May switch our kindergartner from public to private school...

[nwcrazy]

Well, we've had our first parent/teacher conference and it was an eye opener. The teacher said our daughter is doing very well academically and is ahead of just about all of the other kids in her kindergarten class. That's the good news. The bad news is that we learned the school doesn't really have the resources to provide customized learning to accommodate the different abilities of the kids. So she isn't being challenged at all. We were told we should do extra activities with her outside of school to keep her challenged.

Also, the teacher said that she will have our daughter tested in the Spring so that she can enter a more advanced program next year. Unfortunately, the program is for 1st grade on, so it doesn't do anything for us now. We've also put our daughter on a wait list to get her into what is considered, the best public school in our district. But that may take a year too:-(

The thought of having her waste away her kindergarten year by going at a pace too slow for her doesn't sound like a great idea.

We are now thinking that it may not be a bad idea to get her into a private school? But I know private schools are not all the same.

Arggghhh!!!

This whole thing is a little frustrating. Thanks for listening(reading).

 

[NancyM]

I love when I got those 'smart' reports on my son. I always felt so proud.

I think it would be ok to leave your daughter in kindergarden and wait until she gets tested in the spring to see where she stands. She may not even qualify for the advance class in 1st grade so why don't you just wait and see before you move her.

I think the little ones should feel good in their class, make friends and have a good time in kindergarden they have the rest of their school lives to get tested, and 're-placed' and moved around.

If anything, the test will tell you how advanced she is and most public schools have advance classes so she may do well in the advance classes in the school she's in. It's up to you, but speaking as a parent of a 'gifted' child, I think you need to think of her social well being and make sure she meets her needs in that area first. (plays, makes friends, feels confident about herself, and learns how to fit in among her peers)

Smart kids will always be smart and just get smarter, but many times we over look their simple needs like just being a kid and having fun, and speaking from experience, be careful NOT to let people push you into doing anything with her until you feel it's in her best interest. Teachers, and family forget sometimes that they're just kids, so just be careful.

Talk it over with a lot of people before you make a decision.
Good Luck

 

[nwcrazy]

@Nancy.

Thanks for your advice. I agree with you. I think we will keep her in the current school, but still keep her on the wait list for the better public school. At some point, it will be nice to have that option.

She loves going to school every day and seeing her friends and teachers. That's got to mean a lot.

 

[nwcrazy]

>>>I love when I got those 'smart' reports on my son. I always felt so proud


I finally know why parents are so proud of their children when they do well....in anything. It's an overwhelming experience.

I also know why my parents were so proud of my brother and I. My mom always knew my brother was gifted. She always said to me that he's going to discover something big. Unfortunately, she died several years ago from an illness. Several months ago my brother discovered a treatment for a serious illness and has co-founded a company with plans to commercialize it.

It makes me sad to know our mom is not here to experience it all. She would be in tears.

 

[MomoJA]

I'm facing your delimma as well, but I am a teacher so I see things a little differently, and the area I live in is known for its rotten public schools - the entire state is. The sad thing about that is that the programs and challenges your are talking about can much more readily be found in our public schools than in our private schools. We have a tremendous amount of private schools. We have more students in private schools than in public schools. And if the private school children were included in the numbers when our state's students were tested, we would be on par with the nation. As it is, we are way at the bottom. However, at least in my area, it's not because the public schools don't make the effort. It's not because the public school teachers are not paid enough - they are paid more than twice what the private school teachers are paid. It's not because the schools don't have enough money - they get all sorts of funding while the private schools work on a shoestring. The problem is that our public school children starting kindergarten are, on average, "3 years behind" the national average. With that comes all sorts of anti-social behaviors and a wordliness that no kindergartener should have or be exposed to, and that's the problem I am facing.

My daughter's best friend in pre-k has a smart mouth. She seems like the sweetest little girl, but some of the things she says and does that impress my daughter as funny or clever are the same anti-social behaviors I see on a much grander scale in the high school students I've taught.

I know that my daughter can get a better education in a magnet program in my district, or in the gifted program. But if I can't get her in one of those (and possibly even if I can) I will not send her to a public school. However, I can't really afford a private school (though many of them cost less than the better daycares). But I can afford it better than most of the parents of the public school children. So I'm really seeing now the crisis in our system. What choices does a parent have?

I was planning to have her tested for gifted; her teacher was going to recommend her. But she has been facing a really horrible family crisis and hasn't been in school, and the rec has to come from her. So I'm applying for several private schools and crunching and recrunching the numbers looking for a way to afford them next year.

I took a paycut this year to teach in a charter school, and it has been worth every penny, but the difference in my pay would have covered the cost of a private school for my child.

 

[NancyM]

>>>I love when I got those 'smart' reports on my son. I always felt so proud

I finally know why parents are so proud of their children when they do well....in anything. It's an overwhelming experience.

I also know why my parents were so proud of my brother and I. My mom always knew my brother was gifted. She always said to me that he's going to discover something big. Unfortunately, she died several years ago from an illness. Several months ago my brother discovered a treatment for a serious illness and has co-founded a company with plans to commercialize it.

It makes me sad to know our mom is not here to experience it all. She would be in tears.

Wonderful about your brother and I agree that it's to bad your mom isn't around to see it. But I believe she's always around you two, I'm sure she's beaming with pride right now.

My son was tested in regular public school, I didn't even know about the test at the time. The school administrate the California Aptitude test or C.A.T to all the children when he was in the 3rd grade and this test determined him as "Gifted". It's a nationwide test, and he scored in the 98 percentile. I was proud but also cautious. Max was than bused to a different school 3 times a week. (to be with other gifted kids and work on very cool projects...lol) so your school may do the same thing.

The only problem with this public school gifted system (our school anyway) is that it ends at the 6th grade. So come middle school they're just thrown in to the general public. which can be rough. I didn't know anything about it, and I wish I paid better attention when I look back.
You may want to look into that and consider it in your decision making.

Find out when your school gives these types of intelligence tests as well.

 

[Chris Thompson]

If I can offer a perspective on this ... kindergarten is very much about building social skills too. I've had both experiences so far. My oldest daughter was the youngest kid in JK. She was academically behind. My youngest, now in JK, is one of the older kids in the class. She comes across as "smarter" relative to the rest.

It doesn't matter. Challenge them at home through games and play.

But at school - let them focus on learning how to interact socially. Social skills have a massive impact on a person's success.

 

[nwcrazy]

@MomoJA-

Yeah, if your district is full of really bad public schools, the private option sounds best. In my area, the public schools aren't great, but they aren't the "pits" either.

As I said above, we're going to keep our daughter in her current school for now. But as soon as her number comes up on the wait list for the charter school, we're switching. Most likely it'll happen by 1st grade.

Eventually, when she's ready for middle school, we've always intended to put her in an all-girls private school.

That is the plan.

 

[nwcrazy]

@Chris-

>>>Social skills have a massive impact on a person's success

I completely agree. And it's important for a child to be (at least) somewhat challenged too.

When our daughter was a baby, we talked about homeschooling her, but changed our minds. We definitely have no regrets. Since day 1 she has loved every minute of preschool and now kindergarten. It's been really fun for her being around so many other kids.

 

[Dadof4]

Thats what i love about homeschooling my kids, If they struggle they stay where they are until they get it, but on the subject where they excel they go up to harder levels, so at all times they are getting the level of education thats right for them.

 

[alter ego]

If I can offer a perspective on this ... kindergarten is very much about building social skills too. I've had both experiences so far. My oldest daughter was the youngest kid in JK. She was academically behind. My youngest, now in JK, is one of the older kids in the class. She comes across as "smarter" relative to the rest.

It doesn't matter. Challenge them at home through games and play.

But at school - let them focus on learning how to interact socially. Social skills have a massive impact on a person's success.

this is what I was about to say!
School is social for us, we focus on education at home, with games and reading (everyone has a book before bed)
I have 2 in kindergarten, and we do counting, reading, colours at home every day.
Most of our games are educational:
we have treasure hunts and everyone has a different colour numbered balls to collect, then assemble in numerical order (or reverse numerical is this weeks challenge) the winner gets to serve the fruit at afternoon tea (our 3yo joins in too, but only knows the colours so far, and our 18 month old just runs around trying to steal everyones balls)
we do memory, with a regular deck of Uno cards (match the colour and the number)
We play 'imagination' where we make up a story, then draw/colour the pictures for the story (even my older ones love this game)

So Id just focus on extra learning at home, and leave school until the assessment is done

 

[priya200]

If sending to private schools is difficult / no option, then try to provide the required level of challenge to your kid at home itself. It is important having understood that your kid is not challenged at school.

 

[Drawing1]

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[Andrea Brown]

I used to teach elementary school (Grades 1 to 8) but now I homeschool our children. I agree with Dadof4. There is no comparison. The benefits are so numerous.

If it is within your ability, consider homeschooling your children. It is well worth it.

 

[OnlineParent]

someways of helping your kids.