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Kindergarten is more like Pre K. What should I do?


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I am taking a lot of the advice for you all and basically using kindergarten as a daycare and doing our usual homeschooling ciriculum at night.

(Meeting Wednesday with kindergarten teacher to determine whether we pull dd to public school for rest of year.)

- dd will have test in Nov to see if she qualifies for gifted classes and if so she will leave private school a few days a week to go to public school for classes, so My main thought is why not have her at public school already so she can have more advanced courses... Opinions?

 

But my main issue is, it is the third week of kindergarten and her teacher is just now starting course work and it is practicing writing the number 1 and the letter a.

Ten next week is 2 and b. Literally.

Dd can spell and do addition and subtraction. I feel like this is a waste of money and time and would like to see about moving her up... I don't know though. If she moves up in private school no problem with teacher anymore. But not sure she is ready emotionally.

Opinions?

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It's more like pre-k for YOUR daughter. I think you need to realize first that kindergarten is (should be) the BEGINNING for most children. That doesn't mean that there aren't exceptions - there are. Our middle son would have been bored stiff in the public school kindergarten this year (which is running much on the same academic line as it sounds like your private school is doing) - but that doesn't mean that for the majority of children, it isn't where it should be.

I think you need to do some more looking before you decide that public school is going to be any, or much, better. The gifted program here pulls out for small amounts of time weekly, but it's for enrichment - the children are still not really, not usually, getting anything *more* in their "regular" classes. 

 

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Perhaps you can ask the teacher where the curriculum is going.  Keep in mind that some of these students have never been in school, so they have to start with reviewing the basics.  Even with my own son, we're reviewing the letters and numbers before we get into addition.  Just make sure they are going to get to addition and reading.  A letter a week is more of a preschool pace.  We are doing a letter a day, and that's what my son in private school did as well before they went to reading.  Even though my son does know colors and letters and how to count, I am still reviewing most of these things with him as a confidence booster.  Kindergarten is a big step, and they need to know that it's not too hard and school is great and they are smart.  When they get to something harder, they can draw on that confidence and know that they can learn this.  Everyone starts at the beginning in a school environment and ramps up together.  

 

When my husband went to kindergarten, he could read very well already and pulled down his teacher's adult books to prove it.  The teacher said they didn't have anything for him, but his parents wanted him to make friends and learn other lessons in a classroom as he was sort of withdrawn with a book all the time.  The teacher had him read a story to the class each day, which made him feel great.  If she is very advanced, you might consider working out some things with the teacher.  If you want her to go beyond kindergarten work academically, I'd pull her home and homeschool to go at your own pace.

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Just a thought, but if you want to home school and are using the private school as a daycare why not pay a home daycare to take care of her during the day and home school in the afternoon or evening? My guess is that a home daycare would be more flexible and your daughter could have more say in what she does., like more time reading books that she wants to read, playing with kids and doing arts and crafts. The focus wouldn't be on the academics she already knows.

 

However, if you want to send her to a school that would fulfill her academic needs instead of homeschooling her than public school might be a better way to go.

 

The only other thoughts I have are these, watch and see how your daughter does at the private school. Is she acting out because she is bored or is she gaining confidence because she knows the material? If she is gaining confidence and is happy than I wouldn't worry and if you want just do stuff at home.

If , however, she isn't happy at the private school because of the teacher and boredom and a home daycare isn't an option than try public school.

 

I hope you find a solution.

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My oldest was very similar, and we did send her to public school K.  She did not learn anything academic, and that was okay with me.  She was tested and put into Gifted in 1st grade, and continued to be THE highest ranked child academically all thru 5th grade.  We finally made the decision to HS this year :)  IMO, she still learned a LOT in Kindergarten, just not academics.  She learned a lot more about people and people skills, she learned about following rules, waiting her turn, and patience.  If you want to continue to send her to K, stop worrying about the academic side, there will still be lots of fun for her to have while she reviews sounds and numbers.  I also wanted to say that in our PS, they break into reading groups after the first quarter, the first few weeks the teacher is assessing where the child is in reading and math.  By the 2nd quarter mine have always been broken into reading groups for specialized reading instruction w/ just a few other kids on the same level. 

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Sounds like real K to me. My son's private school was the same. I think that's a GOOD thing. Now my son was reading well and doing math well, so he wasn't learning anything in those subjects. He had fun anyway because K is a party.

 

For average children, K should start at the beginning. It's just K. My homeschooled kids are able to work above K level in K, but I fully support traditional school K to be real K - learning letter sounds and early reading, learning counting and the basics of addition and subtraction, etc. I do not agree with pushing first grade material onto K students that may not be ready for it. Your bright kid may be ready for more, but the other kids in class probably aren't. That doesn't make the class preschool. It makes the class developmentally appropriate for average children.

 

Can you find other childcare that costs the same as this private school?

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IMO, she still learned a LOT in Kindergarten, just not academics.  She learned a lot more about people and people skills, she learned about following rules, waiting her turn, and patience.  If you want to continue to send her to K, stop worrying about the academic side, there will still be lots of fun for her to have while she reviews sounds and numbers. 

 

:iagree: Kindergarten is about a LOT more than just academics, and arguably that other learning is much more important. Regardless, I guarantee they're not spending hours a day learning one letter and one number, and also can pretty much guarantee that there are several other kids in her class who already know their letters and numbers, so hopefully they'll get past this level reasonably soon. If you're concerned about her getting bored during the few minutes they spend on academics, would the teacher let you send her to school with books at her level to read on her own, maybe math worksheets as well for her to work on her own while the others are doing the academic work? If not, has she actually told you she's bored? She may be plenty happy working along with the other kids, and practicing handwriting isn't a bad thing at all, every young child can improve in penmanship.

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What are your goals with having your student in school? As I recall from previous posts, you were looking for:

 

- daycare, as you have to work

- social time / group activities

- any academics a bonus, as DD is advanced and you work with her at home

 

It sounds like the school setting is meeting your first 2 goals, but not your hoped-for "bonus" goal. Now the question becomes, can you and DD live with that? You mention your frustration with the low level of academics, but don't mention how DD feels about going to KinderĂ¢â‚¬Â¦ is she enjoying herself? Is she getting a lot out of the social time and group activities?

 

JMO: if she is not frustrated by the simple academics, and is enjoying the school setting and activities, and is making friends with fellow classmates, then it sounds like she in a good spot for her social/emotional development, and you can enjoy doing academics with her in the evenings.

 

Unless DD is frustrated by both the low-level academics AND feels like the social/group activities are immature for her, I would be very careful about switching her to another school and the more advanced academic setting a few weeks into the school year. DD will be VERY young, the students will have already formed friendships and attachments that make it difficult for someone, esp. someone who is "different" (i.e. very young), to blend in.

 

Other ideas, *IF* DD is frustrated with Kinder and you need options:

- is there a Montessori school nearby -- they tend to work with each student at their own level

- how about hiring a homeschooler, or "retired" homeschooler to do school with your DD

- can you change your work hours -- be at home and school DD during the day, and use a day care or babysitting service while you work in the afternoons, evenings and/or weekends

 

BEST of luck to your family in finding the solution that maximizes meeting DD's and your needs, and minimizes the downsides! Warmest regards, Lori D.

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Based on all your previous posts I would say that you are possibly never going to be happy with any schooling option. Advocating for a child in school is difficult and you will meet with resistance at every step - yes there are places and teachers too who will do what is needed, but you will have an entire school career to get through and every year there will be more advocating and more difficulty. For some this does lead to the child settling in and accepting this as the norm and then often it is these kids who by third grade have been "caught up."

 

You need to sit and decide what it is that you want for kindergarten - socially, academically, physically etc - look at things such as - reading, writing, grammar, spelling, mathematics (how far would you like to go with arithmetic), what do you want your child to learn about relating to other children, dealing with children of different ages, coping with friends and bullying, coping with routines and finding their possessions, dealing with meal times and nap times and holidays, painting and drawing and other art skills, gross motor activities, various sports - list exactly what it is your child would do in an ideal world and then decide what is most important.

 

Finally find out which is achievable in the school and what it isn't even worth fighting for. And then ask yourself what options YOU have - what is it that you want for yourself and your family - where can YOU compromise. Everyone is limited by something - no one gets to have everything they want. However usually a family dynamic determines the limitations and you will have to accept this at some point. It sounds like your desire is to homeschool but I imagine that you have looked at this every which way. Then you need to change gear and start advocating for your child - which means finding places where children are in school and where parents have successfully fought the system and how they have done it - it is possible so don't give up. Unfortunately I can't help there - I never sent my child to school because I knew I would not be able to advocate for her as much as she would need. My parents did some advocating for my sister and me at school but that was many years ago and it would be harder now than they had it (and even then they were met with resistance.)

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When I had to return to work we hired a private teacher to homeschool the kids and be with them all day, for less money than a private school would cost.  She does school with the kids at exactly the level they need in each subject, takes them to classes and activities - some with other homeschoolers, some are just regular classes (like at the Y) and watches them until I get home from work.  It's been a wonderful experience for our kids and might be something for you to look into if it's legal in your state.  Our "nanny" is a certified teacher so what we are doing would be allowed most places I think.

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When I had to return to work we hired a private teacher to homeschool the kids and be with them all day, for less money than a private school would cost.  She does school with the kids at exactly the level they need in each subject, takes them to classes and activities - some with other homeschoolers, some are just regular classes (like at the Y) and watches them until I get home from work.  It's been a wonderful experience for our kids and might be something for you to look into if it's legal in your state.  Our "nanny" is a certified teacher so what we are doing would be allowed most places I think.

I'm curious how you did that for less than private school. It sounds like the OP has her child in a church run private school. The Catholic schools here run about 5K per student... there is no way I could get quality child care, from a credentialed teacher, full time, for that amount.

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My schooled son was reading everything before he started private K. His mathematic skills were also impressive. However, he loved K. There were lots of children to play with, lots of Lego and block play, good art activities, and great sensory experiences. Even an advanced 5 year old can experience growth and pleasure in such an environment. The letter of the week thing doesn't/shouldn't take much time in a day, and may be presented in sensory ways (paint, clay etc), so even if the child already knows how to read they often enjoy the sensory or creative aspects of the activity. He still remembers the year very fondly. We had no need to do worksheets or 'more difficult' work, since the kid was a sponge; we did lots of reading, family field trips and activities.

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My schooled son was reading everything before he started private K. His mathematic skills were also impressive. However, he loved K. There were lots of children to play with, lots of Lego and block play, good art activities, and great sensory experiences. Even an advanced 5 year old children often enjoy. He still remembers the year very fondly. We had no need to do worksheets or 'more difficult' work, since the kid was a sponge; we did lots of reading, family field trips and activities.

Agreed. If my 5 year old didn't freak at the thought of getting his hands dirty, or finger paint on his clothes, I would probably send him one of the private kinders just for the experience.

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Kindergarten is the beginning of school. That is where you start. It is appropriate to start in the beginning....when you are beginning.

 

I know you've said in hour other threads that you can't homeschool, but I forget why. It really, really sounds like you just want to homeschool.

 

I mean I guess you can look into her skipping a grade? But that is a whole other ball of wax that comes with its own issue for you to suss out.

 

Otherwise, I think you are going to have to work something out with her teacher.

 

ETA-- you're "using it for daycare," and you're getting "daycare" out of it, so really there's no problem here ykwim?

No. And if I think of it like that is isn't a problem at all.

Dd is just so bored in class.

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So she's actually told you she's bored? Or are you just assuming? (ETA: Told you as in she comes home and without being prompted says how boring school is...If a parent asks a child whether she is bored in school, there's a good chance any kid would say yes.) Again, I doubt that much time is spent each day on learning one letter and one number, certainly not enough to make her think of the whole experience as boring.

 

Also, is there an update on the issues you were having a couple of weeks ago, with her being miserable because she said her teacher was yelling? Has that gotten better?

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I'm curious how you did that for less than private school. It sounds like the OP has her child in a church run private school. The Catholic schools here run about 5K per student... there is no way I could get quality child care, from a credentialed teacher, full time, for that amount.

 

I guess it would come down to how much the school charges.  We have quite a range of schools around here, although we are in a pretty high COL area.

 

The Catholic school my oldest went to for K-1st is $5440 first kid, $3665 second kid, total $9105.  And volunteering is required.

A local private school charges $30,700 a year for 1st through 4th grade.  Per kid, no discount for 2nd child is mentioned on their website.

 

Another Catholic School is $10,350 first kid, $8450 second kid.

 

Either would also require afterschool care which at our local Y (that provides aftercare at most of the local schools) is $355/month, so another $3550 a year per kid.  A couple of the private schools do their own for $150/week.

 

So the cheaper Catholic school and Y afterschool would cost us: $9105 + $3550 + $3550 = $16,205  Plus we would still need summer camp, which at the Y is $575 per two week session per kid.  There are 4 sessions per summer plus one "vacation camp" week to help bridge to school but still stops a full week before school starts, for $265 per kid - ($575x4 sessions x2 kids) + ($265 x 2 kids) = $5,130 for the summer.  And the Y is considered a cheap option for summer camp.  We have many that run $500-$1000 per week.

 

One of the cheaper options - total $21,335 and leaves us figuring something out for at least four weeks of the year (last of summer, before camp starts, Spring break and Christmas break) any half days and school holidays that we don't get off work.

 

What we pay the nanny is more than the cheapest option but less than the more expensive Catholic, Christian or private schools.  And we have someone to drive them to activities, and are not piecing together afterschool, closed school, and summer care.

 

Public school was obviously be cheaper but the kids would not be getting what they need and we'd still have to deal with a bunch of random coverage needs. (BTDT)

 

 

 

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I would move her to the public school instead of the private but I wouldn't panic just yet about how easy it is. Kindergarten starts out easy with just letters and numbers and super simple counting but it usually starts ramping up and getting more challenging. When they are just getting to know the class and routine it really doesn't matter much what the academics are. I remember thinking how easy it was for my first and how they were working on stuff she knew already but then by December all the kids were reading a little and they were writing sentences. Some kids were just beginning to read and others were reading chapter books and it was fine for all of them. The same for math skills. There are other children that start kindergarten knowing a lot already and some that don't. Kids are all over the place at the beginning of kindergarten. Lots of the kids who were just beginning end the year doing well. It starts out for the kids who are just beginning but it won't stay like that. 3 weeks isn't a long time at the beginning of the school year for kindergartners because it takes a while to get into a routine.

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Ah. Broken down, I see what you mean. I guess I was approaching it as a SAHM, not accounting for after care and summer care. Sorry!

I guess it would come down to how much the school charges.  We have quite a range of schools around here, although we are in a pretty high COL area.

 

The Catholic school my oldest went to for K-1st is $5440 first kid, $3665 second kid, total $9105.  And volunteering is required.

A local private school charges $30,700 a year for 1st through 4th grade.  Per kid, no discount for 2nd child is mentioned on their website.

 

Another Catholic School is $10,350 first kid, $8450 second kid.

 

Either would also require afterschool care which at our local Y (that provides aftercare at most of the local schools) is $355/month, so another $3550 a year per kid.  A couple of the private schools do their own for $150/week.

 

So the cheaper Catholic school and Y afterschool would cost us: $9105 + $3550 + $3550 = $16,205  Plus we would still need summer camp, which at the Y is $575 per two week session per kid.  There are 4 sessions per summer plus one "vacation camp" week to help bridge to school but still stops a full week before school starts, for $265 per kid - ($575x4 sessions x2 kids) + ($265 x 2 kids) = $5,130 for the summer.  And the Y is considered a cheap option for summer camp.  We have many that run $500-$1000 per week.

 

One of the cheaper options - total $21,335 and leaves us figuring something out for at least four weeks of the year (last of summer, before camp starts, Spring break and Christmas break) any half days and school holidays that we don't get off work.

 

What we pay the nanny is more than the cheapest option but less than the more expensive Catholic, Christian or private schools.  And we have someone to drive them to activities, and are not piecing together afterschool, closed school, and summer care.

 

Public school was obviously be cheaper but the kids would not be getting what they need and we'd still have to deal with a bunch of random coverage needs. (BTDT)


 

 

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Ah. Broken down, I see what you mean. I guess I was approaching it as a SAHM, not accounting for after care and summer care. Sorry!

 

No problem.  I actually had to break it down for my mother recently who thought a Montessori school might be a "cheaper" option for us.  Yeah, not so much.  :rolleyes:

 

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It's a homeschooling forum. You can pretty much guess that if neither the private nor the public schools are a good fit, we're going to suggest you pull her completely and just homeschool. ;)

Have to agree here. This is the main reason I started homeschooling DS1... by the time he was old enough to go to K he was doing 1st grade work. he taught himself to read at 4 and was already writing his own stories as well. The area we live is low socioeconomic so they start no academics at all...not even the alphabet till K ...so it would have been pointless to put him in school.

 

If I was you and had to put my DD in school I would try the public school. Even if she doesn't qualify for gifted classes they might be more willing to move her up or give her harder work. It's been my experience with private schools that they like to keep the parents happy and their motto tends to be ..everyone is gifted in their own way so no need to have special classes. What they really mean is that every parent at the school thinks their child is a special snowflake and things get nasty if some kids start being labeled officially gifted whilst others arent.

 

Of course...I also highly recommend homeschooling. ;)

 

And just a sidenote...afterschooling your DD is only going to make things worse as she gets further and further ahead. I don't see how you can leave her in that class. Have her moved up or try the public school or HS but that class is not a good fit for your DD at all.

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On the flip side, I can imagine a mom coming here to complain that the K program she put her child in is too academic and has unreasonable expectations on the kids. Schools are kind of in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" position. When you aren't able to homeschool, all you can really do is look around at your schooling options, decide which works best for your family, and, in my opinion, accept it without expecting the school to cater to your own child a great deal.

 

I also wanted to point out that my DD was reading The Burgess Bird Book and doing addition/subtraction up to 10 in Kindergarten, but her writing was pretty average. I wouldn't freak out about her spending time learning to write letters and numbers. If that's their academics, but they spend plenty of time doing other types of activities, I don't see it as a huge problem. If they spent the bulk of their time doing busy work like that, then I'd be unsatisfied. IMO, for little kids, academics takes a back seat to character development and experience when it comes to picking a schooling option. It seems to me that a gifted child with dedicated parents will learn quite well regardless of the school.

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Also, can I admit that I sometimes daydream about going back to work FT (I have a professional degree) and paying someone else to homeschool my kids full-time. Except that I would insist on calling that person a "governess" instead of a "nanny." Does this admission make me a bad homeschooling mom?

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I thought the OP had completely discounted the public school prior to enrolling her kid at the private school due to them being so terrible. And she can't change her hours because she works in those public schools. And heaps of people advised finding alternative childcare but she couldn't find any.

 

I would just leave the kid at school for now. It is far too early to know what is going to be covered. The teacher will still be working out where all the kids are in regards to reading etc.

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Also, can I admit that I sometimes daydream about going back to work FT (I have a professional degree) and paying someone else to homeschool my kids full-time. Except that I would insist on calling that person a "governess" instead of a "nanny." Does this admission make me a bad homeschooling mom?

 

My dh calls ours a governess.  That usually gets me funny looks and people seem to understand "nanny" more but it's not exactly accurate either.  I've been going with private teacher most of the time IRL.  :)

 

I think there are a few people here who wouldn't be homeschooling if it wasn't clear their kids would not do well in any kind of B&M school.  I returned to work because I had no choice but it's been working very well.  I occasionally miss taking them on field trips and doing the fun projects but I'm going to try and do more on weekends so I feel like I'm still in there.

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I feel like you've gone over and over this decision. From my memory (last time I read your threads) public school was absolutely NOT an option because of the community, and homeschooling absolutely NOT an option because you need to work. The private school teacher was questionable but you only wanted daycare and socialization, you did not expect any accedenic improvement because you were aware your dd was ahead. Wasn't there another thread too already about skipping a grade? Obviously you decided not to (or couldn't).

 

I'm confused what has changed? Are you more open to the public school now? Will they accommodate her differently than the private school? It sounds like basic kindergarten to me. Are you now able to bring her home during the day? I suppose you could hire a nanny instead of sending her to private, and that would fulfill your (new) goal of academic improvement but not your first goal of socialization. Or skip her up, if that's an option now, but you obviously had reasons not to do so since it was already discussed. Have those reasons changed?

 

I'm not sure what you want us to say that hasn't been said. Is your DD vocalizing boredom or acting out? Or are you inferring boredom because of the level of work? She may be perfectly happy being able to be a star of the class, and focusing on the new social and classroom rules instead of having to put her full mind on the work. It's not perfect but there are much much worse things than an easy K year.

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Based on all your previous posts I would say that you are possibly never going to be happy with any schooling option. 

 

Speaking as someone who also could never be content having her kids in school, that's certainly the impression I get from the OP's posts. She'll never be happy.

 

I think this is really about either making a big life shift so she can homeschool or learning to be happy and accept what's going on.

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It's more like pre-k for YOUR daughter. I think you need to realize first that kindergarten is (should be) the BEGINNING for most children. That doesn't mean that there aren't exceptions - there are. Our middle son would have been bored stiff in the public school kindergarten this year (which is running much on the same academic line as it sounds like your private school is doing) - but that doesn't mean that for the majority of children, it isn't where it should be.

I think you need to do some more looking before you decide that public school is going to be any, or much, better. The gifted program here pulls out for small amounts of time weekly, but it's for enrichment - the children are still not really, not usually, getting anything *more* in their "regular" classes. 

 

This is part of the reason I just pulled ds out of school.  I let him try out public school last year and he wasted the entire year.  I will not waste another half a year until they start doing something he needs.  I considered leaving him because he got into the gifted program, but it's just enrichments and he still won't learn as much as he needs in class.

 

Overall, traditional schools are best for the average student, and they have to be (as per the reasons already mentioned).

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I don't think the issue overall is K is more like pre K, as much as generally pre K tries to be like K these days. This is more the norm. Of course, there are LOTS of pre-K kids working on a K or above level because they are just wired that way and that's great.....just saying some parents want their kids working at a K level in pre K just for bragging rights on part of the parents and the preschool program. My son went to pre-K one day/week, for a Mother's Day out for me, and his pre-K teachers were literally worried about K being too overwhelming for him since he didn't have same the 5 school day/worksheet experience his peers had before entering K. For those dc that do pick up K level work easy in a pre-K program, it is easy for some parents to think their child is gifted. Not saying this is the case with you, as she may very well be gifted. But, if that is the case, a supplemental program at a ps school may not address the issue.

 

My neighbor bragged about her dd doing K work all through her pre-K year. My ds went to ps K knowing less than most Ker's. He wasn't even reading CVC words. His K teacher told me not to worry. By the end of his K year, he was working on a high 1st grade level. The kids who were more advanced entering K were on his level, a little higher level, or a little lower level by the end of the year. There was no rhyme or reason to it. I started homeschooling ds for 1st, he now reads at a much higher reading level, but he is just wired that way. I haven't put much effort into reading instruction for him. I want to consider him gifted, then I read what other hs kids are doing at his age and it keeps me humble, lol. My dd, homeschooled for K and now in 1st, is working at probably a mid K level in reading, writing, and math even though I've put much effort into teaching her these things. My neighbor's dd who was doing K level work one year prior to entering K is now in remedial reading and at grade level for math (now in 3rd grade).

 

It usually all balances out come 3rd-4th grade for MOST children rather they are accelerated or behind at the start of K. A select few will continue to skip ahead quickly and a select few will need remediation. A classroom teacher would have a difficult time keeping the advanced Kers challenged on their level in addition to bring those with little letter/number recognition up to speed. Homeschool or tutoring is really the way to go if you always want dd working at her exact level of academic ability. If that is not an option, it isn't the end of the world if she doesn't learn much in way of reading or math in K, she will likely advance at her own speed in a year or two with or without massive intervention now.

 

The gifted program in our ps is just a few hours/week, and I think just enrichment like more social studies and some science concepts that the kids would learn when they are older anyway. I'm not too sure about the specifics because ds didn't qualify for the program in K, although he would qualify now if I had kept him in school. The moms I know that have their kids in the program say it's really no big deal.

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1. Writing the number 1 and the letter a.

2. Next week is 2 and b.

3. Not sure she is ready emotionally.

The top three reasons why we homeschooled our girls. They were beyond typical Kindergarten skills and content by age four. Homeschooling allowed them to continue learning new things. :)

 

FWIW, I think that public school Kindergarten should be the bottom rung, accessible to all. That is, Kindergarten should begin at the beginning. For many children, that is the number 1 and the letter A.

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What does your daughter feel about KG?  My daughter was very advanced when she entered KG and yet she was fine there.  I just spent an hour or so with her at night so she would have something intellectually engaging to do.

 

Even high-standard KGs with lots of incoming readers start with the letters and numbers.  My kids' school tested the kids and in general, the incoming kindergarteners could write the entire uppercase alphabet and a lot of the lowercase alphabet from memory, among other things.  Yet they didn't even begin to read any words at all (in the curriculum) until a couple of months into the school year.  That said, they ended up covering 220 Dolch sight words as well as basic phonics before school was out.

 

I think the reason they cover abcs is to fill gaps kids come in with, not because none of the students has ever seen the alphabet before.

 

Although your child may already know the alphabet inside and out, there are ways to make the alphabet study interesting.  Usually the curriculum will offer some extended information / invite independent thinking (what foods can you think of that begin with B...) for kids who have long since mastered the basic letter identification and sound association.  Although the papers coming home to you might say nothing but "Bb Bb" over and over, that does not mean they aren't talking about more in the class.

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Your primary purpose is daycare for your daughter. As long as she is not bullied, leave the academics be. I sent my older to public school kindergarten to let him have fun and make a mess there. His kindergarten teacher had combined classes fun math quiz that cover multi digit addition and subtraction as well as simple multiplication in the style of a minute to win it. Reading instruction was both small groups and individualized.

 

If you want to homeschool her, than hire a reliable nanny and bring her home.

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