parents: skipping kindergarten

[pauldun170]

Originally Posted by RACER X

so we signed up april for kindergarten this week.

we;ve been talking to alot of parents and many are dissatisfied w/ the level of education provided in most schools. we are in 1 of the best dist. in the country, but the reality is any-kid can sign up for K no matter there level of education and they are all lumped into the same class. i know of kids starting next yr, that can't spell their names let alone write it out. so you have kids who can read and kids who can't write the alphabet, so who's gonna get the most attention? while the top of the class gets bored.

april is reading and doing spelling, heck she spelled orang (missed the e) at lunch time today by herself.

we've been told you can take a test and place outta K and got straight to 1st grade. has anybody done that?

if she passes this test, we can decide whether she stays in K or goes to first, and also it opens up doors for AP classes.

anybody have their kids skip K ?

Our oldest is starts K in the fall and we are in a similar situation.
He is in pre-K now and is a way ahead of everyone else since he has been reading and writing for awhile now.
We read the same magazines on the crapper (He has a subscription to National Geographic). He has basic math skills.
While the kids in the class are working on basic words such as cat and all that...I have to come up with on the spot definitions for things he gets out of the magazines.

I'm on the crapper reading whatever is lying around and in walks Lucas
"Aren't you supposed to knock?"
"sorry daddy"
(Knock knock"
"Yes"
(In walks Lucas holding a magazine)
"Daddy, what does anthropogenic mean?"
"Let me finish up ok...five minutes."
(after he walks out..I got make a mad dash to the office to go look it up.)

Hour later..
"Hey Lucas, what does anthropogenic mean?"
"I don't know. Can I watch a movie?"

Kindergarten is more than just learning basic reading skills, its also a social skill development.


I don't know, we'll see what happens when the screen him.

[RACER X]

Originally Posted by pauldun170

I don't know, we'll see what happens when the screen him.

what screening do they do?

from my understanding everybody is lumped in together.

see if they are in pre-k already, they are already socializing w/ others and learning about getting in line, waiting their turn, sharing w/ others......vs mom(dad) and kid at home all day.

[pauldun170]

Originally Posted by RACER X

what screening do they do?

from my understanding everybody is lumped in together.

see if they are in pre-k already, they are already socializing w/ others and learning about getting in line, waiting their turn, sharing w/ others......vs mom(dad) and kid at home all day.

I think they measure drool ratio and check for pants crappers.
I'm not sure.

[Tmall]

I never went. It wasn't mandatory when I started school, and you had to pay for it.

[EpyonXero]

but the reality is any-kid can sign up for K no matter there level of education

Is this really where things are these days? No shit, its kindergarten you shouldnt need a degree to be qualified to start school. I know kids are starting school in pre-pre-pre-K as soon as they can sit up on their own but thats optional and I really think it needs to stay that way. As malleable as a childs mind is between 3 and 5 years old I think its a bad idea to institutionalize them that early. Schools teach you to act and think a certian way, even moreso now with the increased emphasis on standardized testing, the early childhood years are when kids develop their sense of self and I think in the future we'll be heaing about problems with these kids who have been in school from 2 to 22 years of age.

I didnt go to pre school and if I can help it I plan to keep my (future) kids out of school as long as possible so that they can enjoy their childhood.

BTW, pushing you kids in education may be the Asian way but its no necessarily the healthy way. In China, school children are having health problems because of the stress theyre under.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5274129,00.html

This can easily build into adult problems:

At Cornell University, for instance, 13 of the 21 student suicide victims between 1996 and 2006 were Asians or Asian Americans. That picture is not complete unless you consider that Asians make up of only 14 percent of the total Cornell student body. Cornell is so concerned that in 2002 it formed a special Asian and Asian American Campus Climate Task Force to look into the reason behind the high number of suicides

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news...f23274028d24a7

[pauldun170]

The Asian man just got told by the black man ....

BTW, pushing you kids in education may be the Asian way

I plan to keep my (future) kids out of school as long as possible

This thread just got awesome


I know,
I know EpyonXero has a valid point on child development but gatDAMN some sterotypes just got their balls tickled!!

[azoomm]

Ed, sorry, but if you are still living in Houston there is no way your district is that highly ranked in education nationwide. It's a nice thought. But, no way.

Let April be a kid with kids her age.

If she becomes bored, address it then. Stay involved in her education. Don't make assumptions because you're one race or another.

What does Z think?

[Tsunami]

Originally Posted by pauldun170

The Asian man just got told by the black man ....


This thread just got awesome


I know,
I know EpyonXero has a valid point on child development but gatDAMN some sterotypes just got their balls tickled!!

[Captain Morgan]

I have to register my daughter for K tomorrow. She's not reading yet, but she can write. Has to ask me how to spell things, though. I can't see having kids skip K and go straight to first grade as I do agree it's generally better to keep them with others their own age.

[RACER X]

Originally Posted by azoomm

Ed, sorry, but if you are still living in Houston there is no way your district is that highly ranked in education nationwide. It's a nice thought. But, no way.

Let April be a kid with kids her age.

If she becomes bored, address it then. Stay involved in her education. Don't make assumptions because you're one race or another.

What does Z think?

Let me guess, but austin does, right

we don't live in "houston"

way back initial Z was all about socialization and being "average" after seeing the rest of my family and seeing that being above avg. is ok and you can be "normal" she's seeing that education is way more important then athletics or cheerleading.