Smart kids in Kindergarten
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Anonymous
I agree with this. Some people are comfortable saying that their child can read when all they read are Cat in the Hat kind of books. Others don't feel comfortable saying that DC can read until they can read most books fluently and only need occasional help with words longer than 4 syllables and/or of foreign origin or unusual spelling. So I would take "DC can read" with a grain of salt, since you don't really know what that means. |
Anonymous
Ok, very curious about how you know this. Do you volunteer and secretly assess reading levels of the kids whose parents claimed they can read just to see if the parents were exaggerating? Do you cross examine the parents to see what the kids are reading and if its Dr. Seuss or a limited number of books, you conclude that they are not REALLY reading? |
Anonymous
my 5 year old (Nov birthday, not in K yet) has read all the magic treehouse books, all the alphabet mysteries, the calendar mysteries, and the like. We were at Monticello this weekend and he told his Dad he wasn't ready to move on from one exhibit because he was reading the sign, and some guy behind him made fun of him (gently) by saying "aren't you a little young to be reading that?" my kid read every word of it aloud without stumbling. so yes, some kids really are proficient readers long before K. Back to the subject, please. What do Arlington schools do for early readers, especially those who spent 4 years in daycare and are pretty well socialized? I have visions of my son sitting in the corner by himself, reading a book all day. thanks |
Anonymous
| Have you visited the school and asked this question? |
Anonymous
Actually being able to read is great entertainment. My son's teacher let him read all the time in K and he often read when he wasn't supposed to be  As long as he could answer the teacher's question, he was allowed to read. So be happy that your child is so advanced and has plenty of books to keep him occupied.
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Anonymous
| You will have the best luck asking that question to the principal directly. I'm sure they've gotten that question before, but they know best how their teachers teach. That level of reading certainly isn't in the realm of the typical kindergarten curriculum but they may have a way to accommodate it. I guess it depends on the child and the parents attitude whether they are bored. Perhaps your child could skip a grade? I read before kindergarten and made it through the year just coloring numbers and letters and still got accepted to ivy league schools and am doing well as an adult. My child read before kindergarten too but is not bored. They do read in kindergarten these days and when children can read they can become somewhat in charge of their own learning. |
Anonymous
First - I can barely meet another parent with a kid in K without them commenting on their kids' reading skills. Seriously. Almost every single conversation. This has been going on throughout the school year. Second - like everybody else, I volunteer in the classrooms. Sometimes, it is while they are doing reading. When a child brings in their own book to "read" to the class, and "read" this book without actually looking at ANY OF THE WORDS, then I have my doubts. Third - A bunch of my son's friends have come over for playdates. I confess, they sometimes play video games where there is READING involved. The kids can't read (though if you asked their parents, they were "readers"). |
Anonymous
| Honestly, there are a lot of smart kids in kindergarten. I had this same concern in the months leading up to kindergarten based on how my kid was reading etc and then I realized that (1) there are plenty of kids that are just as bright as mine, if not brighter, and (2) teachers know how to differentiate by giving different levels of books, by having some kids learn to spell some of the sight words instead of reading them, etc. Now I think it is sort of funny that I was so worried about it (sort of like how I now think it is sort of funny that I thought my kid was "definitely" on the AAP track until I actually learned what was involved in getting into AAP - scoring upwards of 98% nationwide on various standardized tests). Bottom line is that there is so much more to kindergarten than just the academics anyway - learning to ride the bus, meeting the kids they will go to school with for the next five or six years, gym, music, cafeteria etc so unless they are solving physics problems already, they will probably be fine. |
Anonymous
| My kid is doing the same as yours OP. Reading very simple three word sentences only. DC is going to a McLean K next year. I wouldn't think going to a private school would matter or going to any other fairfax county elementarty would make a difference. Its Kindergarten. They start with the basics. Everywhere. Having lots of family members in elementary I'm told that some kids start ahead of others but by the end of the year the majority of the kids all catch up to those who seemed a bit more advanced then when first grade starts they can give those who are truely advance the opportunity to test into AAP for 2nd. |
Anonymous
This is unfortunate because I believe the teachers feel the same way. My DD was reading well (Junie B. Jones, Magic Treehouse, Ready Freddie, etc) the second half of pre-K. The teachers didn't seem to believe me when I mentioned she was fully reading with comprehension. It took them over a month and a half to realize she knew how to read. Then they acted surprised when they finally asked her to read something to them. I am also not trying to brag, but I get frustrated when teachers don't believe me when I ask for more challenging work for DD. The preschool also didn't believe me when I told them she was reading when she first started there. I had to pull a random book off their shelf and have her read it to the director. I will say that I don't think my DS is going to be reading anywhere as early as DD and we won't try to push for something he's clearly not ready for, but for those that are ready for more advanced work it would be nice to get the proper level of instruction sooner. |
Anonymous
What was done about your DD reading in preschool? I ask because my 3-year-old reads second grade level books to me, but we have not mentioned anything to her teachers. Next year she will be in Pre-K, and I do worry a little about their letter of the week curriculum. Should I really point it out to them? I really do not expect any differentiation at this point. Should I? |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
| My DS was reading in preschool as well from the age of 3. Since socialization was much more important to me, and since my son isn't "into" reading, I mentioned his academics to the teachers and at some point they discovered my son's talents for themselves. As long as my son was having fun, I didn't worry about instruction; I know last year in his last year of pre-school the teachers had my son read at story time to the other kids once or twice, and I think one other girl did the same. My son was quite proud that he could read to his friends, then promptly forgot all about it. But my son isn't "into" reading, so I'm just letting him do his thing as he goes forward, as long as he doesn't say he is bored. |
Anonymous
She's not a shy or quiet kid, so after a few weeks of "this is the letter A" she was telling me she didn't like school. Not too long after that she told me they don't call on her any more even if she's the only one with her hand up to answer a question. Then I started getting reports that she was blurting out answers and she needed to LEARN how to follow the rules and raise her hand. When I told them she said she stopped raising her hand because they wouldn't call on her any more they responded with 'that's because she raises her hand every time and since we know she knows the answer we don't call on her". WHAT?!? I told I guessed it was because she was already reading and probably bored. At the same time I was getting reports every day that she was not napping and would not just lay still and quiet. I told them she had dropped her afternoon nap recently and suggested they let her read during nap time. The director told me that even though parents think their kid is reading they have only memorized books. I told her my DD never went through that stage of memorizing books and just somehow started reading. When I finally convinced her she could read they allowed her a little more freedom in the reading department but not much. The teacher told me she was trying to provide a differentiated curriculum for her, but the director told me that the curriculum was not going to be changed for my DD and that we should supplement with Kumon lessons. We both work f/t and I wasn't going to spend my free time with her in Kumon lessons when she was in preschool/daycare for a good chunk of the day already. So, bottom line was the teacher tried to work a little differently with DD but not much changed. In hindsight I should have done my homework on preschools to find a better fit for her. It's not the end of the world and I don't think it will make any difference in her academic success in the future but a school that would have had the resources to deal with her better would have made a better preschool experience for all of us. I've now been told that a Montessori program might have been a good fit for her. Funny thing is that my second is no where near where my first was with reading, math, comprehending more complex concepts so I don't think it will be as much of a struggle in preK. He's also way more 'compliant' and quiet. Good luck. |
Anonymous
Whats a big deal about a 5 year old able to do addition and subtraction. Most of the kids these days are smart and especially look out for the Asian population. You will be humbled by so many kids who can do much more than that. Education is important. Beyond that what you should be questioning yourself is whether your child can survive in the actual real world with diversities. What your child percieves whether the school is boring or "good enough" for her depends on what you put in her mind. |