1 year ago
Ok, I must be just completely ignorant as to what is expected these days from preschoolers. We decided to send Braeden to a Montessori school because of all the wonderful things we have heard about the program. So, regardless of the cost, we really wanted to make sure that we gave Braeden the best possible start to his education. Well this Monday was Parent/Teacher conferences. Parent/Teacher conferences in Preschool? What? Really? Braeden's report was mixed. He is incredibly well-behaved and I am so proud of him for that, but he still needs to work on his letter and number skills. Apparently he should be able to write his name, write all of his letters, recognize all of the letters- upper case and lower case, know all of the letter sounds, know his phone number, know his full address, etc. There were about 5 full pages of objectives he needs to have mastered before he is ready for Kindergarten. After I realized how behind he was, I started making him sit down every night and do "homework". We have letter sheets to practice our letters and we practice writing our name every night (and FYI it is extremely challenging to teach a lefty to write). I wish I had named him something easy to write, like ED or BOB!! Our pantry door is filled with number flashcards, posters that have our phone number and address, and all of our shapes. I want him to be surrounded all of the time with what he should be learning, but I don't want to push him too hard so that he starts to hate schoolwork and resent me. When do kids have time to be kids w/o all of this pressure? I know my mom thinks I'm crazy for being so worried about Braeden at this stage. Am I? What is a mom to do?
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Unknown said...
Don't worry. I was a kindergarten teacher (teach 1st grade currently), and I was happiest when a child came into kindergarten knowing their letters and what they looked like, their numbers to 20, knowing their first and last name and how to write their first (using Upper and lower case), and their personal information (for safety reasons).
It's my job to teach them all the letter sounds, make sure they can write upper and lower case letters, count to 100, and write his last name.
It's hard because kindergarten is the new first grade, but some kiddos aren't ready for all that yet. You just teach him what you can and the rest will happen when it's suppose to.
Look into Dr. Jean. She makes learning super fun. There is a song for teaching everything!
Take a deep breath and continue doing what you do best, be his caring and invovled mommy.
January 30, 2009 at 5:57 AM
Nickie said...
Ed or Bob...or Ella. ha ha!!! My son won't be able to write his name until he is in high school.
you should get the DVD called "the letter factory" by Leap Frog. My daughter LOVES it and it is the single reason why she knows all of her letter's sounds. I would like to say it was great parenting...but it was the opposite, great TV. She has known all of her letters sounds before she was even 3, it rocks!
good luck, but when all is said and done, who cares what he does now or a month from now. He is a smart boy and will be just fine. :)
January 30, 2009 at 9:09 AM
Unknown said...
Are you going to go public or private when kindergarten rolls around? I can get some kindergarten curriculum for your little guy. Your Braeden and my Aiden go to the same school and sometimes I see Eddie dropping him off in the AM. I could share some stuff. Braeden doesn't have to know it all, but immersing him at a early age can help with building prior knowledge.
January 30, 2009 at 4:58 PM
Kelly said...
Thank you both for your comments. We will continue to work with him and we have "the letter factory", so we will start watching it. I am pretty sure that Braeden will go to Delaware Ridge Elementary. It is so close to our house. Thanks again for the encouragement!
January 30, 2009 at 7:39 PM