys, 10 and 15. One born at the beginning of the school year, one at the end. Two very different children with very different school experiences as a result of their age.

Not knowing those things at age 3 for boys - totally normal. There's always going to be those kids that do, that make the rest of us worry however

Buy a magic erase board or chalkboard. Kids LOVE those things. Makes them feel like the teacher, and boys are so hands on anyway. Do you know the dot trick? Do the letter or numbers in dots, and then they trace over them? You can do letter/number of the day. Make it real. Do numbers with jellybeans, pennies, pokemon cards, hot wheels aligned in the shape etc. Two minutes of this kind of thing adds up. Some days you might do 5 or even 10 when you are having a 'diamond' day (where they are keen and totally into learning). Head to The Teachers' Store and get some cool stuff.

Most of all, don't worry.

My 10 year old struggles with writing and numbers at times, and yet he tests gifted. Go figure.

 

[packrat]

My daughter is in 3rd grade (4th this fall) and I tell you what, I've been in tears a few times this past year over her homework. So much so that we took her in to see if she has a learning disability and will find out next week what's going on. I've talked to her teacher many times and she said "this is a hard year-they throw a little bit of everything at them to prepare them for the next few years" Um-what? 3rd graders need to know square roots and powers and doing stuff inside the parenthesis first? There were things I couldn't remember how to do and had to google. For my THIRD graders homework. No textbooks. She gets a sheet of paper w/instructions "Find the square root" No mention HOW to do it or anything. Luckily that was something I knew how to do. One said "Find the rule" and had a long rectangle cut into 10 squares w/a number on two top squares and two bottom squares. WTF??? What does that MEAN??? What do kids do that don't have parents that help them? Or that don't have internet for parents to google how to do things since they don't have textbooks? And how do they expect a NINE year old to remember how to do stuff like that, just going over it quickly in class? We took notes in High School Geometry/Algebra so we had stuff to look back on, but we had books too. These guys got bupkis.

Sorry, I didn't mean to start freaking out like that.

They expect a LOT of out kids, and a LOT out of teachers. I had no clue until I started working at preschool this past year how insane it is. Two and three year olds should NOT have to worry about who the president is, the...heck I dunno, what the preamble to the Constitution is but by golly it sure seems like they're getting to that point. That's the age you get to worry about when it's your turn on the swing set you know?

 

[JaneSmith]

I have an **almost** 3 year old who is entering a preschool program. He just started yesterday and his teacher commented that my son "R" doesn't know his ABC's or can't count to 10. And apparently that is a problem. He can home and said "Mama I'm stupid."
There is something very wrong with that class or school if this is what he comes home saying on the first day.

Which of course broke my heart and then made me want to go on a rampage....but I'm digressing. R does know his ABC's and sings them all the time at home. He can typically count to 18 or 19, but skips over 13 pretty much every time without fail.
Sounds like a normal kid.

My husband and I are VERY active with our children but it seems like R has a lot of trouble focusing with learning or play through learning when DH or I are doing it with him. And I think he just isn't participating at the new pre-school because he has only been their 1 day!!

As a result we have decided to hire his old nanny who has this summer off. She is an elementary school teacher and he LOVES her. She will come twice a week and just help him with whatever they are "learning" in pre-school. I just want him to build his confidence. She will come when DH and I are home so we can sort of see what she is doing and hopefully carry that over once she starts back for her school year.
This is a great thing to do for your son. It sounds like he does well with her, and you can learn her approach.

Anyhow I told a friend of mine that has a daughter that goes to school with R and she thinks I'm completly over-reacting and trying to force my child to "study" while he is too young. She actually got really heated with me about it.
Typical parent-shaming BS.

I mean he is MY child after all. And i'm not sure how 20 minutes twice a week of learning through play is considered studying or taking away from him.

So now for whatever reason I'm second guessing myself which never happens. Normally I'm very confident in my decisions but I would love to hear what other moms think or better yet teachers.

TIA!

In my opinion, a preschool day should go like this:
Play. Snack. Play outside. Lunch. Story time. Rest. Play outside. Home.
They are three year olds for goodness sake!

I also cannot believe the steady push to have children "master" topics at younger and younger ages. And the homework! Homework in grade one? What the hell!?

 

[AGBF]

In my opinion, a preschool day should go like this:
Play. Snack. Play outside. Lunch. Story time. Rest. Play outside. Home.
They are three year olds for goodness sake!

That sounds like an excellent program! I hope that there will be some time for music (i.e. singing and "playing" instruments like sand blocks that they can feel as well as hear and see) and messy art projects as well! The teacher will be called, "Mommy" by the children by mistake and a lot of the learning should be around what is nice to do to other people and what is not nice, and so forth! And don't forget skills like cleaning up and washing hands!

Deb

 

[JulieN]

I am surprised that pre-schools have standards that kids need to meet in order to "graduate" to kindergarten. If he didn't know them at the beginning of the year, they most likely will by the end, a year is a very long time in kids' learning and development. I see no reason for a teacher to express concern after 1 day.

 

[zoebartlett]

SB, I'm glad you feel better about things. I was going to agree with what Tuckins said (I'm an elementary teacher), but I forgot to come back to the thread last night.

Yenny, it's interesting to read your thoughts on the Common Core State Standards. I actually really like them because there's not as many standards, but teachers have the opportunity to go deeper with what's there, if that makes sense. Before, with the Grade Level Equivalencies (GLEs), there was so much to try to get through by the end of the year. The new CCSS are pretty rigorous, and I can appreciate how parents might feel differently about them. I think some districts are moving away from textbooks because it's not so much about the program that's used but about the content taught. I can see how that would be frustrating though. I have a question -- your school district has social studies curriculum that asks kindergartners to know continents? That doesn't seem right. School districts have their own curriculum for science and SS, and I'm surprised that your daughter is expected to know continents that young. The CCSS is for math and English/language arts through grade 5 right now, but I believe science and social studies are included in grades 6-12.

Jane, the common practice is to assign 10 minutes of homework per grade level, M-Th. So yes, a first grader would typically have 10 minutes of homework on those days.

 

[yennyfire]

SB, I'm glad you feel better about things. I was going to agree with what Tuckins said (I'm an elementary teacher), but I forgot to come back to the thread last night.

Yenny, it's interesting to read your thoughts on the Common Core State Standards. I actually really like them because there's not as many standards, but teachers have the opportunity to go deeper with what's there, if that makes sense. Before, with the Grade Level Equivalencies (GLEs), there was so much to try to get through by the end of the year. The new CCSS are pretty rigorous, and I can appreciate how parents might feel differently about them. I think some districts are moving away from textbooks because it's not so much about the program that's used but about the content taught. I can see how that would be frustrating though. I have a question -- your school district has social studies curriculum that asks kindergartners to know continents? That doesn't seem right. School districts have their own curriculum for science and SS, and I'm surprised that your daughter is expected to know continents that young. The CCSS is for math and English/language arts through grade 5 right now, but I believe science and social studies are included in grades 6-12.

Jane, the common practice is to assign 10 minutes of homework per grade level, M-Th. So yes, a first grader would typically have 10 minutes of homework on those days.

Yes, my daughter was expected to know county, country, continent (only the one she lives on) and planet (as part of the CCSS according to her teacher), in addition to her full address (two years ago, when my son was in the same teacher's kindergarten class, they were only expected to know their address, which isn't as abstract as county, country, continent and planet). In theory, the CCSS is good, but in practice, they look like they were written by someone who doesn't have kids, much less been in a classroom. I spend a LOT of time at my children's school and talk to a lot of the teachers. There are standards across each grade that the teachers feel are ridiculous (not all of them, but definitely a good # of them) and, like Packrat said, there are no books with explanations of how something is supposed to be done, just worksheets that a kid is supposed to complete. When I try to show my 2nd grader how to do something that he's struggling with, he says "that's not the way Mrs. X told us to do it" and I head to the internet to figure out how it's being taught today, and even then, sometimes I'm not sure and I end up writing a note to the teacher, so that my son doesn't get in trouble for doing it the "wrong" way. More often than not, I get a call or two from other Mom's in his class saying "do you know how to do this homework??"....it's ridiculous. According to our principal, there aren't textbooks available (yet), so teachers are left to their own devices (usually across grade level teams) to come up with material and they are as frustrated as we are. So, while I support the effort to improve the educational system in this country, I'm not sure that the CCSS is going to do it in it's current form.

 

[GreenBling]

I have a son who is turning 7 soon. I wouldn't worry too much about the learning part as it sounds like your boy is developing just fine. Mine skipped counting at that age, mixed up some numbers especially 16/17/18 as well. They will eventually learn these stuff. What i think needs attention is his confidence. IMHO, the early years are important time to build confidence. It would bother me (think it bothered you too which is why you posted about the issue) that he thought he was 'stupid'. Perhaps he did not fully understand the meaning of the word, but still i would want to know what made him feel like that. Is it just the counting and ABCs.? Did someone say something mean to him? Is he just more sensitive than others? I'd also make sure that the teachers are aware of that and pay more attention to his feelings.

 

[Rosebloom]

Sarah - I'm so sorry to hear about a tough first day at school! I'm sure he'll adjust and settle in soon but even one bad day is heart breaking as a mom.

My older son is soon to be four so he just finished a year of being the youngest child in a new preschool. He learned so much this year it is extraordinary. But in my opinion, the only thing that matters at this age is that they learn that school is wonderful fun and that they are great at it.

Finding the right school for your family is a huge task and each family really has unique circumstances that means no one path is the best for everyone or even half of everyone. But we chose a Montessori school (prek to 8th grade) and after the first year I am so thrilled with the school. I absolutely adore it. I only mention this to say that since you've moving in the fall, I'll pray that your perfect school materializes for you too! (Incidentally since it was mentioned in this thread, Waldorf would have been an awful fit for us, just further supporting that each family has their own needs and priorities I guess).

You are the mom which means you are the world's best expert on how to best love and care for your kids. So trust your instincts!

Giant hugs from Chicago. Xoxo.

 

[Loves Vintage]

My daughter is in 3rd grade (4th this fall) and I tell you what, I've been in tears a few times this past year over her homework. So much so that we took her in to see if she has a learning disability and will find out next week what's going on. I've talked to her teacher many times and she said "this is a hard year-they throw a little bit of everything at them to prepare them for the next few years" Um-what? 3rd graders need to know square roots and powers and doing stuff inside the parenthesis first? There were things I couldn't remember how to do and had to google. For my THIRD graders homework. No textbooks. She gets a sheet of paper w/instructions "Find the square root" No mention HOW to do it or anything. Luckily that was something I knew how to do. One said "Find the rule" and had a long rectangle cut into 10 squares w/a number on two top squares and two bottom squares. WTF??? What does that MEAN??? What do kids do that don't have parents that help them? Or that don't have internet for parents to google how to do things since they don't have textbooks? And how do they expect a NINE year old to remember how to do stuff like that, just going over it quickly in class? We took notes in High School Geometry/Algebra so we had stuff to look back on, but we had books too. These guys got bupkis.

Sorry, I didn't mean to start freaking out like that.

They expect a LOT of out kids, and a LOT out of teachers. I had no clue until I started working at preschool this past year how insane it is. Two and three year olds should NOT have to worry about who the president is, the...heck I dunno, what the preamble to the Constitution is but by golly it sure seems like they're getting to that point. That's the age you get to worry about when it's your turn on the swing set you know?

This sounds, uhm, awful! A few questions - why are there no textbooks??? What type of impact does all of this work have on our children? Does it increase anxiety early in life? It sure seems like it would.

Rosebloom, Curious why Waldorf would not have been a good fit for your child? I have only started researching our various options, so I'm curious.

 

[Sparklelu]

I apologize in advance if this is a thread jack. I am a teacher. Middle school now, but I have taught PreK and K as well as 2nd grade. I am kind of horrified to see how lower grades have cap hanged in just a few years. I taught a developmentally appropriate curriculum to my kindred and they were all reading and writing by 1st grade. They progressed at their own pace. We did centers and projects and read books and learned to love learning. We made friends and learned to cooperate.
It has all,changed

If you care to visit this site it may help understand Common Core. Also THANK YOU to those who have expressed concern for the plight of the teachers! It is overwhelming at this point.

Www.corestandards.org
Mission Statement

"The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy."



Common core is a knee jerk reaction to the perception that America lags behind other countries in education. (So frankly is STEM.)
It is created top down. They went to companies and said what would your ideal employee fresh out of college look like? Ok then our college kids need to step it up
Then to colleges what would the ideal HS senior come being able to do? Ok add some more Rigor to the curriculum. No textbooks written yet.
And so on down the food chain until we get to pre K students who we think need to know their ABC's and sentence structure when they walk in.
Never mind teaching soft skills and basics... they can't stand in line, share, put away TOYS. Be a good friend.
The handwriting is abysmal because we are forcing them to write with pencils, not color with crayon at 3. We are making them sit at tables for hours instead of creative free play.

The CCSS are pretty vague and do allow for teacher creativity. The problem is there are no textbooks. It's all on the shoulders of the teachers to create new relevant rigorous authentic learning for her students, oh and keep data on all the stands!!!
Can you tell I'm ambivalent about Common Core?
The CCSS FOR KINDERGARTEN

English Language Arts Standards » Speaking & Listening » Kindergarten

Standards in this strand:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.2CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.3CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.4CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.5CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.6
Comprehension and Collaboration

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1a Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1b Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.2 Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.3 Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.4 Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

As for knowing continent and country that is not a common core standard anywhere I looked. I'm not sure what standard that is!

 

[yennyfire]

I agree wholeheartedly with every word you wrote Elisa!!

As for country and continent not being a CCSS, I could be mistaken. All I know is that my kindergartener's teacher sent an email to the class asking parents to help their child learn their address (including county, country, continent) as it was a standard (of what, I guess I'm no longer sure) that the kids had to meet and that most of them were struggling with it.

 

[Sparklelu]

I agree wholeheartedly with every word you wrote Elisa!!

As for country and continent not being a CCSS, I could be mistaken. All I know is that my kindergartener's teacher sent an email to the class asking parents to help their child learn their address (including county, country, continent) as it was a standard (of what, I guess I'm no longer sure) that the kids had to meet and that most of them were struggling with it.

No kidding! They have enough trouble with understanding there are other places than HERE, not here!

It could be part of the " understand their relationship to the world" standard I just made up! Seriously though there is something good about understanding where they are in this great big wonderful world! My grandson is 4 and he keeps saying he wants to go over the bridge to Florida! We are in FL, he means FtMyers!

 

[Tuckins1]

I am a special education teacher in an elementary school, and I also have a 2 year old, so I am very familiar with child development and what should be expected at what age. Your son doesn't seem to be out of the norm. Some kids develop that stuff a little quicker than others, but you said that he does sing his abc's and can count. (It's normal for kids to skip numbers) I would give him some more time in his school environment... It's new for him and i'm sure he will absorb all of the new info very quickly. I would like to ask you though, does your son identify letters? For example, if you point to a letter on a sign or in a book, can he name it? Also, does he know any of the letter sounds? Can he name colors? Shapes? (It's not abnormal for a three year old to not do all of these things, i'm just curious for myself...) I would really only be concerned if, after a few months or so in this program, he does NOT make any progress at all. Then I may speak to your pediatrician about the issue. Right now he seems to be a normal kid, like any other 3 year old.

Hi Tunkins- he does not identify letters at all. Except he does say that "O" is a circle And he doesn't really know the sounds of letters except for R and L.
Yes he can name colors and shapes but it took him a very very long time. His nanny/ babysitter came in one night with him and he took to it like fish to water. He just responds to her for whatever reason. He had very little problems after that except for hard shapes like hexagon etc.

I think you should let him experience whatever he can at school, and reinforce/ introduce concepts at home, too. I'm sure your little guy will be a superstar!

 

[Rosebloom]

My daughter is in 3rd grade (4th this fall) and I tell you what, I've been in tears a few times this past year over her homework. So much so that we took her in to see if she has a learning disability and will find out next week what's going on. I've talked to her teacher many times and she said "this is a hard year-they throw a little bit of everything at them to prepare them for the next few years" Um-what? 3rd graders need to know square roots and powers and doing stuff inside the parenthesis first? There were things I couldn't remember how to do and had to google. For my THIRD graders homework. No textbooks. She gets a sheet of paper w/instructions "Find the square root" No mention HOW to do it or anything. Luckily that was something I knew how to do. One said "Find the rule" and had a long rectangle cut into 10 squares w/a number on two top squares and two bottom squares. WTF??? What does that MEAN??? What do kids do that don't have parents that help them? Or that don't have internet for parents to google how to do things since they don't have textbooks? And how do they expect a NINE year old to remember how to do stuff like that, just going over it quickly in class? We took notes in High School Geometry/Algebra so we had stuff to look back on, but we had books too. These guys got bupkis.

Sorry, I didn't mean to start freaking out like that.

They expect a LOT of out kids, and a LOT out of teachers. I had no clue until I started working at preschool this past year how insane it is. Two and three year olds should NOT have to worry about who the president is, the...heck I dunno, what the preamble to the Constitution is but by golly it sure seems like they're getting to that point. That's the age you get to worry about when it's your turn on the swing set you know?

This sounds, uhm, awful! A few questions - why are there no textbooks??? What type of impact does all of this work have on our children? Does it increase anxiety early in life? It sure seems like it would.

Rosebloom, Curious why Waldorf would not have been a good fit for your child? I have only started researching our various options, so I'm curious.

LV - I'd be happy to share my thinking but don't want to thread jack. Feel free to contact me through this link and we can discuss!

http://loupetroop.com/listings/loose-stones-diamond/wtb-pair-of-baguette-diamonds

 

[SB621]

Elisa thank you so much for all the information. It

RB- no worries on a threadjack.

 

[qtiekiki]

I didn't read through everything. But what do you mean when you say they expect him to know his ABCs??? My daughter is almost 5, and will start kindy next fall. She doesn't know her ABCs. I mean sure she can sing the ABC song. She can spell her name and recognize some other letters, but she doesn't know all 26 letters. My son is 3, and he only knows a handful of the letters. And honestly, no kindergarten expects the kids to know all their alphabet. It's not on all the checklists that I've looked it. And I looked because I was worried that DD will be behind. I am glad that you spoke to the director and got clarification, and I bet your son will be great once he get accustomed to the new school.

 

[zoebartlett]

Yenny, that's really interesting about your kids' district, and I wish I knew more about it so I could try to help. I'm curious if there are programs the district is considering, particularly in math -- you said there aren't textbooks yet, which made me wonder if they're going to pilot specific programs. I can definitely see where you'd be frustrated. It sounds like more communication from your kids' teachers would go a long way.

Sorry for thread jacking, SB!

 

[distracts]

My daughter is in 3rd grade (4th this fall) and I tell you what, I've been in tears a few times this past year over her homework. So much so that we took her in to see if she has a learning disability and will find out next week what's going on. I've talked to her teacher many times and she said "this is a hard year-they throw a little bit of everything at them to prepare them for the next few years" Um-what? 3rd graders need to know square roots and powers and doing stuff inside the parenthesis first? There were things I couldn't remember how to do and had to google. For my THIRD graders homework. No textbooks. She gets a sheet of paper w/instructions "Find the square root" No mention HOW to do it or anything. Luckily that was something I knew how to do. One said "Find the rule" and had a long rectangle cut into 10 squares w/a number on two top squares and two bottom squares. WTF??? What does that MEAN??? What do kids do that don't have parents that help them? Or that don't have internet for parents to google how to do things since they don't have textbooks? And how do they expect a NINE year old to remember how to do stuff like that, just going over it quickly in class? We took notes in High School Geometry/Algebra so we had stuff to look back on, but we had books too. These guys got bupkis.

Sorry, I didn't mean to start freaking out like that.

They expect a LOT of out kids, and a LOT out of teachers. I had no clue until I started working at preschool this past year how insane it is. Two and three year olds should NOT have to worry about who the president is, the...heck I dunno, what the preamble to the Constitution is but by golly it sure seems like they're getting to that point. That's the age you get to worry about when it's your turn on the swing set you know?

... How do you learn things without textbooks? Also, 3rd graders doing square roots and math needing parentheses? I think I got introduced to that for the first time in sixth grade!

If I had that much homework at a young age, I would probably have failed out of school. I've never been particularly good at bringing work home.

 

[packrat]

Crazy, isn't it? I can't figure out HOW a person learns w/no textbooks. And no notes. No..nothing. The math she brings home is a two sided sheet. One side they go over in class and the other side is the homework. So I use the other side as my instructions and work backward. But the "class guided practice" side is the same as far as NO step by steps, no how-to's, nothing. I just have to hope London was paying attention in class and wrote down the right answers.

We didn't have homework that I really remember as being "much" until 5th grade. In third/fourth, I remember having spelling/vocab and we had a spelling book that each week was front/back of two pages that we took home and brought back by Friday..unless we got it done during class. I remember having to learn the preamble..4th grade I think?

So, anybody remember in the Little House books, Laura's school had that program they put on for the parents and they had all kinds of recitations they had to have memorized and do huge long division problems in their heads? And they were YOUNG when they did that. And I've got textbooks (from the 50's I think) that I used to play school w/when I was little-a 5th grade textbook and the teacher's book. I remember being scared to go to 5th grade b/c I thought that's the stuff we'd learn--but we learned that stuff in like 7th/8th grade, turned out. So in some ways, things seem to actually be easier, but then again..not.

When I stared as a para educator this past school year and found out how much I enjoy working w/little kids, JD started to encourage me to go forward w/school and become a preschool teacher. So by the time I got to Christmas, I was pretty sure I didn't want to do that. I am one that USED to think teachers had weekends/long holidays/summers and such OFF. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Ohhh my heavens I couldn't have been more wrong. My lead teacher comes at 7, stays until 4:30/5:00, does work from home almost every night and every weekend, holidays and had been working on stuff in the room 2 weeks before the first day the teachers officially started. It's not just going in and doing stuff w/the kids. It's observations and keeping track of the progression of every single child in the classroom, working one on one w/each child.

Ohhh and guess what we heard is possibly coming down the track for this year? The preschool teachers will all become "mentors" to other teachers in the STATE. And what do those "mentors" get to do? Why...travel and work w/other teachers of course. For HALF the school year. Cuz THAT makes sense, right??? Our special education kiddos can barely handle ONE DAY w/out the lead teacher or if the other para or myself is gone--it completely screws up the entire day--and they think we can handle every other WEEK w/a sub? Holy Hannah..And how does the budget allow for that? We aren't allowed to by stickers, but we can hire a sub for 20 weeks?

The education system in this country is Effed up. Seriously Effed up. I'm guessing the people who "run" the education system at the uppermost levels have NEVER taught or have much of any experience in a school setting.

Ooo sorry, bit of a freak out rant there.

 

[yennyfire]

Yenny, that's really interesting about your kids' district, and I wish I knew more about it so I could try to help. I'm curious if there are programs the district is considering, particularly in math -- you said there aren't textbooks yet, which made me wonder if they're going to pilot specific programs. I can definitely see where you'd be frustrated. It sounds like more communication from your kids' teachers would go a long way.

Sorry for thread jacking, SB!

Thanks Zoe! I'm as curious as you are (and sadly, I think the teachers and admins feel likewise). I think we have another rough year ahead. It is truly making me think about home schooling, but I honestly don't think I have the personality for it, nor the mathematical ability to teach my children algebra and calculus (down the road). What a cluster the educational system has become!

SB, my apologies for the continued thread jack...

 

[orbaya]

Ok just a quick update as I'm running into a meeting. I went to the school today to talk more about it with their director. I guess I shouldn't have posted but it was more to get it off my chest.... Apparently I spoke to a receptionist/ admin person when I called yesterday and not the lead teacher or assistant teachers in his classroom. Anyhow they do have those standards, but that is what R should be reaching for- not expected right away. They think the issue is the other kids in the class are mostly girls and as someone already stated girls tend to pick up these skills faster then boys. Not that R is behind but they feel he is self conscious about what he says -thinking it might be wrong and doesn't participate as actively as he could during stuff like storytime, art etc. This might also because because half the kids are new to him (he goes to school with friends so he does know about half his class). Anyhow hopefully over the next few weeks he will get comfortable in his surroundings and start breaking out of his shell more. I did tell him a friend of ours would be working with him a little at home and they thought that would be a great idea and just help him from a different angle.

Anyhow I feel much better knowing what the expectations are and I finally met his lead teacher (she was on vacation the last 2 weeks) and I really like her. Our friends have always spoken highly of her and I now see why. She really put me at ease about everything going on.

How can this new school determine he is self conscious and doesn't participate actively?? This is only his first day! How can anyone judge a young child in a new environment on a single day? Obviously I can only go by what you've written so based on that, I'd be looking into other preschool options. A parent should not be made to feel like they need to hire a tutor a 2 year old in academics. Sad, really. Working with your own children to learn is one thing, but for a school to place pressure on a parent of a toddler is ridiculous.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

S, you have already been given good advice, but I just wanted to add that you don't really need a tutor/teacher to show you what to do or worry at all about these things this young! Your children will learn to recognize some letters over a long period of time as you enjoy reading alphabet books together. Same with shapes and colors...point them out in books and in the environment when you encounter them, but I just really do not like the idea of flash cards for children under school age (mainly because I think it can indicate that someone feels stress about needing to teach a skill, whereas these things can be learned through more natural ways or by reading books to the child).

I will tell you as a person who teaches children how to read, that they don't even need to know the alphabet to learn to read! When they are 5, it is a good time to start learning the sounds of the letters, and sometimes it confuses them when they do know the letter names! So like others on the threads, I have a lot of doubts about the appropriateness of curricula today, and I am more thankful than you can imagine that my last child will be a senior in HS next year and can escape the common core curriculum! I think the idea of a common core is okay, but the content sometimes makes me shake my head. And the idea that a curriculum had to be implemented before books were printed is fairly insane. I am just glad I am out of that system.

 

[LaraOnline]

I am with Greenbling and Diamond Seeker on this.
I have just been where you are now (I'm in Australia, but children are children, right?)
I have a girl, 8, a boy, 6, and another girl, who fronted up for kindy aged 3.5.

There is no way any of them knew how to read and write, recognise number and letter names etc etc.
They are all very good students, and there was ABSOLUTELY nothing to worry about!

In fact, my son steadfastly refused to do pretty much any formal reading, writing - even painting - in Kindy.
He started kindy at age 4. And he started as a true blank page, having shown no interest whatever in drawing, colouring, craft, reading...he just liked watching tv lol.
Kindy he managed to apparently 'avoid' doing any work involving motor skills, such as painting and colouring. He just wanted to play with the trucks, that is ALL.

We were starting to panic and pushed him in pre-Primary. I had a lot of worried conversations with the teachers. His attitude was seemingly so bad, we didn't know what to do. He did not want to read, he did not want to write.

But.... after first quarter of this year(now in Yr 1), everything changed.

After apparently 'not listening' and 'not doing anything' for his entire school career, he is now in the top of his cohort. He is self-motivated. He is enjoying learning, and he is confident.

My experience was that advancements can come quickly, when it comes.
Please, be confident in him. And relax, your child is still really a baby!

 

[diamondringlover]

OK I am an older Mom but the child is not even 3 let him be a child.."growing up" will happen soon enough...I honestly think 3 is pretty darn young to learn the alphabet..heck my oldest son was a late talker there was no way I could have taught him his ABC's at 3, however by the time my kids went to school they knew the alphabet and how to count, I worked on it with them at home but not till they were around 4 or so...ETA I think you are doing a good job with your son and I am sure he will grow up to be wonderful young man just enjoy the time when they are little it goes by so fast.

 

[arkieb1]

I am a former English History teacher (senior kids) and have a just turned 5 year old that started school this year. All the good books I have read on the subject suggest that preschool should be for learning how to cope socially and emotionally when they get to a school environment. Good preschools throw in ABCs and numbers, learning your name and a heap of other things as fun items to know and do as part of the kids day. There should be no pressure, no hot-housing. And we as good parents should be teaching these things at home too. So that when our kids do start school they "click" in to place so to speak.

I think a good preschool has a high level of structured play activities with a less invasive level of basics thrown in. Girls do learn to read, write and speak faster than boys that is a known fact. Boys need to feel valued, safe and secure before good learning habits occurs. Sometimes with kids that young its also more about learning a routine and where they fit into the scheme of things too.

Regardless of gender confident well adjusted kids learn better and enjoy learning. If your child still feels undervalued and overwhelmed after a few months time, then it might be time to pick a different preschool environment.

 

[aliceinwonderland]

Hi,

Sorry I haven't read all of the replies (skimmed some). I teach kindergarten...this is absolute GARBAGE!!!!!!!! It is developmentally inappropriate to except that children must know this at this age. Some are ready to learn ABCs some are not. This is why kids go to school!!!!!! I would seriously question the professional knowledge of this 'teacher.' Some kids are ready to learn this stuff at this age, some are just ready to play more letter games etc. Don't freak out about this. I would have a pretty serious conversation about your expectations with this teacher. You are in the power position here as the parent. Let them know your expectations for school. That you are sending your child to school to be exposed to language and numeracy. You expect that your child will be engaged in a positive way and you will support this learning at home. Additionally you are certain that your child's accomplishments will be celebrated to reflect where they are in their growth and that they will leave each day feeling proud of their work. Be polite but firm and document the details of all these conversations. If you receive similar results I would then move on to speaking with the next person in charge at the 'school'. Don't let this person bully you or make you feel badly. It's their job to teach these skills at school. I think your solution of working with the nanny is a great one. As long as he thinks it's fun go for it! Just don't push it if it's not well received. There is an amazing website called starfall (just google it) that is GREAT for kids language development and it's FREE!

I am really interested in an update.

Alice

 

[KaeKae]

Just throwing out an idea.

Is it possible that this school, as a matter of standard policy, simply does an assessment of each student upon entrance, in order to get to know the child, and possibly begin to design an individual plan for the student? That sounds loftier than I actually mean. When I was teaching preschool, I would do a simple assessment in the fall, so that I had something to compare during the mid and end of year conferences with the parents.

The very first day of attendance is probably not the best time to do any assessment, as children, especially those new to an environment, tend to need a little time to acclimate. And why anyone in the office would feel the need to share the results of such an assessment, I do not know. Any and all academic information should come from the child's teacher.