Confused about what kids usually know entering Kindergarten

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After seeing my kids K class, they really need to go back to having all of the non-English, first generation immigrant kids in another class by themselves where they can learn English and basic cultural norms, like behaving in a class. These kids simply don't know and should be able to learn comfortably.

Uhhhh....I am an elementary ESOL teacher and I completely disagree with this. My ESOL students could teach the native English speakers a lesson or 2 in how to be respectful. Have you ever tried immersing yourself in a completely foreign language and culture? Much less in MCPS? Have a little compassion for these children. So sorry they are sullying your special snowflake's Kindergarten experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Half the kids in our school are not even from this country let alone have preschool experience. They can't even speak English. Be prepared to basically homeschool as your kid in the middle and top will be ignored. Barely meet for reading groups, boring busy work. My child went to a play-based preschool and was bored as the teacher's focus was on non-English kids.

I agree. A korean kid in my child class came in not knowing a lick of English and the 3rd day, punched my DD's pregnant K teacher in the stomach and took off down the hall screaming and running. I was volunteering and had to run down the hall looking for help because I was not allowed to touch him. What a great experience for that class. Watching a kid punch a pregnant women. But there he was back in the class the next day screaming and crying away for 2 weeks. Two kids moved to other classes (probably after massive complaints due to anxiety.) It is just awful the parents that send kids into a school with no English. It should be mandatory to know some or pay to have a one on one aide. Classes of 24 kids don't have time for that crap.

[Anonymous]

Do you think that he punched the teacher in the stomach because he didn't know English? And that English-speaking kids never punch their teachers in the stomach?

I'm speechless.

[Anonymous]

you're clearly racist. you should be ashamed of yourself. the fact that this kid hit a teacher has nothing to do with the fact that he's foreign, much less asian or korean.
have you ever been to a classroom in korea?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Half the kids in our school are not even from this country let alone have preschool experience. They can't even speak English. Be prepared to basically homeschool as your kid in the middle and top will be ignored. Barely meet for reading groups, boring busy work. My child went to a play-based preschool and was bored as the teacher's focus was on non-English kids.

I agree. A korean kid in my child class came in not knowing a lick of English and the 3rd day, punched my DD's pregnant K teacher in the stomach and took off down the hall screaming and running. I was volunteering and had to run down the hall looking for help because I was not allowed to touch him. What a great experience for that class. Watching a kid punch a pregnant women. But there he was back in the class the next day screaming and crying away for 2 weeks. Two kids moved to other classes (probably after massive complaints due to anxiety.) It is just awful the parents that send kids into a school with no English. It should be mandatory to know some or pay to have a one on one aide. Classes of 24 kids don't have time for that crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Half the kids in our school are not even from this country let alone have preschool experience. They can't even speak English. Be prepared to basically homeschool as your kid in the middle and top will be ignored. Barely meet for reading groups, boring busy work. My child went to a play-based preschool and was bored as the teacher's focus was on non-English kids.

I agree. A korean kid in my child class came in not knowing a lick of English and the 3rd day, punched my DD's pregnant K teacher in the stomach and took off down the hall screaming and running. I was volunteering and had to run down the hall looking for help because I was not allowed to touch him. What a great experience for that class. Watching a kid punch a pregnant women. But there he was back in the class the next day screaming and crying away for 2 weeks. Two kids moved to other classes (probably after massive complaints due to anxiety.) It is just awful the parents that send kids into a school with no English. It should be mandatory to know some or pay to have a one on one aide. Classes of 24 kids don't have time for that crap.

Excuse me? I'm Korean, and my none of my siblings nor I knew any English when we first started school. We didn't punch anyone let alone a teacher. That is not an immigrant issue. That is just a terribly behaved child. I've seen American kids do similar horrible things, so what would be those kids' excuse? Oh, just bad parenting?... Hm... maybe that's the same problem as that immigrant child.

You are so ignorant to think this is even remotely related to being an immigrant. Let me tell you, years ago, if that Korean kid did this in Korea, he would've been smacked by the teacher. Maybe we should bring back corporal punishment here. Then no kid, black/white/yellow or otherwise from any country would get away with this type of behavior.

[Anonymous]

I have seen plenty of kids coming into preschools, elementary schools and even middle schools act out and take 90% of the teacher's time because they don't speak English. The ESOL teacher above making claims they are perfect angels who just sit quietly in class is wrong. Kids are petrified, have no means of communication. The kid above was probably scared out of his mind. I would never move to another country and just plop my kid in a class where no one speaks English. It is a shame so many here do, especially when they are illegal. We should be teaching our kids another language in elementary school but instead we have to teach many basic English. But I am sure I too will now be considered a racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have seen plenty of kids coming into preschools, elementary schools and even middle schools act out and take 90% of the teacher's time because they don't speak English. The ESOL teacher above making claims they are perfect angels who just sit quietly in class is wrong. Kids are petrified, have no means of communication. The kid above was probably scared out of his mind. I would never move to another country and just plop my kid in a class where no one speaks English. It is a shame so many here do, especially when they are illegal. We should be teaching our kids another language in elementary school but instead we have to teach many basic English. But I am sure I too will now be considered a racist.

I am the ESOL teacher PP you are referring to, although I never claimed my students are perfect angels. No child is a perfect angel. What I said was that my ESOL students could give some native English speakers a lesson or two on how to behave in class. My students come to school motivated to learn and ready to work hard. I teach mostly K students, and while I have seen frustration in newcomer students, it usually stems from the fact that they want to keep up with their peers and do well in school, but they know they are not able to do so yet. Imagine you are new to the country and the language and in the third week of school you are expected to explain how you sorted objects in 3 different ways. This is why there are ESOL teachers. When a newcomer arrives, I am in their classroom first thing to show them how to sign in, choose lunch, and to show where the bathrooms are. I also give them picture cards to hold up for when they need to use the bathroom, get water or go to the health room. Those little things help to reduce anxiety in children who are unable to communicate in English. ESOL counselors are called in to help students with acculturation issues in their home language. I also provide them with a binder full of activities they can complete independently, like matching colors, numbers and letters. If it can't be done independently, most of the children in the class can show them quickly what to do. This is in addition to pulling them out 1-2 times per day for individual and small group instruction.

Like I said, have a little compassion. Of course there is a silent period where students need time to learn basic communication skills and some children will act out in frustration, just like your child might if you dropped him/her in a new country, but the PP who referenced the child from Korea is completely out of line. Adults, especially in this multicultural area, should know better than to attribute a child's behavior to where they are from. I sincerely hope the PPs are not passing their views on to their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have seen plenty of kids coming into preschools, elementary schools and even middle schools act out and take 90% of the teacher's time because they don't speak English. The ESOL teacher above making claims they are perfect angels who just sit quietly in class is wrong. Kids are petrified, have no means of communication. The kid above was probably scared out of his mind. I would never move to another country and just plop my kid in a class where no one speaks English. It is a shame so many here do, especially when they are illegal. We should be teaching our kids another language in elementary school but instead we have to teach many basic English. But I am sure I too will now be considered a racist.

I am the ESOL teacher PP you are referring to, although I never claimed my students are perfect angels. No child is a perfect angel. What I said was that my ESOL students could give some native English speakers a lesson or two on how to behave in class. My students come to school motivated to learn and ready to work hard. I teach mostly K students, and while I have seen frustration in newcomer students, it usually stems from the fact that they want to keep up with their peers and do well in school, but they know they are not able to do so yet. Imagine you are new to the country and the language and in the third week of school you are expected to explain how you sorted objects in 3 different ways. This is why there are ESOL teachers. When a newcomer arrives, I am in their classroom first thing to show them how to sign in, choose lunch, and to show where the bathrooms are. I also give them picture cards to hold up for when they need to use the bathroom, get water or go to the health room. Those little things help to reduce anxiety in children who are unable to communicate in English. ESOL counselors are called in to help students with acculturation issues in their home language. I also provide them with a binder full of activities they can complete independently, like matching colors, numbers and letters. If it can't be done independently, most of the children in the class can show them quickly what to do. This is in addition to pulling them out 1-2 times per day for individual and small group instruction.

Like I said, have a little compassion. Of course there is a silent period where students need time to learn basic communication skills and some children will act out in frustration, just like your child might if you dropped him/her in a new country, but the PP who referenced the child from Korea is completely out of line. Adults, especially in this multicultural area, should know better than to attribute a child's behavior to where they are from. I sincerely hope the PPs are not passing their views on to their children.

Sorry no compassion from me. I don't believe our taxes should go towards teaching legal and illegal immigrants English during school time with school resources/funding. We have seen art, PE, music classes, para educators slashed to pay for the increasing ESOL teachers. Our curriculum continues to get easier and less challenging to make sure kids pass. Our test scores continue to diminish. If you want to move here learn the language before or have separate classes where the whole family must learn English. Maybe the PTA wouldn't have to send things out in 6 languages then. You can make the parents accountable too which is a non-issue as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have seen plenty of kids coming into preschools, elementary schools and even middle schools act out and take 90% of the teacher's time because they don't speak English. The ESOL teacher above making claims they are perfect angels who just sit quietly in class is wrong. Kids are petrified, have no means of communication. The kid above was probably scared out of his mind. I would never move to another country and just plop my kid in a class where no one speaks English. It is a shame so many here do, especially when they are illegal. We should be teaching our kids another language in elementary school but instead we have to teach many basic English. But I am sure I too will now be considered a racist.

I am the ESOL teacher PP you are referring to, although I never claimed my students are perfect angels. No child is a perfect angel. What I said was that my ESOL students could give some native English speakers a lesson or two on how to behave in class. My students come to school motivated to learn and ready to work hard. I teach mostly K students, and while I have seen frustration in newcomer students, it usually stems from the fact that they want to keep up with their peers and do well in school, but they know they are not able to do so yet. Imagine you are new to the country and the language and in the third week of school you are expected to explain how you sorted objects in 3 different ways. This is why there are ESOL teachers. When a newcomer arrives, I am in their classroom first thing to show them how to sign in, choose lunch, and to show where the bathrooms are. I also give them picture cards to hold up for when they need to use the bathroom, get water or go to the health room. Those little things help to reduce anxiety in children who are unable to communicate in English. ESOL counselors are called in to help students with acculturation issues in their home language. I also provide them with a binder full of activities they can complete independently, like matching colors, numbers and letters. If it can't be done independently, most of the children in the class can show them quickly what to do. This is in addition to pulling them out 1-2 times per day for individual and small group instruction.

Like I said, have a little compassion. Of course there is a silent period where students need time to learn basic communication skills and some children will act out in frustration, just like your child might if you dropped him/her in a new country, but the PP who referenced the child from Korea is completely out of line. Adults, especially in this multicultural area, should know better than to attribute a child's behavior to where they are from. I sincerely hope the PPs are not passing their views on to their children.

Sorry no compassion from me. I don't believe our taxes should go towards teaching legal and illegal immigrants English during school time with school resources/funding. We have seen art, PE, music classes, para educators slashed to pay for the increasing ESOL teachers. Our curriculum continues to get easier and less challenging to make sure kids pass. Our test scores continue to diminish. If you want to move here learn the language before or have separate classes where the whole family must learn English. Maybe the PTA wouldn't have to send things out in 6 languages then. You can make the parents accountable too which is a non-issue as well.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Co-sign to the 11:11 post. Its not racist to say that the non-English speaking kids should be kept in a separate class with teachers trained to do this. Once they catch up, integrate them with other kids. Why should my kid have to be slowed down from learning because there are 2-3 kids who can't speak English and have no interest in being class because they can't understand anything?? I've seen it - I volunteer in school. It's not fair to the other kids or the hard-working teachers.

[Anonymous]

I was a non-English speaker when I began school in the U.S. in the 70's and the best thing for me ended up being immersed in a classroom full of English-only speaking children. I learned English very quickly this way. My ESL class was a pullout once a day for about 30-40 minutes and I no longer needed the class for the next school year. Grouping these children only with other non-English speaking children would be a huge mistake as it would delay their language development and require additional school resources for many subsequent school years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Co-sign to the 11:11 post. Its not racist to say that the non-English speaking kids should be kept in a separate class with teachers trained to do this. Once they catch up, integrate them with other kids. Why should my kid have to be slowed down from learning because there are 2-3 kids who can't speak English and have no interest in being class because they can't understand anything?? I've seen it - I volunteer in school. It's not fair to the other kids or the hard-working teachers.

So by that logic,you're saying the special ed kids should also be removed from the general ed setting so your kid won't be "slowed down from learning"? The thing about public education is that everyone is entitled to an education in the least restrictive environment. If you don't like your kid being in class with students who need support to access the curriculum then you may want to consider private school or homeschooling. Wouldn't want your child to be inconvenienced by those pesky ESOL or special ed students.

[Anonymous]

11:11 what do you suggest we do with the children in this country who don't speak English and can't afford private school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Co-sign to the 11:11 post. Its not racist to say that the non-English speaking kids should be kept in a separate class with teachers trained to do this. Once they catch up, integrate them with other kids. Why should my kid have to be slowed down from learning because there are 2-3 kids who can't speak English and have no interest in being class because they can't understand anything?? I've seen it - I volunteer in school. It's not fair to the other kids or the hard-working teachers.

Oh, so solly that my siblings and I were in the same class as maybe you when we were younger and that we slowed down your education and became tax paying citizens. So solly that my parents' tax dollars paid for our schooling just as your's paid for your school. So solly you live in a multi-cultural society. Don't likey? Then move!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Co-sign to the 11:11 post. Its not racist to say that the non-English speaking kids should be kept in a separate class with teachers trained to do this. Once they catch up, integrate them with other kids. Why should my kid have to be slowed down from learning because there are 2-3 kids who can't speak English and have no interest in being class because they can't understand anything?? I've seen it - I volunteer in school. It's not fair to the other kids or the hard-working teachers.

So by that logic,you're saying the special ed kids should also be removed from the general ed setting so your kid won't be "slowed down from learning"? The thing about public education is that everyone is entitled to an education in the least restrictive environment. If you don't like your kid being in class with students who need support to access the curriculum then you may want to consider private school or homeschooling. Wouldn't want your child to be inconvenienced by those pesky ESOL or special ed students.

So you are okay with illegal aliens entering our schools? It has been the obvious decrease in test scores and less funding to every child. It is really sad how we just encourage people to break the laws and we reward instead of deport.