Jump to content

Menu

The Way of My People

Members
  • Posts

    137
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by The Way of My People

  1. I can't imagine a teacher objecting to your daughter reading quietly in her seat or something like that. Maybe the teacher thought your daughter was asking if she could go out to the playground or do something else that the other kids would notice and object to? In either case, I'd definitely ask the teacher about this during the conference. Your daughter shouldn't have to just sit there and twiddle her thumbs.
  2. Definitely our library cards! Each boy gets 20+ books each week (for free!), and I get to take a peek at all sorts of curricula before I decide what to buy. We couldn't do this without our library.
  3. Thank you! I did the same research. I'm emailing his future principal, though, just to be sure that we shouldn't register him as homeschooled for KG to keep the option open of going straight to 1st.
  4. Oh, goodness, you guys are giving me a lot to think about! I think I will look into registering him as home schooled this year (assuming that's even possible/necessary in Arizona) so that we have the option of either doing KG or First Grade next year. As a side issue, when we met with the principal, she said that she would not approve of a child skipping KG because it's important socially and in terms of learning to follow directions, etc. She said that if a child needs to skip a grade, First Grade is the best choice. So she didn't directly say that my son would be able to skip First Grade, but it seems like it is a possibility. Man, I wish school decisions were easier than this!
  5. No, this idea didn't come from the principal. But I'm going to pretend you didn't mention it because it's one of the things that's keeping me sane this year. :tongue_smilie:
  6. My kids are much younger than yours - so take this with a grain of salt - but what about letting your son have some input about how or when he does piano and Latin? Maybe sit him down and explain why you think it is important that he continue, and then ask if he has any ideas for ways to make the system work better? We do piano practice first thing in the morning (after breakfast, before school time) so that I don't have to try to get tired/grumpy kids to practice in the afternoon. Would he like that better, even if it meant he had to wake up a few minutes earlier?
  7. We are in the process of redshirting our eldest. He turned 5 in May and technically could have started Kindergarten, but we're keeping him out until next year. A few things went into that decision. First, he has a few health issues that, while not serious, have left him small for his age and emotionally immature. Second, he would have been among the younger kids in his grade. Third, when we spoke to his future principal, she said that her preference would be that all boys start Kindergarten after they turn 6. She said most boys just aren't ready emotionally and spend the entire year being told "no" and "sit down" and "be quiet" until they start hating school. She said the 6 year-old boys do much better and seem happier. That said, I'm really struggling with this decision after-the-fact. My son is smart and social and very interested in going to school. He's sad that the other kids his age are in school when he's not (no playmates at the park!). He gets a little melancholy when the school bus goes by in the morning. I'm also worried that he'll be too advanced for Kindergarten because he LOVES to do "school work" with me. We're trying to slow him down by doing piano lessons, art classes, gymnastics, and other activities during the day, although it's not really working to slow him down. But mostly, I'm relying on the fact that - if he finds Kindergarten too easy - we can always skip him up to First Grade (or skip First Grade and go to Second at the beginning of the next school year).
  8. Sounds just like my 5.5 year-old! I'm just giving him daily practice (no more than 10 minutes or so) with easy books.
  9. I think the "teens" are just tricky for kids. My son can count into the hundreds, but STILL calls 17 "seventy-one" sometimes, and half the time he writes 71 instead of 17 (because you say the "seven" first and then the "teen/ten" - so he writes it that way). He's like that with all the teens. I just gently correct him and move on. As long as he understands what the number means, I don't make a big deal out of what seems to be simply a developmental issue.
  10. Yes, you definitely need the Teacher's Book. The Meeting Book is really just a calendar. But in the back is a number chart and some "Counting Strips" that are useful for skip counting, etc. I think it's useful (and not very expensive).
  11. I second the suggestion for the Talking Word Factory dvd. Both of my sons loved it, and went from not understanding blending to blending well almost immediately. I also think that Explode the Code (Book 1) might work well for you. Writing out those simple CVC words while sounding out each letter really helped him.
  12. :iagree: We're using the Miquon books, but I really think the games/ideas on Education Unboxed are even more valuable. The card game on Education Unboxed (where they use the Cuisinaire Rods to make tens) is SO great for teaching addition, subtraction, and making tens effortlessly.
×
×
  • Create New...