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.
I agree that awards at this age are developmentally inappropriate. There is no need for "awards" at this age. Just another example of kindergarten and even first grade curricula trickling down to the pre-k level. As a pre-k teacher, this disgusts me.
Also, what is up with preschool "graduations"? End of the year parties and celebrations are fine, but not events labeled as graduations. There are even preschools where kids wear caps and gowns. Ugh.
I know a similar thread on this was posted over two years ago but the circumstances are a bit different and a lot of time has passed since that thread was posted. I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Today I attended a Mother's Day breakfast at my son's preschool. He is finishing pre-K (this is a private one, not public, because we didn't win the pre-K lottery in our school system). We were hardly finished eating when we suddenly learned that "diplomas" were being handed out along with "awards".
I was rather dismayed at this because first, it was never mentioned. Second, it's freakin' pre-K! What can you get an award in for pre-K? I'm thinking, okay, simple stuff like perfect attendance, most polite, etc. Fine, whatever.
So they get started with the awards and they are in actual categories. Best in penmanship, best in math, best in science, best in art, most helpful, turned in homework every day. In the subject awards, they call out about 10 names per category. There are probably 30 kids total in the pre-K. Some kids got several awards and went up many times.
My little boy sat there, slowly realizing his friends were getting all these awards and he wasn't. It broke my heart.
Finally, the last award was given for "most improved". He and another little girl both won this award. He was just thrilled to finally hear his name being called and ran up with excitement.
Before I continue, I am not one of those moms who thinks every single kid should get an award, no matter what. I don't think my child is a genius by any means. But when a THIRD to half of his pals are winning several awards, it's hard to watch.
I guess I always thought an award went to the best achievers. I was thinking, okay, two kids for math, two kids for penmanship, etc. But that many? And the "completed all homework" one killed me because my kid did all his homework, every single night.
My other beef is that at the one parent/teacher conference I had with his teacher, she never said he could work on his math skills a little more or his handwriting was bad. Heck, when he started, he couldn't even hold a pencil and now he's writing entire words without help. Why am I finding out now that he needs to work much harder?
I know I am going overboard and am being overly emotional. I am and always will be very proud of him no matter what awards he does or doesn't get. But I'm not sure what to say to him when he gets home today. I want him to be aware that you have to work really hard to win an award, that they are given for those who truly go above and beyond the norm.
But after today, I am concerned he's going to think he's not very smart because so many of his pals got several awards and he only got one, and even that one seemed like a consolation prize.
Two things come to mind at this time: 1-kids do have to understand they live in a competitive world, but 2 and more important, there is no place for this kind of competition among 4 and 5 year olds. What is the administration thinking?
I am one who has never thought every child needs to be told they are a winner, nor they are the greatest in everything, but there is a time and place for learning you can't always be the best and it isn't preK.
Now, I will add, it is your responsibility not to show your son how hurt you are and try to explain to him, if it is even necessary that all kids are different and some learn younger. You might be surprised, this little ceremony may not be an issue to him for long, you might be more upset than he is. Don't make too much out of it.
I'm a prek teacher and I would never hand out diplomas. I just give each child a bucket with fun stuff for the summer and a packet for the parents on activities they can do for the summer. That's it. Why go crazy doing that with diplomas?
I'm a prek teacher and I would never hand out diplomas. I just give each child a bucket with fun stuff for the summer and a packet for the parents on activities they can do for the summer. That's it. Why go crazy doing that with diplomas?
My granddaughter got a diploma in preschool, but it was just a cute certificate that said she completed her preschool play school course of study. Silly, but hey, what can I say. She did not get a diploma this year despite the fact that she will be going to a middle school, so graduating elementary is a big deal here.
She did get some awards she earned including an honor roll certificate and one for her math skills. They also bought a yearbook. We never had yearbooks until high school.
The nightmare being that we even talk about "math", "penmanship", "science" and rankings in pre-K. Just plain disgraceful and nauseatingly poor taste.
I guess we're just doing our duty to prepare the highly competitive and sleazy used car salesmen of tomorrow.
Every day I understand better our young contemporaries who CHOOSE not to have children.
The nightmare being that we even talk about "math", "penmanship", "science" and rankings in pre-K. Just plain disgraceful and nauseatingly poor taste. I guess we're just doing our duty to prepare the highly competitive and sleazy used car salesmen of tomorrow.
Every day I understand better our young contemporaries who CHOOSE not to have children.
And yet, you're PO'd that your Kindergartener isn't ranked for your benefit? Seriously?
Every day I understand better our young contemporaries who CHOOSE not to have children.
Children are rarely the problem.
IMO, awards should be completely done away with. None of them really matter beyond class ranking at high school graduation. All the awards do is create bad feelings among the children and competition among the parents.
Grades should remain a private matter between the teacher, the student, and the parents.
Of course they aren't, But the environment in which we must raise them today - that IS a problem. Since most people cannot opt out of it, more are simply choosing to skip the "children" part.
Of course they aren't, But the environment in which we must raise them today - that IS a problem. Since most people cannot opt out of it, more are simply choosing to skip the "children" part.
Plenty of parents opt out of the craziness and many of us have children who are outstanding students. It will shock you when it comes time to apply to college that many kids without crazy competitive parents wind up at top schools.
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.
