Can a 5 yo manage his own school schedule and when do they learn to tell time anyway?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:some kids can tell time, my 4 year old completely understands the digital clock and is working on recognizing the minute hand on the analog, although he can identify the half past formation. Your son's teacher seems a bit lazy to me.

Understanding half past and knowing, for example, that in 15 minutes, dinner will be ready are two different things.

Your 4 yo is memorizing and has good recognition skills; that is not the same as comprehension. They are two very different skill levels. Are you familiar with Bloom's Taxonomy?

[Anonymous]

OP, there is clearly a problem with the teacher here. Have you tried to get her to brainstorm solutions? If she is not willing to do that then she doesn't leave you with much choice but to go to the administration, right? Your kid cannot be responsible for this at 5 and missing his instruction time is unacceptable. I'd think the teacher would be RELIEVED that she doesn't have to differentiate that much and can hand him off to someone else. Weird.

[Anonymous]

Meet with the Head of School and start looking for a new school.

[Anonymous]

Is he supposed to figure out based on the clock, or on the routine. I think there are few Kindergarteners who could remember to watch the clock (although most K students who can't tell time could memorize a position of the hands and look for it), but there are many kindergarteners who could remember that when the teacher finishes the mini lesson and sends the readers back to their tables for independent reading, it's time to go next door.

Having said that, it seems that right now your Kindergartener isn't ready for this. I'd write the teacher a note and say, it concerns you that he has missed class and that for you at this time reading is a higher priority than time management, and would she please remind him. That might well be all it takes.