Public, charter or private? (San Antonio, Mart: bad credit, homes, private schools)

[sunshineshallow]

My 5 year old son is seriously not doing well in his public school. He is always in trouble and is still after 5 months still having trouble adjusting. The teachers solution is to send him to the principals office, for common 5 year old boy misbehavior. I spend every day wondering what he's doing wrong at school. Normally at home he is a well behaved (within reason) little boy. Some of my friends have mentioned to me that i should place him in a school that has smaller classes and less testing. Does anyone out there have any suggestions on private or charter schools that are close to the northwest area of town? I don't want to have to drive miles just to get him to school. I just want him to excel in school.

[shoosh1958]

I have a friend whose daughter attends Harmony Science Academy (Harmony Science Academy - San Antonio) and they are very happy with it. She's really blossomed there. They are currently located in the old Wal-Mart at 151 and 410.
TEA has a list of charter schools on their website (http://www.teac.state.tx.us/charter/contacts/directories.htm (broken link)) that you might want to check out.

[sunshineshallow]

I've looked into that school and was actually hoping someone would mention it! Thank you! I'm going to call them tomorrow! Thats not too far from where I am.

[buffy888]

Just curious what he is getting in trouble for - what the common 5 year old misbehavior is - as misbehavior in a school setting is not always the same as misbehavior elsewhere.

What kind of testing are you trying to reduce? If it's TAKS, which hopefully shouldn't be a concern at this age, you'll want to look into private schools since charter schools still take TAKS.

If you still are interested in charter schools, here is a list of the charter schools in Region 20 (San Antonio and surrounding areas): Campus Contacts 01. Here's another list - not sure which is more updated - Texas Charter Schools Listed by City

The Great Schools website is one place you can get basic info on schools. There are other sources out there, but it might be a place to start.

[sunshineshallow]

he can't seem to keep his hands to himself, always touching some other kid, punching, putting soap into their eyes, its amazes me because he never acts like that at home, I'm just not sure what to do with him. And some of the things he's done have been while unsupervised in the boys room. I'd love to try private but it's SOO expensive and I am a single mom, not alot of cash flow. My friend told me to look into funding for private schools but I also have BAD credit! He is supposed to take some sort of TAKS to pass into 1st grade. Since when have we had to pass into 1st grade....?

[nicholasa101]

has anyone suggested testing your son for ADD or ADHD? My son who is now 9 yrs old started having the same type of problems in kinder-and my days were miserable-filled also with wondering what he was doing and what I was doing wrong. After having him tested and treated- he is able to concentrate and is now on the A honor roll.Most ADD/ADHD children are very intellegent and are bored with the classroom. The impulsive behavior you described (touching other people) is a key symptom of ADD.

[apies1819]

Children now have to take the TAKS but its not mandatory that they pass for completion to the next grade until 3rd. From my understanding they want them to take it early on to get used to the testing and the procedures.
In TX kindergarden is not mandatory but they do need to be meeting certin expectations in the 1st grade.

As for the behavior problems, smaller classes may help but it still may not solve the problem. You would need to figure out why hes acting out. If hes an only child then I'm sure hes not getting the attention hes used to in a group setting of at least 18 kids.

Touching, punching and putting soap in childrens eyes is not "normal' behavior. Is there a reason hes acting out?
You have to remember hes in a total different enviroment.
He's not the center of attention like he is at home.

Have you asked the school to see if he could work with the counselor to see why he likes to act out?

[pobre]

Originally Posted by apies1819

Children now have to take the TAKS but its not mandatory that they pass for completion to the next grade until 3rd.

There are no TAKS tests before third grade. In third grade, a student is required to pass the reading TAKS in order to be promoted to 4th. In 5th, they have to pass both reading and math to go to 6th.

[jules07]

There is a little boy in my daughter's kinder class who has some of the same behavior issues as your little guy is having, although I think it's something that his parents deal with all the time. But our school has special teachers who work with the children on a more one-on-one basis, as well as the child being in the regular classroom part day. I've seen some great progress in this little boy just since the first of the year. You might check and see if your school has a program similar to it. (It's called BMC at our school - Behavior Management C(something ~ can't remember .)

Being a single mom, it may not be practical ~ but have you considered homeschooling? (I know that if you're working full-time that wouldn't be an option.) There are some great programs and curriculum that are tailored specificly to "wigglies", and "boys who just wanna be boys". (The Weaver comes to mind.) That could be an avenue to consider, if it will work with your life.

[pobre]

Originally Posted by jules07

(It's called BMC at our school - Behavior Management C(something ~ can't remember .)

BMC=behavior mastery center. NISD and NEISD both have this, or forms of this.