Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Sorry, but I have major issues with the idea that one year of education is supposed to be done solely as preparation for the next.
This is a major pet peeve of mine. 5th grade material should be learned because it is developmentally appropriate for 5th graders, NOT to get them ready for 6th grade. If a curriculum is well designed you get ready for 6th grade just by doing 5th grade material. No special preparation is necessary.
Yeah, well, that tells you that we are stressing our preschoolers into academic learning before K. When do they get to play and be kids?
It's not that some kids can't do these things. It's that not all children are ready for this at 3 or 4 years old and they should not be *tested* either.
Kids don't have to do all of that to be admitted to kindergarten. At least that's not how those tests are meant to be used. The KRT both my kids did was not that intense, and I have one still in kindergarten.
If a kid can sit still, follow directions, and is potty trained, they are ready for kindergarten. Often kids who are reading books and kids who barely know their alphabet in the same class.
Kids don't have to do all of that to be admitted to kindergarten. At least that's not how those tests are meant to be used. The KRT both my kids did was not that intense, and I have one still in kindergarten.
If a kid can sit still, follow directions, and is potty trained, they are ready for kindergarten. Often kids who are reading books and kids who barely know their alphabet in the same class.
Yes. I think sitting still and being able to stay on topic/concentrate will take a child a long way towards learning.
I could read and write before going to school. I was an only child and shy. It was a way of developing confidence for me when I went to school and it worked.
I often wonder what teachers do when they are hit with a bunch of kids with very different levels of accomplishment. I've heard that they teach to the middle, which makes the achievers bored and perhaps prone to mischief.
I remember teachers giving me an endless supply of books and asking me to sit in the back and write reports on them. It was fun to be self directed. I only wish that I had had a head start in languages. And Physics, which I loved but was not so great at.
Here in NJ we follow the NJ Preschool Standards which are aligned with the NJ K-12 Core Content Curriculum Standards.
Preschool indicators are also included in the P-12 documents for five Core Curriculum Content Standards areas:
Visual and Performing Arts (Standard 1)
Comprehensive Health and Physical Education (Standard 2)
Science (Standard 5)
Social Studies (Standard 6)
Technology (Standard 8)
Since I work for an Abbott District we use an assessment called Work Sampling. I been a Pre-K teacher since 2004 and this is the 4th assessment that I have used. We collect information(work, anecdotal notes, art etc.) from the students and categorize it in different domains such as Math, Science, Language etc. Then rate the the students, in progress, not yet, or proficent.
For example Math:
A. Mathematical processes
Begins to use simple strategies to solve mathematical problem
B. Number and operations
1. Shows beginning understanding of number and quantity.
C. Patterns, relationships, and functions
1. Sorts objects into subgroups that vary by one or two attributes. 2. Recognizes simple patterns and duplicates them.
D. Geometry and spatial relations
1. Begins to recognize and describe the attributes of shapes.
2. Shows understanding of and uses several positional words.
E. Measurement
1. Orders, compares, and describes objects according to a single attribute.
2. Participates in measuring activities.
I took some child-development classes at the local community college as a SAHM (no, I'm not type A, but I thought I should educate myself so I understand the "why" and "how" of my children's learning and development). I even enrolled them in some research studies at John Hopkins Center for Child Development when they were toddlers..for me...for fun...
Learning to Read is like running a marathon. There are those who can do a 7 minute mile and those, no matter how hard they train, will never get under a 10 minute mile. BUT if you've ever been to a marathon, NO ONE CARES about your time but YOU. EVERYONE cares that you finished and it's a huge celebration. The same should go for reading, whether you read at 4, 6 or 8 the point is to learn and enjoy reading - to finish the race.
I took some child-development classes at the local community college as a SAHM (no, I'm not type A, but I thought I should educate myself so I understand the "why" and "how" of my children's learning and development). I even enrolled them in some research studies at John Hopkins Center for Child Development when they were toddlers..for me...for fun...
Learning to Read is like running a marathon. There are those who can do a 7 minute mile and those, no matter how hard they train, will never get under a 10 minute mile. BUT if you've ever been to a marathon, NO ONE CARES about your time but YOU. EVERYONE cares that you finished and it's a huge celebration. The same should go for reading, whether you read at 4, 6 or 8 the point is to learn and enjoy reading - to finish the race.
Yes, it must be heaven to have children and to afford a private tutor to teach them at their own speed.
Yes, it must be heaven to have children and to afford a private tutor to teach them at their own speed.
You don't have to hire a private tutor for kids to learn at their own pace. You just need to have a good school and to read a lot to your kids as well as reading a lot for pleasure yourself.
If a child is struggling, the public schools should be able to provide help.
You don't have to hire a private tutor for kids to learn at their own pace. You just need to have a good school and to read a lot to your kids as well as reading a lot for pleasure yourself.
If a child is struggling, the public schools should be able to provide help.
There is the expectancy of the child having to catch up to the rest of the class, and a lot of after hour special learning to be done, making the child know that everyone knows he is sub par.
What I am saying is that a well rounded private tutor, teaching one or a few children, would see that everyone learns at his own pace. Some will excel in one thing and someone else in another. There is no stigma and learning becomes a series of challenges that do not stress out a child but allow him to build self confidence as he masters various subjects. That, to me, is a more natural and humane way of learning, but we cannot afford it.
Our schools are mostly geared to average kids. The high end and the low end are both problems. I'm not saying that they don't try, but there is only so much you can do with limited resources. That, coupled with most kids' having problems with one or two subjects, can burden a school. Most A students are just allowed to slip to the B or maybe C. That would not be, if there were a private tutor. The lesson would not go on until the child had a good competency in it, generally.
Most A students are just allowed to slip to the B or maybe C. That would not be, if there were a private tutor. The lesson would not go on until the child had a good competency in it, generally.
But there is nothing wrong with a B or C if the child is learning the material. Not every student can or should get As in every subject. We need to accept that.
In college, my dd had one class she got a C in. She says that it was the class she learned the most in because she worked so hard to get that C. A C is not a failing grade, it means that student is average in this particular subset of knowledge at this point in time.
But there is nothing wrong with a B or C if the child is learning the material. Not every student can or should get As in every subject. We need to accept that.
In college, my dd had one class she got a C in. She says that it was the class she learned the most in because she worked so hard to get that C. A C is not a failing grade, it means that student is average in this particular subset of knowledge at this point in time.
I disagree. It often means that this child will take a bit longer to truly master the subject, especially if this is an "A" student.
I did not do so well in Physics but loved it and wished I could have had a more slowly paced course and a tutor, but because I was doing average in the class, even though I was generally a better student than that, I got no help because people were failing in the subject and more needy than I.
I understand the lack of resources, but please don't pass this off as something good. It is trying to strike a balance in which one student loses and one gains.
When I went to college I was one of perhaps two first year Accounting students who had been a Liberal Arts major in high school. I had no prior business experience. The teacher taught to the middle of the class and I had to really struggle to keep up.
Our system is pretty much geared to the middle, the average. That is not always a good thing.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
NJ Public School Pre-K Teacher
