school requiring "student's statement" for toddler...

[jennrgolden]

Hi all, I'm enrolling my first born at a local private school and the school is requiring that I submit a student statement for my three year old! They specifically state the child should do it themselves and to just have them color or write about their family. Maybe a three year old can do this, but my two and half year old doesn't grasp the concept.

Is this a normal request? Did you have to do this for your toddler? Can your 2 year old write or even draw a picture?

I'm just curious now if I've managed to screw up my child either by keeping him home with me all this time and therefor can't do these things or is this school just wacko and I should run now!

[Anonymous]

WRITE about their family? That's nuts!
Another red flag: that the subject is family. What if the child is adopted, parents are divorced, they recently lost a parent or have gay or lesbian parents or their mom is single by choice? All my friends in these non-traditional situations hate when schools have their children do family-themed projects. It's insensitive at this tender age!
I think asking a child to draw a few of their favorite things would be a much more appropriate task.
Good luck!

[jennrgolden]

Oh Wow, I didn't even THINK of that! I was so focused on having to get my child to draw or write I didn't even realize the question was a bit on the sly... Thanks for pointing that out!

[Anonymous]

Ummm - my 2.5 yo pretty much just scribbles. I say give her a piece of paper, ask her to draw about her family, and let her go to town.

FWIW, I don't think there's anything on the sly here, esp. since you're already enrolled. I'd think differently if it was during admissions. It's probably something they'll hang in the classroom as a way for everyone to talk about their families. Just seems a little silly for the young ones.

[Anonymous]

My 3 year old could NOT do this. He scribbles and then tells me its a picture of me.

[jennrgolden]

Glad to hear my 2.5 year old is NOT behind on his development.

Regarding the request..we ARE still in the application process. It's part of their app. forms.

[Anonymous]

Are you sure that applies to kids entering in preschool? Sometimes applications are generic for kids anywhere from k-8 but they don't really mean it.

[Anonymous]

My 4 yr old is just now starting to draw things that semi resemble something other than scribbles. I would call the school to clarify if this is for 3 yr olds or just older kids. That sounds like something from the movie Nursery University I saw a few weeks ago on TV!

[jennrgolden]

Anonymous wrote:Are you sure that applies to kids entering in preschool? Sometimes applications are generic for kids anywhere from k-8 but they don't really mean it.

Yep, instructions indicate that (let me go get it and quote it).... "Nursery (ages 3&4): Tell us about your family, either in drawing or writing."

There are specific instructions for each age group, for instance the next age up it says: "...(ages 5 & 6): Tell us about your family in drawing with some writing, and write your name."

All they're going to get out of my 2 year old is some odd scribbling...

[Anonymous]

Honestly I would reconsider applying in that case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I would reconsider applying in that case.

Oh for pete's sake. Talk about overreacting. So the kids draw a picture of their family, what ever color, shape or size it happens to be in. Big Deal. Two-and-a-half year olds love to scribble. Are you afraid the artwork won't be up to par?

Why is everyone so freaked out over this, and so sensitive to the topic?

[Anonymous]

I'm wondering if you are going to the same school that we are going to attend...(The description "Nursery" gives it away). Anyway, we had to do the same thing for our 3-year old, but we just had fun with it. I wrote a 2 paragraph summary, & then gave my DS some crayons & let him scribble all over it. The school loved it! I seriously doubt that they are looking for a thesis from your 3 year old. Just have fun with it. And, for the record, to the 16:28 poster, our child is adopted, & in a lesbian household. No issues writing the letter.

[Anonymous]

22:26 I'm 16:28. Rest assured these family themed assignments cane be complicated for some students, especially in the older grades. I'm glad this one wasn't for your child. But as he gets older, and if he's not in class with other nontraditional families, he may find it complicated. It has been for my friend who's a widow, and my friend who's a single mother by choice (straight) and my other friend who's also a single mother by choice (lesbian).

[Anonymous]

If it isn't a big deal, why do they ask such an absurd question? What do they want to do- assess scribbling techniques? Do they really expect a 3 or 4 yr old to write about their family? I guess so or they wouldn't have requested it. Very odd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I would reconsider applying in that case.

Oh for pete's sake. Talk about overreacting. So the kids draw a picture of their family, what ever color, shape or size it happens to be in. Big Deal. Two-and-a-half year olds love to scribble. Are you afraid the artwork won't be up to par?

Why is everyone so freaked out over this, and so sensitive to the topic?

I'm not "freaked out" about it -- I just think it's absurd, and I question the judgment of a school that asks for it. What does it tell you about the school?