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Old 09-19-2008, 07:18 PM
 
697 posts, read 2,009,688 times
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In Vermont children aren't required to go to school until their 7th birthday. That could (as in my daughter's case) eliminate 1st grade as well.
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Old 09-19-2008, 07:29 PM
 
Location: Maine
650 posts, read 2,174,749 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mommytotwo View Post
Because of the MCAS (a state exam the kids have to take now), there is so much pressure on the kids to pass that basically the 1st grade curriculum has been pushed back to Kindergarten. And the 1st grade has been mandatory for god knows how long.

That is why. If the curriculum was REQUIRED for the first grade, and the curriculum has been pushed back to Kindergarten, it makes sense that they should push back the requirement, instead of 1st grade, back to Kindergarten.

My cousin is a second grade teacher who has taught first grade as well and she said that the kids that don't go to kindergarten (although most do go) are almost always behind the other students.

I realize that there seems to be opposition to Kindergarten being required (I am not sure why if you ask me, they have to go at some point, and I am not sure why anyone would not send their child to Kindergarten in the first place---maybe someone can shed some light on this practice). Fine, though, if someone doesn't want to send their children to kindergarten because of whatever their reasons are, I am not going to be the one to say their child should have to go, but it should be offered free for those who want to send their children.
How come no one is outraged by the fact that we are expecting 5 year olds to do the work of children a full year older than they are? How about just letting kids who are barely out of diapers be kids for a little while longer!

Kids don't HAVE to go to Kindergarten. A lot more parents are realizing the absurd practice of forcing Kindergarteners to do first grade work. And a lot of people homeschool these days, at least for the first few elementary school years.

If you're saying that Kindergarten should be offered free to all kids, then shouldn't preschool be mandatory (and then free) as well? If you NEED Kindergarten to succeed in 1st grade then obviously you NEED preschool to succeed in Kindergarten. Right?

This is ridiculous! Soon we are going to be expecting 2 1/2 year olds to follow a KIndergarten/first grade curriculum! Those poor kids!

Thank God we homeschool!
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Old 09-19-2008, 07:33 PM
 
Location: Murfreesboro, TN
3,528 posts, read 8,587,854 times
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I have a 5 year old child in Kindergarden and she is learning things now that I didn't learn to first and second grades. She started talking about the colors of the prism. Tonight she mentioned what gravity is and demonstrated with a ball how the ball pushes the air out of the way as it falls to the ground. I am blown away!! Kindergarten is mandatory here in Tennessee and I'm glad it is!
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Old 09-20-2008, 09:52 PM
 
18 posts, read 95,929 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beanandpumpkin View Post
I also want to point out that by 5th or 6th grade, you don't know who learned to read at age 5 and who learned to read at age 8, who went to preschool and who didn't, etc. It's really not all that important in the grand scheme of things. No university is going to deny a child who didn't attend kindergarten, and no one will ace the AP English test in high school because they DID go to kindergarten. While the schools might force-feed information into very small children, it really does no good... they all catch up anyway, barring any learning difficulties, etc. My current 5-year-old would probably do okay in a kindergarten class, but my son was not ready at 5 to be trained to sit down and be quiet. If we did send our kids to school, I might have opted to keep him home the extra year.
One can't emphasize this point enough. In the end it won't matter, really.
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Old 03-24-2010, 04:32 PM
 
2 posts, read 7,242 times
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I really resent all of those who are saying that it's the "uneducated parents" who don't send their children to Kindergarten and that those children who do not go to Kindergarten are usually far behind the other students when they start 1st grade. I am one such person who was not sent to Kindergarten. I started 1st grade at age 6 and have always been at the top of my class. Honor roll student all the way through college, graduating with honors within the top 20 percentile of my class with a bachelor's degree. Both of my parents are highly educated and decided it was best for me that I stay home with my mother, which is what IS best for children. I believe parents are responsible for rearing their children, and not the school system. Not only that, but my parents were not lazy, so anything and everything that I could possibly learn in Kindergarten was taught to me by my parents. The problem these days is that parents are too busy to spend time with their children and teach them their alphabet, how to count, how to tie their shoes, etc. so THOSE children may be behind the other students, but if parents would do their jobs, this would not be a problem. Those parents whose top priority is their child(ren) will agree unanimously that keeping your child at home is the BEST thing for your child. Not only can they be taught in a more intimate and loving environment, but they are not exposed to the germs, attitudes and behaviors of other children who may not have been taught the same values that you hold important and that you have taught to your child. Saying that Kindergarten should be mandatory is unconstitutional and it infringes on my right as a parent to do what I feel is best for my child. I don't see how this makes me an "uneducated parent" even though I do live in MISSISSIPPI, nor does it make my parents that either. I have a 4 yr. old who I have chosen to NOT send to Kindergarten. She just so happens to know all of her alphabet, can write her alphabet, can count, can spell & write her name, knows all of the Presidents of the United States in the order in which they served, knows the Pledge of Allegience, can sing the National Anthem and can outspeak most high school students with her advanced vocabulary. She has spent not one single day in a conventional kindergarten, but I teach her things daily, in real life, because she is important to me and I really don't need a school to do MY job. She already has, and in her future school years, WILL surpass her peers by leaps and bounds. Meanwhile, she is not being exposed to all the snotty nosed, ill tempered, snatching, name-calling, "watching-whatever-they-want-to-on-TV-because-their-lazy-parents-have-used-the-electronic-babysitter-all-their-lives-so-they're-behind" children, and therefore, she is not being influenced by their behaviors either. I am her parent. I will impose MY influence, values, etc. on my own child. She has her WHOLE LIFE to learn the things she needs to know, but she will only be a baby, toddler, young child for a very short and fleeting moment. I want her to be a child while she still has a chance and enjoy it. And I want to be able to control the influences in her life while I still have the chance. The whole world is clamoring to influence my child and impose on her its values. I'm going to keep her innocent and guide her for as long as I can. It won't be much longer now and I'll HAVE to send her to school. I find it hard to believe that because a child doesn't go to Kindergarten, they are severely behind. If you can't teach a kid what he/she needs to know by the end of the first grade then you need to re-evaluate the teacher because something is wrong. And if you can't teach your child, at home, what they are teaching in Kindergarten, then you must be pretty dumb, too. I mean, really, it's not hard to teach your child the alphabet and how to count to 10, is it??!! I'm pretty sure that a child who skips kindergarten will NOT be in danger of being illiterate by the time he/she gets out of high school. What in the world do you people think parents did before there was Kindergarten? I believe many of the geniuses in history, like Beethoven, Mozart, Einstein, Washington, Jefferson, Curie, etc. got along just fine without that "oh-so-crucial" kindergarten education! I never cease to be amazed at the number of people who cannot think for themselves but blindly, like sheep, follow the crowd who says "children need kindergarten." I scoff at all of you and just feel so thankful and blessed that I can see past the end of my nose. KINDERGARTEN SHOULD NOT BE MANDATORY and I'm glad to live in a state where I, as a parent, still have a CHOICE!
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Old 03-24-2010, 04:34 PM
 
2 posts, read 7,242 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 925mine View Post
In Vermont children aren't required to go to school until their 7th birthday. That could (as in my daughter's case) eliminate 1st grade as well.
Maybe I should move to Vermont!
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Old 03-25-2010, 10:43 AM
 
Location: Washington, DC
605 posts, read 2,153,686 times
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Without giving my value judgment, I will give you two simple reasons why K is not required:

1) It would cost school districts more money if more students enrolled.
2) To a certain extent, required public schooling takes away a family's freedom of choice. Some families want to have their children at home, under their total control for a greater number of years.
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Old 03-25-2010, 12:53 PM
 
2,839 posts, read 9,956,456 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brynn'sMommy View Post
Maybe I should move to Vermont!
You don't have to send your child to school at all, you know... you can homeschool!
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Old 03-28-2010, 11:15 AM
 
Location: Central FL
1,382 posts, read 3,787,598 times
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I grew up in FL and attended full day kindergarten at the age of 5. FL still has full day K for all students. Same thing here in Georgia.

I also taught 1st grade in Florida. Today's kindergarten is nothing like when I was there in the 70's. Kids are reading and writing sentences, not coloring and napping.

One year I had a new student from MA who enrolled in my class midway through the year. She had only been in a half-day kindergarten program in MA. She was so far behind our class in both academic and social areas. After a few days of seeing that she just could not do the work and that she was feeling very overwhelmed, we had a meeting with all parties involved and determined that it would be best if she moved back into a kindergarten classroom. The parents agreed and their daughter really enjoyed the remainder of the school year.

The full day kindergarten program seems to work well from my experience. My oldest son is almost 4 now and I feel very anxious that he will start kindergarten next year (what happened to my little baby?) but at the same time, I see how much he wants to learn and play with the other kids his age even now. I know he will be ready next year. I was a late birthday kid myself (July) but I was also very ready to attend kindergarten when school started in early August in 1977 Florida.
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Old 03-29-2010, 03:52 PM
 
Location: In Exile
107 posts, read 286,359 times
Reputation: 142
I believe if you go to the DOE website for the state of MA, you will find that all cities and towns are required by law to provide public kindergarten to all residents. However, it seems there are circumstances (of which I do not know the specifics) under which parents may be permitted not to send their child.

gracie
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