giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Oct 8, 2014 14:18:27 GMT -5
Around the same time kindergarten became mandatory instead of optional, and most kids had two years of preschool before that. Puclic schools cover a LOT more in kindergarten and first grade now. Has any of that shown to have a positive effect on test scores, or graduation rates, or anything for that matter? Hard to say. Is socio-economic status taken into affect? From my experience, socio-economic status is one of the biggest influences in the academic success of a child.
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cael
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Post by cael on Oct 8, 2014 14:41:16 GMT -5
The little hippy-dippy private school I went to was I'm sure completely different from the catholic school your kids went to Swamp, but I feel I was pretty poorly prepared for math/science when I started public high school. I think it depends on the school, teachers, everything. At my school you had the same teacher from 1st-8th grade, so I feel you would inherit your teacher's weaknesses that way and don't really agree with that system (they've since changed I think). I was a reader/writer and didn't have enough solid math or science background so I had to scramble and try to play catch up on my own... I coasted through math but loved science. My aunt (a writer and real grammar nazi) tells me she always used to cringe when I would send them cards when I was 5-6, because I spelled everything phonetically and no one corrected me, because "she'll figure it out eventually on her own!", and it made her insane. Luckily I did eventually learn, probably because I loved reading and did actually read chapter books by 5-6. Oh, actually. Funny thing about the reading/writing. For 9th grade they put me into honors English because my mother and old teacher said I was a good writer. I damn near failed the class, because never once had I been taught anything about sentence structure, structuring an essay or anything like that. UGH. My 10th grade English class (regular level, not honors) was fantastic, I learned a shitload and got all As in all my English classes after that because I could actually compose an essay properly. She'll catch up and be just fine I'm sure! At least this happened early instead of when she starts middle school or high school
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Oct 8, 2014 15:00:07 GMT -5
It appears to me that the public school focused more on reading in kindergarten, and probably did next to nothing in math, whereas the private school did a little of both. If you had the public school kids switching over to the private, they probably would have been way behind in math. I wouldn't assume the private school sucked just because they didn't focus as much on one certain subject in kindergarten. I'm sure she'll catch up. That is probably a lot of it. I was unimpressed with how little of kindergarten focused on math. I think the only expectation by the end of the year was to recognize numbers and count to 100 or something. So DS had homework like "draw 3 cherries" & "color 3 fish", when the kid could multiply 3*3. They kicked ass in reading though. I had no idea that kids were expected to be somewhat reading by the end of kindy.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Oct 8, 2014 15:04:47 GMT -5
Beats me, I'm not an educator, or an education policy expert. I remember hearing lots of studies about how kids that went through preschool and kindergarten outperformed kids who didn't, which is why there was a big federal push to make preschool programs available for low income people when I was a kid. I don't know how long the effect lasted though. I think most kids tend to even out around 4th grade, and natural intelligence and societal pressure to apply it determines more beyond that point. Long-term the low-income kids who go to preschool have been shown to perform better socially. Less likely to be in jail, more able to hold down a job, etc. There are theories that there are certain timeframes where skills are most able to be learned. And since pre-school mostly teaches sharing, compromise, taking turns, patience, etc...they think that it is very helpful for kids to learn those skills at a young age & that is why the kids are more successful later in life. I think academically it does tend to all even out sometime between 3rd-5th grade for most kids.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Oct 8, 2014 15:46:50 GMT -5
I don't think reading well in 1st grade is the be all end all of life even school life. My DD was a poor reader in elem school. She did catch up eventually. I actually think in this case I would actually not try and make her read to me. It sounds like it would be actual work instead of fun. IMO the most important thing to teach kids about reading, is that it is fun, so it's something they want to do.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Oct 8, 2014 15:51:37 GMT -5
I don't think reading well in 1st grade is the be all end all of life even school life. My DD was a poor reader in elem school. She did catch up eventually. I actually think in this case I would actually not try and make her read to me. It sounds like it would be actual work instead of fun. IMO the most important thing to teach kids about reading, is that it is fun, so it's something they want to do. Thank you! This is what I've been trying to say and couldn't. I don't have anything to back me up on this, but the overwhelming feeling I get every time the preschool/elementary school teachers start pushing their academics I have is dread. Dread that they are going to turn learning into something boring instead of the fun that it is now. I know we all have to learn how to deal with boredom and how to trudge through things we don't like, but I don't want school/learning to be equated with being bored, and certainly not at 4, 5, and 6 years old.
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Formerly SK
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Post by Formerly SK on Oct 8, 2014 15:52:38 GMT -5
You guys need to get a growth mindset. Just because you are doing badly at something doesn't mean you are stupid, it just means you need to practice more. And there is nothing wrong or embarrassing about needing practice. Some kids learn to ride a bike in one day, others take a week or month. Don't make a label out of it and draw conclusions about the child's future, just practice practice practice. I met a 5th grader today who didn't know his 2x multiplication. He counted on for each answer (2x5 would be solved by saying 5-6-7-8-9-10 using his fingers). I just wanted to cry. Why is no one working with these kids? If any of you need inspiration for your kids, this Michael Jordan clip is AWESOME:
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Oct 8, 2014 15:54:28 GMT -5
Kids learn at such different paces, I don't think it is all that important if you are behind in early grades.
My DSnow20 started reading just before he turned 3. He also taught himself math and geography. In kindergarten he could name the capital and main agricultural product for all 50 states. He missed the school cutoff date by 2 weeks, so we started him a year early and he was the youngest in his class and by far the most advanced. By high school, it all evened out, he was a good student but not the top of his class
My DSnow22 didn't read until 1st grade, had ADD and organization issues in school, and struggled early. By high school he was at top of his class, had highest SAT in his class and now has near 4.0 in college. He is taking "easy for him" classes like Calculus and Differential Equations.
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Ryan
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Post by Ryan on Oct 8, 2014 15:56:04 GMT -5
In the 80's, all teachers pretty much got paid crap and the public school teachers seemed like the laziest of the bunch. I grew up in a middle class suburb and my teachers had us do math worksheets, read aloud during class, and had the students grade each others papers....they even smoked in the supply room when we were at recess. Meanwhile, the private schools were just way more strict and accomplished a lot more in school with their old school techniques.
Now, private schools are a total joke compared to public. They’ve pumped more money in public schools, got rid of all the old teachers, and pay the teachers way more. The private schools by us are teachers that are either old and/or can’t get jobs at public schools.
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Formerly SK
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Post by Formerly SK on Oct 8, 2014 16:00:09 GMT -5
I don't think reading well in 1st grade is the be all end all of life even school life. My DD was a poor reader in elem school. She did catch up eventually. I actually think in this case I would actually not try and make her read to me. It sounds like it would be actual work instead of fun. IMO the most important thing to teach kids about reading, is that it is fun, so it's something they want to do. Thank you! This is what I've been trying to say and couldn't. I don't have anything to back me up on this, but the overwhelming feeling I get every time the preschool/elementary school teachers start pushing their academics I have is dread. Dread that they are going to turn learning into something boring instead of the fun that it is now. I know we all have to learn how to deal with boredom and how to trudge through things we don't like, but I don't want school/learning to be equated with being bored, and certainly not at 4, 5, and 6 years old. I don't think working hard = boredom and drudgery. If your child struggles in a subject, spending an hour/day to tutor them on it doesn't have to be horrible. The feel of the tutoring session is based on the attitude/enthusiasm of the tutor. I think many times that early learning can be boring, though. Learning how to put sounds together isn't as interesting. Just like verb conjugation is boring when you are learning a new language. Mastering those initial boring things, though, gets you to a place where you can really enjoy your new skill (like reading a fun book or speaking Spanish to a friend). Mastering math facts means you can dive into more interesting and applicable math scenarios.
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michelyn8
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Post by michelyn8 on Oct 8, 2014 16:16:03 GMT -5
Could there also be a difference in teaching style between their current teachers and the ones at the private school? DD2 had issues with math in 6th grade so I sent her to remediation over the summer before she started 7th. She did great and was fortunate enough to get the same teacher for 7th grade math. Then the teacher moved with her hubby to where his new job was and DD2 got a new teacher who approached the material differently. DD2's grades dropped and she started struggling again. To make matters worse, 2nd teacher was just a sub and the "perm" teacher came in the final 3rd of the year. Her grades never went back up and she struggled with math the rest of the rest of the time she was in school. As for pre-school and K and their affect on kids. DD1 went straight into K - no pre-school. She wasn't top of her class but did well all through school even taking AP classes in HS. DD2 went to pre-school before starting K and had issues all through school with her grades and grasping the material. Not the case for all I know but not going to pre-school isn't necessary going to prevent a naturally bright kid from doing well. DD2 is bright too but learns different and we never could get her on the same page with a lot of her teachers.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Oct 8, 2014 16:18:25 GMT -5
Thank you! This is what I've been trying to say and couldn't. I don't have anything to back me up on this, but the overwhelming feeling I get every time the preschool/elementary school teachers start pushing their academics I have is dread. Dread that they are going to turn learning into something boring instead of the fun that it is now. I know we all have to learn how to deal with boredom and how to trudge through things we don't like, but I don't want school/learning to be equated with being bored, and certainly not at 4, 5, and 6 years old. I don't think working hard = boredom and drudgery. If your child struggles in a subject, spending an hour/day to tutor them on it doesn't have to be horrible. The feel of the tutoring session is based on the attitude/enthusiasm of the tutor. I think many times that early learning can be boring, though. Learning how to put sounds together isn't as interesting. Just like verb conjugation is boring when you are learning a new language. Mastering those initial boring things, though, gets you to a place where you can really enjoy your new skill (like reading a fun book or speaking Spanish to a friend). Mastering math facts means you can dive into more interesting and applicable math scenarios. You would know better than I since your kids are in elementary school, but I am not trusting of the schools to be able to do that with a group of 20-30 kids. I'm not opposed to early education at all and am actually beating myself up because I haven't bought a homeschooling program to help us teach ds to read, but I am only doing that because he wants to read by himself more. Right now sounding out letters and words IS fun for ds, as is figuring out basic addition and subtraction to play his games. I want the joy of learning to last until he is mature enough to know that boring work now leads to better things later. He isn't there yet though.
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Formerly SK
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Post by Formerly SK on Oct 8, 2014 16:29:09 GMT -5
I don't think working hard = boredom and drudgery. If your child struggles in a subject, spending an hour/day to tutor them on it doesn't have to be horrible. The feel of the tutoring session is based on the attitude/enthusiasm of the tutor. I think many times that early learning can be boring, though. Learning how to put sounds together isn't as interesting. Just like verb conjugation is boring when you are learning a new language. Mastering those initial boring things, though, gets you to a place where you can really enjoy your new skill (like reading a fun book or speaking Spanish to a friend). Mastering math facts means you can dive into more interesting and applicable math scenarios. You would know better than I since your kids are in elementary school, but I am not trusting of the schools to be able to do that with a group of 20-30 kids. I'm not opposed to early education at all and am actually beating myself up because I haven't bought a homeschooling program to help us teach ds to read, but I am only doing that because he wants to read by himself more. Right now sounding out letters and words IS fun for ds, as is figuring out basic addition and subtraction to play his games. I want the joy of learning to last until he is mature enough to know that boring work now leads to better things later. He isn't there yet though. Unfortunately, when I speak of tutoring I mean *parents* working with their kids. My school district doesn't have the funds for tutors. Either the PTO raises money for them, or it's parents volunteering. I don't think parents appreciate AT ALL how little 1x1 attention their kids get in school. There just aren't the resources. If (general) you want your child to be educated, the first thing you need to realize is that the school can't do it all. There just isn't the funding. That 5th grader who can't mulitiply 2x? I got 10 minutes with him. And I'll see him 1x/wk. And I'm VOLUNTEERING. He wouldn't even get help if I didn't care enough to spend time with him. Unfortunately, he's not the only kid who needs help. So his parent may hear that he's getting tutored at school and think his issues are being addressed, but they aren't. He needs a sump pump when all I have is a thimble.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Oct 8, 2014 16:38:02 GMT -5
You would know better than I since your kids are in elementary school, but I am not trusting of the schools to be able to do that with a group of 20-30 kids. I'm not opposed to early education at all and am actually beating myself up because I haven't bought a homeschooling program to help us teach ds to read, but I am only doing that because he wants to read by himself more. Right now sounding out letters and words IS fun for ds, as is figuring out basic addition and subtraction to play his games. I want the joy of learning to last until he is mature enough to know that boring work now leads to better things later. He isn't there yet though. Unfortunately, when I speak of tutoring I mean *parents* working with their kids. My school district doesn't have the funds for tutors. Either the PTO raises money for them, or it's parents volunteering. I don't think parents appreciate AT ALL how little 1x1 attention their kids get in school. There just aren't the resources. If (general) you want your child to be educated, the first thing you need to realize is that the school can't do it all. There just isn't the funding. That 5th grader who can't mulitiply 2x? I got 10 minutes with him. And I'll see him 1x/wk. And I'm VOLUNTEERING. He wouldn't even get help if I didn't care enough to spend time with him. Unfortunately, he's not the only kid who needs help. So his parent may hear that he's getting tutored at school and think his issues are being addressed, but they aren't. He needs a sump pump when all I have is a thimble. I get that, and my biggest complaint about public school for myself is that I was getting A's for showing up and trying, not because I truly grasped the concepts. I want to avoid that for my kids as much as possible. However, I don't think (and again this is just my thought and not backed up by anything) that kindergarten is the time to teach kids to persevere through hard work on learning to read or add. Make learning fun, so that as they get older they want to learn the harder stuff even if its less fun. At 5 they can learn on the playground about hard work paying off for more fun.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2014 16:40:13 GMT -5
Kindergarten is not mandatory. At least not in PA. School isn't mandatory till age 8 here.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2014 16:41:18 GMT -5
And actually quite a few studies back in the day showed early readers were not better lifelong readers... I will say I haven't researched it in awhile.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Oct 8, 2014 16:41:24 GMT -5
Thank you! This is what I've been trying to say and couldn't. I don't have anything to back me up on this, but the overwhelming feeling I get every time the preschool/elementary school teachers start pushing their academics I have is dread. Dread that they are going to turn learning into something boring instead of the fun that it is now. I know we all have to learn how to deal with boredom and how to trudge through things we don't like, but I don't want school/learning to be equated with being bored, and certainly not at 4, 5, and 6 years old. I don't think working hard = boredom and drudgery. If your child struggles in a subject, spending an hour/day to tutor them on it doesn't have to be horrible. The feel of the tutoring session is based on the attitude/enthusiasm of the tutor. I think many times that early learning can be boring, though. Learning how to put sounds together isn't as interesting. Just like verb conjugation is boring when you are learning a new language. Mastering those initial boring things, though, gets you to a place where you can really enjoy your new skill (like reading a fun book or speaking Spanish to a friend). Mastering math facts means you can dive into more interesting and applicable math scenarios. I have found there are tons of computer games & apps that make early learning a lot of fun for kids. Putting sounds together if you are going through flash cards would be hella boring. But, I guarantee there are apps that make it fun for kids & help them learn too. I can't believe the parents of a 5th grader wouldn't be working with him at home if he doesn't know 2*5. That makes me even sadder than the fact the schools are failing him...the parents are totally failing him.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Oct 8, 2014 16:44:15 GMT -5
Beats me, I'm not an educator, or an education policy expert. I remember hearing lots of studies about how kids that went through preschool and kindergarten outperformed kids who didn't, which is why there was a big federal push to make preschool programs available for low income people when I was a kid. I don't know how long the effect lasted though. I think most kids tend to even out around 4th grade, and natural intelligence and societal pressure to apply it determines more beyond that point. Yeah, that was the idea behind Head Start. And you're right, by about third or fourth grade, it made no difference whether the kid had participated in Head Start or not. Head Start appears to have been an inappropriate solution to a non-problem. Welcome to government in action.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2014 16:44:57 GMT -5
I don't think working hard = boredom and drudgery. If your child struggles in a subject, spending an hour/day to tutor them on it doesn't have to be horrible. The feel of the tutoring session is based on the attitude/enthusiasm of the tutor. I think many times that early learning can be boring, though. Learning how to put sounds together isn't as interesting. Just like verb conjugation is boring when you are learning a new language. Mastering those initial boring things, though, gets you to a place where you can really enjoy your new skill (like reading a fun book or speaking Spanish to a friend). Mastering math facts means you can dive into more interesting and applicable math scenarios. You would know better than I since your kids are in elementary school, but I am not trusting of the schools to be able to do that with a group of 20-30 kids. I'm not opposed to early education at all and am actually beating myself up because I haven't bought a homeschooling program to help us teach ds to read, but I am only doing that because he wants to read by himself more. Right now sounding out letters and words IS fun for ds, as is figuring out basic addition and subtraction to play his games. I want the joy of learning to last until he is mature enough to know that boring work now leads to better things later. He isn't there yet though. You don't need a homeschool program to teach to read, honestly, just read lots with them, provide a print rich environment, and let them be. if you do want to do something, and if the kid is amenable and it's not frustrating, I have friends who have things they like, something In a 100 days'... I could ask around. I also like critical thinking company for 'early learning' if you feel you have to have some curriculum. Seriously though. I'm a big believer in no formal Ed till 8, then minimal from 8-11. I didn't do anything graded or up terribly organized till high school.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Oct 8, 2014 16:45:45 GMT -5
My DSnow20 started reading just before he turned 3. He also taught himself math and geography. In kindergarten he could name the capital and main agricultural product for all 50 states. He missed the school cutoff date by 2 weeks, so we started him a year early and he was the youngest in his class and by far the most advanced. By high school, it all evened out, he was a good student but not the top of his class Do you think some of that might be because he wasn't being pushed by the school? I know I was really advanced in certain ways when I was young. The schools were perfectly happy to let me just slide through classes even though they were way too easy for me. My parents were very involved & even in elementary school I can recall actually being taken to the math class for the higher grades. I wasn't top of my class or anything, but I ended up way ahead in most subjects...in middle school I was going to high school for math, in high school I was going to college for math. That wouldn't have happened without someone recognizing I wasn't in the right class for my skill level & making sure I got where I should have been.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2014 16:46:32 GMT -5
Head start is for kids who likely lack a stimulating environment at home. It actually isn't very academic in nature.
Apps.. I mentioned on another thread DragonBox... It's a good one.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2014 16:50:17 GMT -5
My DSnow20 started reading just before he turned 3. He also taught himself math and geography. In kindergarten he could name the capital and main agricultural product for all 50 states. He missed the school cutoff date by 2 weeks, so we started him a year early and he was the youngest in his class and by far the most advanced. By high school, it all evened out, he was a good student but not the top of his class Do you think some of that might be because he wasn't being pushed by the school? I know I was really advanced in certain ways when I was young. The schools were perfectly happy to let me just slide through classes even though they were way too easy for me. My parents were very involved & even in elementary school I can recall actually being taken to the math class for the higher grades. I wasn't top of my class or anything, but I ended up way ahead in most subjects...in middle school I was going to high school for math, in high school I was going to college for math. That wouldn't have happened without someone recognizing I wasn't in the right class for my skill level & making sure I got where I should have been. Some of this is also the nature of an educational system that strips learning of fun and child centered exploration early on... Kids who have longer periods of free learning, exploration and people who take their interests seriously and don't impede their own agenda on learning tasks... Those kids tend to be more intrinsically motivated. Others are less likely to rise above what is being asked of them in the current task. some of that is also personality though.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Oct 8, 2014 17:03:58 GMT -5
You would know better than I since your kids are in elementary school, but I am not trusting of the schools to be able to do that with a group of 20-30 kids. I'm not opposed to early education at all and am actually beating myself up because I haven't bought a homeschooling program to help us teach ds to read, but I am only doing that because he wants to read by himself more. Right now sounding out letters and words IS fun for ds, as is figuring out basic addition and subtraction to play his games. I want the joy of learning to last until he is mature enough to know that boring work now leads to better things later. He isn't there yet though. You don't need a homeschool program to teach to read, honestly, just read lots with them, provide a print rich environment, and let them be. if you do want to do something, and if the kid is amenable and it's not frustrating, I have friends who have things they like, something In a 100 days'... I could ask around. I also like critical thinking company for 'early learning' if you feel you have to have some curriculum. Seriously though. I'm a big believer in no formal Ed till 8, then minimal from 8-11. I didn't do anything graded or up terribly organized till high school. That's good to hear, because that is essentially what we're doing. Ds wants to read his books to himself so I really do want to put more effort into it, just haven't gotten there yet.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Oct 8, 2014 17:23:14 GMT -5
Head start is for kids who likely lack a stimulating environment at home. It actually isn't very academic in nature. Apps.. I mentioned on another thread DragonBox... It's a good one. I got this for DS He loves it! I can totally see how the game relates to algebra. I am excited to see where it goes as it progresses, he isn't too far along yet. raeoflyte - I got a bunch of Dr Suess books on the kindle that can either read aloud to you or you can read them aloud & just click the words you don't know to have it read. DS loves them. I don't know if it is just a school program or if anyone can get on it, but DS has access to RAZ Kids through school & it is pretty great to. They have books for Pre-k to about 5th grade. DS likes it because you earn points for reading the books & answering questions, so it makes him want to read more.
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Formerly SK
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Post by Formerly SK on Oct 8, 2014 17:28:53 GMT -5
Parents don't have to do formal teaching. My kids are as "advanced" as they are in math because we played a ton of Yahtzee when they were in 1st grade. Also Farkel Party. As Oped said, there are a bazillion fun educational apps out there. Learning IS fun. The kids and I pop popcorn and watch Nova episodes together. People who think learning is boring have no business being educators...or probably parents. FWIW, the kindy standards are pretty high in my district but it is absolutely taught in a fun way. High academic standards does not equate to boring drills.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Oct 8, 2014 17:32:25 GMT -5
is only 4.5, and is only interested in learning if there is a fun game attached. With DH and me he will answer questions incorrectly on purpose as a joke. I'm not sure how to teach him much with that attitude, so I just read to him while pointing to the words as I go along.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Oct 8, 2014 17:38:54 GMT -5
Head start is for kids who likely lack a stimulating environment at home. It actually isn't very academic in nature. Apps.. I mentioned on another thread DragonBox... It's a good one. I got this for DS He loves it! I can totally see how the game relates to algebra. I am excited to see where it goes as it progresses, he isn't too far along yet. raeoflyte - I got a bunch of Dr Suess books on the kindle that can either read aloud to you or you can read them aloud & just click the words you don't know to have it read. DS loves them. I don't know if it is just a school program or if anyone can get on it, but DS has access to RAZ Kids through school & it is pretty great to. They have books for Pre-k to about 5th grade. DS likes it because you earn points for reading the books & answering questions, so it makes him want to read more. I will check those out!
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Oct 9, 2014 7:17:20 GMT -5
swamp, a reply from a different perspective: Caveat: this reply is in no way meant to indict any and/or all public school teachers, public schools, public school districts, or public education. It is simply an attempt -- and, perhaps, a failed attempt -- at presenting Swamp's DD's teacher's and school's perspective. Swamp, you are a public figure in your area. You are an attorney with, as you have publicly admitted, knowledge of local folks' arrest records, divorce proceedings, estates, etc. Most of those matters are available to an extent in the public record, but there is a whole boatload of other information that you know about local folks and their legal issues that is not public record. You are a licenses attorney, and so are bound to maintain your clients' confidentiality which I have no doubt you would do anyway because it is the right thing to do. If people don't know you from your law practice, then they know you because you ran for office. MISTER Swamp is also a public figure. He is YOUR husband. He is also a local pharmacist. He knows who is on anti-depressants, birth control, has genital herpes, or, even HIV. He is also bound by his license to maintain his customers' confidentiality, and, again, I have no doubt he would do so anyway because it is the right thing to do. My point, here, is that you are THE SWAMPS. You are known. Everything you do is known. Everything your kids do is known. So, when you made a conscious choice to enroll your kids in private school rather than public school, that was known. And, whether you intended to do so or not, you made a public decision to not send your kids to the local public school. Implied in that public decision is some belief on your part that the public schools didn't measure up for YOUR kids. Now, your kids are in that public school. You didn't make an intentional, thoughtful decision to move your kids to public school. You moved them there by default when the private school closed. That move, and the reasons therefore, are public. So, absent any other signs of reading issues in your DD (inability to rhyme, inability to recognize letters, speech and language delays, word retrieval issues), the fact that most, if not all, of the kids from the private school are being classified as "behind" in reading is, IMHO, mere posturing on the part of the teacher and/or the public school. The public school and its teachers know that most of you would rather have your kids in the private school. They know that you all enrolled your kids in the public school because you know longer had a choice in the matter. No one made the conscious, public decision to move their kids from a living private school to the local public school because the public school was stronger academically. Don't for a minute think that the public school and the teachers therein don't know they are the default school. So, an effort will be made by the public school to demonstrate to you and the other private school parents that the public school is a GOOD school and that it IS academically challenging. Some of it will be done to quell your concerns about the curriculum and the academics. Some of it will be done to get you all to stop whining about how your private school suddenly closed and your kids were FORCED to go to the local (implied: inferior) public school. Some of it will be done to legitimately help some of the private school kids who are struggling with the change in educational setting and curriculum. Maybe your DD IS struggling to learn to read. But, again, absent any other signs of a concerning reading issue, I suspect she will "catch up" fairly soon. In the meantime, I found that emphasizing valid differences between my local public schools and the private school one of my kids attended helped to smooth the waters: "we wanted the faith piece in his education". Public schools can't touch that reason. P.S. YDS DID pay when he returned to public school after having really, honestly, thrived at private school. Sadly, he has been turned off from math FOREVER by the teacher who took it too personally that he did so well at private school. It DOES happen. Hopefully, things will settle down for your kids without that kind of payback.
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Deleted
Joined: Oct 11, 2024 2:19:11 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2014 7:49:58 GMT -5
swamp, a reply from a different perspective: Caveat: this reply is in no way meant to indict any and/or all public school teachers, public schools, public school districts, or public education. It is simply an attempt -- and, perhaps, a failed attempt -- at presenting Swamp's DD's teacher's and school's perspective. Swamp, you are a public figure in your area. You are an attorney with, as you have publicly admitted, knowledge of local folks' arrest records, divorce proceedings, estates, etc. Most of those matters are available to an extent in the public record, but there is a whole boatload of other information that you know about local folks and their legal issues that is not public record. You are a licenses attorney, and so are bound to maintain your clients' confidentiality which I have no doubt you would do anyway because it is the right thing to do. If people don't know you from your law practice, then they know you because you ran for office. MISTER Swamp is also a public figure. He is YOUR husband. He is also a local pharmacist. He knows who is on anti-depressants, birth control, has genital herpes, or, even HIV. He is also bound by his license to maintain his customers' confidentiality, and, again, I have no doubt he would do so anyway because it is the right thing to do. My point, here, is that you are THE SWAMPS. You are known. Everything you do is known. Everything your kids do is known. So, when you made a conscious choice to enroll your kids in private school rather than public school, that was known. And, whether you intended to do so or not, you made a public decision to not send your kids to the local public school. Implied in that public decision is some belief on your part that the public schools didn't measure up for YOUR kids. Now, your kids are in that public school. You didn't make an intentional, thoughtful decision to move your kids to public school. You moved them there by default when the private school closed. That move, and the reasons therefore, are public. So, absent any other signs of reading issues in your DD (inability to rhyme, inability to recognize letters, speech and language delays, word retrieval issues), the fact that most, if not all, of the kids from the private school are being classified as "behind" in reading is, IMHO, mere posturing on the part of the teacher and/or the public school. The public school and its teachers know that most of you would rather have your kids in the private school. They know that you all enrolled your kids in the public school because you know longer had a choice in the matter. No one made the conscious, public decision to move their kids from a living private school to the local public school because the public school was stronger academically. Don't for a minute think that the public school and the teachers therein don't know they are the default school. So, an effort will be made by the public school to demonstrate to you and the other private school parents that the public school is a GOOD school and that it IS academically challenging. Some of it will be done to quell your concerns about the curriculum and the academics. Some of it will be done to get you all to stop whining about how your private school suddenly closed and your kids were FORCED to go to the local (implied: inferior) public school. Some of it will be done to legitimately help some of the private school kids who are struggling with the change in educational setting and curriculum. Maybe your DD IS struggling to learn to read. But, again, absent any other signs of a concerning reading issue, I suspect she will "catch up" fairly soon. In the meantime, I found that emphasizing valid differences between my local public schools and the private school one of my kids attended helped to smooth the waters: "we wanted the faith piece in his education". Public schools can't touch that reason. P.S. YDS DID pay when he returned to public school after having really, honestly, thrived at private school. Sadly, he has been turned off from math FOREVER by the teacher who took it too personally that he did so well at private school. It DOES happen. Hopefully, things will settle down for your kids without that kind of payback. you seriously think that the teacher is saying her kid is behind because they want to punish her for sending her kid to private school for the past years? I find that utterly ridiculous. around here the majority of the religious highschools do not have anywhere near the offerings of the public schools. in the lower grades they have large class sizes. when DD was in 1st grade the neighbor, who couldn't believe I was sending her to public school, said her daughter's class size was 30 in the catholic school - DD's was 13 in the public school. the private schools around me that are better than the public schools are the ones that cost $15k+ a year.
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swamp
Community Leader
THEY’RE EATING THE DOGS!!!!!!!
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 16:03:22 GMT -5
Posts: 45,622
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Post by swamp on Oct 9, 2014 7:53:44 GMT -5
There is another piece to this puzzle. I am consciously choosing to send my kid to THIS public school.
I live in a very small neighboring district where the HS sucks. I mean outright damaging to the kids. I didn't want that for my kids. The public school they are in does not allow tuitioning kids in.
I originally put my kids in the private school to avoid Bad Small School District. Once that closed, I had to do some finangling with houses, primary residence exemptions, and addresses to qualify my kids to go to the school where they are now.
The teachers all know where my "camp" is and that my parents live in my "primary residence."
DD's teacher also used to teach at the private school.
I think it's just because NY common core standards required certain things be taught in Kindergarten and the Kindergarten teacher did not follow the common core standards.
ETA: a lot of people don't know Mr. Swamp is my husband. we don't have the same last name. And he's pretty quiet. And has a generic last name.
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