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Old 08-20-2018, 05:04 AM
 
51,617 posts, read 25,673,407 times
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Not to say there aren't wonderful schools and great teachers who do a terrific job of educating children.

If the OP could find this situation, hallelujah.
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Old 08-20-2018, 08:13 AM
 
586 posts, read 827,513 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GotHereQuickAsICould View Post
Not to say there aren't wonderful schools and great teachers who do a terrific job of educating children.

If the OP could find this situation, hallelujah.
I grew up in a poor neighborhood, and still have fond memories of going to school. Kindergarten was mostly play and it was half day only. We started to read in 1st grade. Pace was slower but I definitely didn't feel stressed. I honestly dont understand why they decided to switch to full day kindergarten. What do they expect 5 and 6 year olds to do in 7-8 hrs?

I dont understand this sudden vigorous academic schedule they are placing on elementary kids, especially kindergartners.
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Old 08-20-2018, 08:43 AM
 
Location: Coastal Georgia
50,169 posts, read 63,623,198 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by conlainhothuong View Post
I grew up in a poor neighborhood, and still have fond memories of going to school. Kindergarten was mostly play and it was half day only. We started to read in 1st grade. Pace was slower but I definitely didn't feel stressed. I honestly dont understand why they decided to switch to full day kindergarten. What do they expect 5 and 6 year olds to do in 7-8 hrs?

I dont understand this sudden vigorous academic schedule they are placing on elementary kids, especially kindergartners.
I think full day kindergarten is the result of more women working out of the home. I was working when my youngest went to kindergarten, and it really took some stress off, that he did not need daycare. He had older siblings at home to fill in until either parent got home.

I am a believer that kids should be kids, and enriching experiences are just as important as book learning, but I also think a 5 year old is a sponge that can learn and there is no reason to treat them like babies. Elementary schools, and teachers gear their classes to the capabilities of children that age. It isn’t as though the typical kindergarteners sit still all day, they don’t. They move from activity to activity.
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Old 08-20-2018, 09:58 AM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,475,124 times
Reputation: 35920
Quote:
Originally Posted by conlainhothuong View Post
I grew up in a poor neighborhood, and still have fond memories of going to school. Kindergarten was mostly play and it was half day only. We started to read in 1st grade. Pace was slower but I definitely didn't feel stressed. I honestly dont understand why they decided to switch to full day kindergarten. What do they expect 5 and 6 year olds to do in 7-8 hrs?

I dont understand this sudden vigorous academic schedule they are placing on elementary kids, especially kindergartners.
30 years ago, we lived in upstate NY (Albany) and I was shocked to find reading being taught in kindergarten. It's not exactly "sudden". (This was with half day K.)
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Old 08-20-2018, 10:49 AM
 
Location: Florida
7,195 posts, read 5,705,767 times
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A classmate named Nancy and I were the only ones who knew how to read in our kindergarten class in 1983 in suburban Connecticut. The two of us were taken out of the classroom each day to work with another teacher on reading while the other kids did The Letter People. In the first grade, both of us, along with a couple other kids, were sent to the second grade classroom for reading each day, and then I promoted to the third grade, skipping second grade. I don't remember if Nancy or the other few first graders who went to second grade for reading also skipped, because we moved across town and I went to a different school. So I'd say it was pretty unusual for a kindergartner to be reading at that time, at least where I lived. Kindergarten has definitely gotten more demanding as time has gone on.
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Old 08-20-2018, 11:55 AM
 
2,414 posts, read 4,228,810 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by conlainhothuong View Post
My son will be going to kindergarten next month. We live in a neighborhood where the school's ranking is really bad. It is ranked 1/10. None of the statistics look good and it is an underperforming school. I've sought advice from other parents before and some said to give it a try and it doesnt necessarily mean the teachers are bad.

We are also considering home schooling. We wanted to get an idea of both learning styles so we enrolled him in a 2 week jump start program at the school. Today he finished his 1st week and I spoke with his teacher about his performance. She said he is a sweet child but he is very active. He is all over the place and she has to redirect him often. He also likes to be in other peoples personal space without asking for their permission. She says that he is very curious and likes to explore.

On the way home from school, I asked him if he made new friends or talked to anyone and he said no. I asked him why and he said hes afraid the teacher would yell at him. I asked what that is about and he said something about her making him go outside because he was talking. I dont know how much truth there is too that because I had a hard time understanding him. He is growing up in bilingual home and sometimes it can be difficult for me to understand him completely.

Given his behavior, should I choose the home school route? He absolutely loves school though and is always looking forward to going. He says he wants to go and get "A's." I dont know if I want to take the enthusiasm away from him. However I'm afraid that his behavior will get him in constant trouble. Any feedback will be appreciated. TIA.
Private school, or move to a better school district. These are critical times for your child, and you need to be willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to give them the best possible chances in life that you can.

SS
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Old 08-20-2018, 11:57 AM
 
4,011 posts, read 4,223,202 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ShakenStirred View Post
Private school, or move to a better school district. These are critical times for your child, and you need to be willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to give them the best possible chances in life that you can.

SS

Hopefully you realize those things cost money. The OP is likely leveraging within their current monetary constraints, etc.
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Old 08-22-2018, 10:45 AM
 
127 posts, read 139,888 times
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Are there any charter schools in the area? Can you afford private school? I would not recommend home schooling as it is isolating and difficult to do well. Kids need a community of peers and other adults.
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Old 08-22-2018, 11:25 AM
 
Location: Florida
7,195 posts, read 5,705,767 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hellosherry View Post
Are there any charter schools in the area? Can you afford private school? I would not recommend home schooling as it is isolating and difficult to do well. Kids need a community of peers and other adults.
In general, homeschooled kids are out and about living life on a daily basis, not cloistered in their homes. I know the name might make you think of sitting at a table doing all of the schoolwork while mom stands in front with a chalkboard and a pointer, but that's not really how it works in most cases.

My kids are teens now and do most of their schooling online in between their various outings, traveling, and so on, but when they were young, a typical homeschooling week would include one or two park days with other homeschoolers, going to the grocery store, going to the library (and participating in whatever story hour or program was happening), going on nature walks, going to a museum or the beach or some other field trip-type place, going to a Bible study with other homeschoolers, and going to dance or karate class once or twice per week. In the later afternoons, they played outside with the neighbor children who had been in school all day. Then of course we would do family things on the weekends; we'd go to my in-laws' house on Sundays, we'd go to church, we'd work on projects around the house or go some place as a family. We hosted foreign exchange students, so we often had a foreign teen living in our home. We went to Germany as a family to visit one of them and a couple of them returned with their parents for visits here.

I think that's pretty typical for homeschooling families. They are being exposed to a wide variety of people and places. Don't let the "home" in "homeschooling" fool you!
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Old 08-22-2018, 12:25 PM
 
Location: Texas!!! It's hot but I don't care :)
559 posts, read 1,463,960 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hellosherry View Post
Are there any charter schools in the area? Can you afford private school? I would not recommend home schooling as it is isolating and difficult to do well. Kids need a community of peers and other adults.
I was homeschooled. For me, it was not even close to be isolating and I actually performed much better than my counterparts when I did go to public school. I even got many scholarships for my private college. I took classes such as music conducting, painting, etymology, astrology. I had TONS of friends, I was put into homeschool groups where I met a lot of people. My days were spent cruising around in my friend's mustang convertible, hitting up the mall while everyone else was being bored at school.

I know that was my experience but I think as a parent, if you want to homeschool, just make sure your child is getting everything they need. I enjoyed homeschool. I had a much more flexible schedule, we took family trips, I could go to the library more often, I was even able to attend tutoring sessions if needed. I had access to teachers online if I had questions or needed help. I was even able to join a homeschool music group where I could continue to learn and play my clarinet, which helped because in college I got scholarships for playing my clarinet.

Just like public school is not for everyone and private school is not everyone, homeschool is not for everyone but my experience was great.
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