Aa
slow go in daycare
My son just started pre-k 4,and although he likes school he is showing no interest in learning his ABCs ,colors or writing letters.At least I think that`s what it is.He can`t seem to concentrate on anything.When we sit down to do homework,he is so distracted.His teacher complains about this and stresses that her class is very fast paced.This put a heck of a lot of pressure on me!I`m in tears every morning I have to take him to school.Chris is my only child...I`m new at this.Should I have him evaluated,medicated or is this just the nomal behavior of most 4 year olds?
Thank you so much for kind words.That post really upset me but I am not listening to this person or anyone else making negatives observations about parents they don`t know.Again,It`s parents like yourself who matter ,who help,and who uplift parents like my husband and I.Take care.
i saw a post from someone on this thread earlier this morning that basically said that same thing. The post is gone now so I am assuming that it was removed by the CL due to the statements he made. I've seen posts from that same poster to other parents and they were very judgemental as well. Some of them have also been removed (including my response to him on another thread because of his less than kind words)
I agree with previous posters. He's 4 !!! I was under the impression that PRE school was to prepare children for the school environment. not place unreasonable learning expectations on them. One would think that the social and evironmental aspect would be of more importance at this stage, helping them learn thru play as tiredbuthappy stated. 4 year olds shouldnt have homework. Please do not listen to what this anonymous poster stated to you. There are plenty of us on this site who understand your situation and want to help and encourage. Good luck
I agree with previous posters. He's 4 !!! I was under the impression that PRE school was to prepare children for the school environment. not place unreasonable learning expectations on them. One would think that the social and evironmental aspect would be of more importance at this stage, helping them learn thru play as tiredbuthappy stated. 4 year olds shouldnt have homework. Please do not listen to what this anonymous poster stated to you. There are plenty of us on this site who understand your situation and want to help and encourage. Good luck
Thank you Tired.You are awesome!You have empowered me in such way....you wouldn`t believe it.There are a lot of wonderful parents supporting each other on this forum and I think that is fantastic,but I recently got a message from some imbecile making some stupid claim that I did not teach my son anything before pre school.Well,that`s a laugh!I did everything I felt I was supposed to do as a parent and my son`s advocate.I thank you Tired for not judging,but for lifting up discouraged parents, and offering impeccable insight in Early education of our young ones.My son is doing well,by the way,but I am searching for other programs.I keep you posted.Thanks ,friend.
Well, I found the Alabama preschool standards and no where does it say that children need to be able to trace letters.
This link may be a little confusing to you, but if you focus only on the left hand column you can see the objectives that Alabama wants the schools to work towards. While learning letters is on there, look at how many other objectives they need to consider. I promise you that children will not learn all of those skills if they are sitting at a table writing the letter A. However, if the teacher were to set up a pretend market in the classroom, they would busily and willingly make signs for foods (and the letter A and apple can be included). They would sort the foods to sell (math), and make price signs (numbers and writing). They would collaborate and plan (learning teamwork, compromise, and social skills) and explore social rules and communication. The children might compare the different types of apples, and perhaps use a scale to weigh them. Sitting at a table and tracing A and coloring a picture of an apple will not teach any of that.
http://www.teachingstrategies.com/content/pageDocs/ALABAMA_Alignment.pdf
(the curriculum whose website they aligns the standards with is one that is accepted as a quality curriculum)
Some kids can handle what they are doing, but many can't. And it is wrong to make you feel inadequate and to overwhelm your child simply because he isn't ready. He is not fitting this perfect mold they have, and I suspect they won't be a good match for you. But that is not your fault.
This link may be helpful in finding a quality preschool:
http://dca.state.al.us/pages/?pageID=10
It can also give you an idea of questions to ask, since it lists the qualifications a teacher should have.
Definitely check out the position statements. Included are
~As active learners, young children need opportunities to observe things and events in their
present world, form their own hypotheses, try them out, find out what happens, and
formulate their own answers
~Children find out about their world through play. All types of play: manipulative play, play
with games, rough-and-tumble play, and socio-dramatic play provide children with
opportunities to try things out, see what happens, and learn
AND ESPECIALLY
"There are individual differences in rates of development among children.
Each child is unique in the rate of growth and the development of skills and competencies.
Some children may have a developmental delay or disability that requires program staff
members to adapt expectations of individual children or adapt experiences so that children
can be successful in achieving a particular performance standard."
direct link to position statement- http://children.alabama.gov/uploadedFiles/File/PerformanceStandards2009-2010.pdf
After reading that, ask them specifically WHAT guidelines they are referring to.
This is a battle that you probably will not win with the school. However, if they are claiming to be a First Class Pre-K program (is it listed on that site?) then you definitely have a right to make a stink. If they are not claiming to be one of those programs, then you may want to find another one. Unfortunately, there are many bad programs out there. Interestingly, many parents seek out those programs because they do not have an understanding of what a quality program is. If their child fits this mold and is capable of being a little worksheet machine, cranking out pages of memorized (but not necessarily understood) things, then they are very happy. The rest of the children end up with a negative school experience that doesn't support their needs, and it impacts their learning for the rest of their lives.
If any of those links don't show, you can PM me and I'll find them for you again. I just googled, "Alabama Preschool Standards"
This link may be a little confusing to you, but if you focus only on the left hand column you can see the objectives that Alabama wants the schools to work towards. While learning letters is on there, look at how many other objectives they need to consider. I promise you that children will not learn all of those skills if they are sitting at a table writing the letter A. However, if the teacher were to set up a pretend market in the classroom, they would busily and willingly make signs for foods (and the letter A and apple can be included). They would sort the foods to sell (math), and make price signs (numbers and writing). They would collaborate and plan (learning teamwork, compromise, and social skills) and explore social rules and communication. The children might compare the different types of apples, and perhaps use a scale to weigh them. Sitting at a table and tracing A and coloring a picture of an apple will not teach any of that.
http://www.teachingstrategies.com/content/pageDocs/ALABAMA_Alignment.pdf
(the curriculum whose website they aligns the standards with is one that is accepted as a quality curriculum)
Some kids can handle what they are doing, but many can't. And it is wrong to make you feel inadequate and to overwhelm your child simply because he isn't ready. He is not fitting this perfect mold they have, and I suspect they won't be a good match for you. But that is not your fault.
This link may be helpful in finding a quality preschool:
http://dca.state.al.us/pages/?pageID=10
It can also give you an idea of questions to ask, since it lists the qualifications a teacher should have.
Definitely check out the position statements. Included are
~As active learners, young children need opportunities to observe things and events in their
present world, form their own hypotheses, try them out, find out what happens, and
formulate their own answers
~Children find out about their world through play. All types of play: manipulative play, play
with games, rough-and-tumble play, and socio-dramatic play provide children with
opportunities to try things out, see what happens, and learn
AND ESPECIALLY
"There are individual differences in rates of development among children.
Each child is unique in the rate of growth and the development of skills and competencies.
Some children may have a developmental delay or disability that requires program staff
members to adapt expectations of individual children or adapt experiences so that children
can be successful in achieving a particular performance standard."
direct link to position statement- http://children.alabama.gov/uploadedFiles/File/PerformanceStandards2009-2010.pdf
After reading that, ask them specifically WHAT guidelines they are referring to.
This is a battle that you probably will not win with the school. However, if they are claiming to be a First Class Pre-K program (is it listed on that site?) then you definitely have a right to make a stink. If they are not claiming to be one of those programs, then you may want to find another one. Unfortunately, there are many bad programs out there. Interestingly, many parents seek out those programs because they do not have an understanding of what a quality program is. If their child fits this mold and is capable of being a little worksheet machine, cranking out pages of memorized (but not necessarily understood) things, then they are very happy. The rest of the children end up with a negative school experience that doesn't support their needs, and it impacts their learning for the rest of their lives.
If any of those links don't show, you can PM me and I'll find them for you again. I just googled, "Alabama Preschool Standards"
Hello,Tired
I hate to complain about my son`s preschool again ,but I spoke to his teacher and according to her they are going by all guidelines,andthat their school is very accelerated.Had I known this school was so "accelerated"I would have gone another route.This is one of the best city schools in Birmingham,Al..Let me tell you ,the pickings are slim.I just want the best for my sweet boy,but if he can`t trace an 'A" or write the letter "B" as fast as they want him too,I guess I`m in trouble.
I hate to complain about my son`s preschool again ,but I spoke to his teacher and according to her they are going by all guidelines,andthat their school is very accelerated.Had I known this school was so "accelerated"I would have gone another route.This is one of the best city schools in Birmingham,Al..Let me tell you ,the pickings are slim.I just want the best for my sweet boy,but if he can`t trace an 'A" or write the letter "B" as fast as they want him too,I guess I`m in trouble.
Good post from tired totally agree with her ..your child is only 4year old ....'fast paced' seems ridiculous .good luck
Thank you so much for your kind words and super advice.It is so ridiculous!I am literally depressed over this whole thing.Again ,thanks and I will ask his teacher about developmentally appropiate practices.
You should find a new school! This is completely inappropriate for a 4 year old program. They are clearly not following guidelines of "developmentally appropriate practices" (ask the teacher if they employ developmentally appropriate practices and see how she responds). Any teacher certified Preschool-3rd grade in the past decade would know that this is not appropriate.
I work for a public school district, and it is a NAEYC licensed school. I would NEVER be allowed to teach like that.
When looking for an appropriate pre-k, look for
~little or no dittos or work books
~ avoid places that have identical projects displayed. This is called product art. Programs should put more emphasis on process art, where children are allowed to create and explore.
~ the classroom should have many centers or interest areas, that the children are allowed to explore at their own pace. There should be blocks, sand table, water table, dress-up and dramatic play, art area, science area, music area, etc... While on the surface it appears that children are just playing in these areas, they are actually acquiring very important skills that will help them learn for the rest of their lives.
~ a preschool should take into consideration that not every child matures at the same pace. Therefore, they need to make accommodations for children who are not ready to sit down and do desk work.
A preschool should NOT be sending home dittos for homework.
He is normal. He's 4!! He needs to learn to play and socialize. He does need to learn his letters and numbers, but that can be done through play. You can learn colors while building with colorful legos. You can learn letters through songs. Your child will write if given the motivation (make signs for your lego castle). While some 4 year olds are ready to do kindergarten and 1st grade work (which is what she is expecting), many are not.
I work for a public school district, and it is a NAEYC licensed school. I would NEVER be allowed to teach like that.
When looking for an appropriate pre-k, look for
~little or no dittos or work books
~ avoid places that have identical projects displayed. This is called product art. Programs should put more emphasis on process art, where children are allowed to create and explore.
~ the classroom should have many centers or interest areas, that the children are allowed to explore at their own pace. There should be blocks, sand table, water table, dress-up and dramatic play, art area, science area, music area, etc... While on the surface it appears that children are just playing in these areas, they are actually acquiring very important skills that will help them learn for the rest of their lives.
~ a preschool should take into consideration that not every child matures at the same pace. Therefore, they need to make accommodations for children who are not ready to sit down and do desk work.
A preschool should NOT be sending home dittos for homework.
He is normal. He's 4!! He needs to learn to play and socialize. He does need to learn his letters and numbers, but that can be done through play. You can learn colors while building with colorful legos. You can learn letters through songs. Your child will write if given the motivation (make signs for your lego castle). While some 4 year olds are ready to do kindergarten and 1st grade work (which is what she is expecting), many are not.
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