School Blues
Mr. P is not the biggest fan of school.
He complains that it is "boring." He loathes circle time, especially. Which is odd because there is nothing he likes more than stories, and a close second is showing off whatever knowledge he might have about a particular subject.
He can read very well, and in discussing what school he should attend next year with Hubba-hubba, I began to think that perhaps he needed to be challenged more. His teacher had told me, well, whispered because there were other parents around that Mr. P is "very, very intelligent" and is the only one in his class that can read at such a high level. He can read so well, in fact, that he read "If You Give a Pig a Pancake" to his classmates.
Ok, bragging aside, my last wish is for him to detest going to school. Because dude, you've got at least 12 more years to go.
I agonized over whether he should enter first grade in the fall instead of kinder. I talked to people, and of course, no one could answer such an important question for me.
In desperation, I called the local elementary school and asked if I could speak with someone, or get him tested, or something that would help me make this decision.
That very day he went in for an assessment test, and he passed the kinder asessment with flying colors, he missed only two things. One being that he forgot the number fifteen when counting, and the second being identifying a lower case "l" as an "i." It was found that he is reading at or above first grade level. He can write sentences and sound words out phonetically at a first grade level. The teacher said that academically, he would do fine in first grade.
But then that whole social aspect of it loomed large. And should I really put him in school all day long when he already has doubts as to its usefulness in the overall scheme of his life? Do I want him to be among the oldest in the class, or the youngest?
What do y'all think? Should we challenge him and put him in first, or hope that the kinder curriculum can keep him occupied?
He complains that it is "boring." He loathes circle time, especially. Which is odd because there is nothing he likes more than stories, and a close second is showing off whatever knowledge he might have about a particular subject.
He can read very well, and in discussing what school he should attend next year with Hubba-hubba, I began to think that perhaps he needed to be challenged more. His teacher had told me, well, whispered because there were other parents around that Mr. P is "very, very intelligent" and is the only one in his class that can read at such a high level. He can read so well, in fact, that he read "If You Give a Pig a Pancake" to his classmates.
Ok, bragging aside, my last wish is for him to detest going to school. Because dude, you've got at least 12 more years to go.
I agonized over whether he should enter first grade in the fall instead of kinder. I talked to people, and of course, no one could answer such an important question for me.
In desperation, I called the local elementary school and asked if I could speak with someone, or get him tested, or something that would help me make this decision.
That very day he went in for an assessment test, and he passed the kinder asessment with flying colors, he missed only two things. One being that he forgot the number fifteen when counting, and the second being identifying a lower case "l" as an "i." It was found that he is reading at or above first grade level. He can write sentences and sound words out phonetically at a first grade level. The teacher said that academically, he would do fine in first grade.
But then that whole social aspect of it loomed large. And should I really put him in school all day long when he already has doubts as to its usefulness in the overall scheme of his life? Do I want him to be among the oldest in the class, or the youngest?
What do y'all think? Should we challenge him and put him in first, or hope that the kinder curriculum can keep him occupied?
Comments
I completely see both sides of the coin.
So I have nothing to say except, I think you and hubby will figure out what is best for him.
See? I got nothing.
One thing to consider might be that if your son was more challenged in class, he might not see school as such a big waste of time.
I'll give you my experience (as a kid). I'm an August baby and started kindergarten at age 4 and pretty much loved school until Third Grade when suddenly "they" started swapping me between the advanced kids and the not so advanced kids every quarter.
I had advanced math skill and average reading skills, so the teachers didn't know where to put me. I would love math and learned to hate to read when I was challenged, and got cocky with math and was bored by reading when I wasn't. I got lazy in school during those periods where I wasn't challenged so when they challenged me again, I didn't feel I needed to put out the effort because it was so easy before.
In Jr High I entered in the advanced levels, and then the switching happened again in 8th grade which was the beginning of the downfall in my academic level.
On an opposite note, my brother wasn't socially ready for kindergarten and they suggested he wait another year and started when he was a week shy of 6, and he excelled throughout school, where as I started off with a bang and ended up struggling.
Socially we were both fine. We both had friends in grades above and below. I feel the social matter is purely a question of who Mr. P is.
Although it did suck when I was in high school and I was too young to get my license with everyone else, and could never write my own tardy and absence notes because I wasn't 18 until I was already in college. Perhaps that's a good thing to a parent. ;-)
Good luck!
I think academically most kids even out around 3rd grade. We did't let her skip and are very pleased with this decision as she is in 5th grade now and at the top of her class, but not exceeding as much as she was in Kinder.
I think whether Mr. P is ready socially should be one of the biggest factors and only you would know that. He is going to school either way, so what age group does he most relate to? When he is at the park or something, what age kids does he tend to gravitate to?
YMMV - But I think emotional space is more important than mental abilities.
deb
JayT was reading at 3 1/2 YO. He was spelling words at 4, all the while doing simple adding & subtracting. I wish I could say I worked VERY HARD with him while home schooling, but honestly, Jay caught on to reading/math very easily.
We were living in AZ at the time Jay was approaching kindergarten. His birthday was 2 days later than the cut-off. 2 days! So, they tested him. Of course, he scored off the charts with a 1st grade reading level and almost 2nd grade math level. They said WITH CONFIDENCE he was ready for kindergarten. 'They' being the professionals. My mom, who also is a professional educator with a Masters in Early Child Development, felt a little reservation ... but she said it was up to me as Jay's mom.
Go to the 1st day of school: total 5 YO break-down!! He said he liked the school part, but he was utterly frightened at lunch & recess. Too many kids, too much noise. All the comotion and chaos that is an elementary cafeteria & playground. It was too much for him and I ended up having to pick him up from school.
He didn't go back.
Not until the next year. He is one of the oldest in his class and always will be, but he is also doing VERY WELL. Now that he's in 4th grade, he's in gifted classes with straight A's.
Jay is also very socially adept. He is a favorite of both the kids and the adults. He volunteers in the cafeteria and helps the 1st graders and kindergarteners with reading time.
I am proud of my son and SOOOOO happy I let him mature for one more year, because while he was scholastically ready, he wasn't ready socially.
Sorry so 'blah-blah-bla-dee-blah' ... I hope this helped.
Also, how long is Kindergarten in your area? It goes to 2:30 here and then they have after school programs that are pretty neat, like Spanish or chess classes, which maybe would be something that could challenge MR. P, if your Kindergarten does that kind of thing. (It might be a statewide program, it's called STAR)
Good luck.
If you want to email me, I can give you the run down on how the kindergarten year has gone for C in more detail if that would help at all....but bet you have a gut feeling and you should go with whatever that feeling is...
But I have also read what one of your other commenters said, which is that kids tend to even out academically at about 3rd grade. That's when some major brain stuff goes on. Because of that, I know many folks who have decided not to advance their kids, for fear that the rest of the class would go through that development earlier, and leave their child behind.
My gut says to talk to the folks at the school, talk to the Kindergarten teachers, and find out how they deal with kids who are advanced. I suspect that they get a large range of kids, from those who have never read before, to those who are already reading chapter books. Also, with math. They probably get some kids who understand the basics, while others are still counting how many birds on the page and not doing any kind of work with that number. So that's my thought...try to find a way to keep him challenged, academically, if you can.
My younger son could read at way beyond 'first grade' level when he was four; we were in the USA for two years and he liked the idea of going to kindergarten, but was too young by about a week. A private kindgergarten would have taken him, but we couldn't afford it. So he stayed home for the year - and it was the best thing we could possibly have done. He set up his own desk, and I bought a few workbooks. We read books together, and his reading took off by leaps and bounds... so much so that when we returned to the UK, and he went into Year 1 (first grade equiv.) the following September, his reading age was tested at fifteen!
There's a strange myth suggesting that home schooled children don't do very well socially, but it's total rubbish. They do *better* usually, because they learn to mix with people of all ages, and don't have all the yucky peer pressure/bullying that happens at even the best of schools.
Anyway, ignore this if you wish, as I said.... I was pretty against the idea of homeschooling at first, and our sons did enjoy a British primary school for four years, but when we moved abroad again and took up home education again, we loved it and have no regrets. Some children just don't fit in a traditional school model, and that often includes those who are advanced academically.
I know. I'm no help. Good luck in making your decision!
Heidi
I've been battling with the same isha with Lil Man. As a matter of fact I have a post scheduled for 2morrow on the same.
In his testing he surpassed everything and they recommended that Lil Man kick ahead. My gut told me no. I had him retested at another place and they recommended putting him in a gifted program for kids his grade level. I really think this is better for my son. Socially he is at his peer level. Perhaps this is an idea you may want to look into for Mr. P.
M was one of the oldest in her kinder class this year (turning 6 in December). At her school, they do a lot of pull-out programs as soon as the kids are identified by the teachers to further enrich the advanced kids. I would think that a lot would also depend on the teachers and if they are willing to give Mr.P extra attention or more challenging work in kinder.
Good luck with the decision!!