Is MCPS biased against boys?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a boy and a girl at Bradley Hills Elementary in Bethesda. Neither kid is an angel, but my daughter never gets in trouble for anything. If my boy is assertive in any way he gets reprimanded or sent to the office. This same behavior is never punished with my daughter.

Other parents seem to have similar experiences with athletic and high energy boys.

sex discrimination is unlawful.

You and all other parents that know about these discrimination
incidents should report it to the feds without hesitation. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html

LOLOLOLOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The boys are my school are far more likely to have phone addiction issues. So, they definitely get more attention from me in response.

I see the same thing.

The boys are playing games and watching videos every second they can. They don’t know how to focus for more than 10 seconds. Movement infused lessons used to help with wriggly boys and now it doesn’t make a big difference because it’s their brains craving dopamine.

Girls have social drama on their phones, but they don’t seem to need to use them nonstop.

OP post is about elementary so the kids probably don't have their own phones. Maybe the problem is the heavy use of Chromebooks such that the addictive screen is always a fingertip away.

m

Sorry, no. It’s not Chromebooks at school. It’s endless devices at home, where they are at least 16 hours a day, seven days a week. Stop deflecting.

The chromebooks are not the issue. The curriculum and teaching style is. If your kids have endless devices that's on you as a parent but many of our kids don't. Teachers use them as babysitters in lower grades. However, some kids handle it fine and others don't. Phones are not allowed in ES generally so thats a mute point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be very happy with single sex public school classrooms until 8th grade so the girls can learn more and the boys can be boys, I guess.

As a boy parent, I want my kids educated at school and not run wild and do no academics as other parents don't feel their boys are capable. Ever consider parenting is part of the problem.

NP

Never, I sent my kids to an all boys school that had outdoor activities 1st period, then school, then science outside, then reading outside weather permitting, then lunch, recess, then 1 class, sports, math

I never once thought that they thrived in that environment vs the other was a parenting issue.

NP. I think you hit the nail on the head. It's not just an MCPS problem. While acknowledging that were are making gender-based generalizations that don't apply to all kids, on balance, boys tend to mature a bit slower than girls and have more trouble with attention and lack of physical movement during the day. A school day that incorporates movement, including daily gym and or recess, is helpful for these boys and better for all students. The problem is that we can't do that outside of private schools. We compound the problem of lack of movement by increasing academic expectations from a young age. Any student who doesn't meet the ideal student standard of labeled as a bad student with bad parents. I have one of those spirited boys (and another who isn't), and I sometimes wonder if my parenting, which was constantly punishing my son and taking away privileges, did more harm than if I had used a more hands-off approach. From the beginning, my kid was a square peg being beaten into a round hole, and he internalized the message that what he was was not enough.

I think we can do it but it's too expensive and teachers are not allowed. My son's evaluator for ADHD observed his classroom and observed he only acted up after sitting 40 minutes straight. He was fine sitting for 30 minutes.

The principal actually move art up in his class because they had 120 minutes of sitting and he didn't really think of that.

Also they can do pushups, yoga poses, run in place ... anything to get the wiggles out.

Did you give consequences at home for the acting up or are you ok with the behavior?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The boys are my school are far more likely to have phone addiction issues. So, they definitely get more attention from me in response.

I see the same thing.

The boys are playing games and watching videos every second they can. They don’t know how to focus for more than 10 seconds. Movement infused lessons used to help with wriggly boys and now it doesn’t make a big difference because it’s their brains craving dopamine.

Girls have social drama on their phones, but they don’t seem to need to use them nonstop.

OP post is about elementary so the kids probably don't have their own phones. Maybe the problem is the heavy use of Chromebooks such that the addictive screen is always a fingertip away.

m
Sorry, no. It’s not Chromebooks at school. It’s endless devices at home, where they are at least 16 hours a day, seven days a week. Stop deflecting.

Not in our house. We were a low-screen household. Our child's Chromebook game habit was developed at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the school plan for a child repeatedly being sent to the Principal. Negative consequences is not the normal best practice to change behavior.

I would recommend that you keep all documentation or request all documentation when your child leaves the classroom to go to the principal or any time recess or breaks or lost as punishment. After you have the documentation, request in writing to your principal to assemble an IEP meeting to determine if your child has a disability that is having an educational impact. The impact is the loss instruction and social skills development your child suffers when not in class or at recess. Request for this meeting to be held in person so you can meet the people making important decisions about your child.

There are multiple disabilities that impact children’s behavior. ADHD is one. Sending a child to the principal is extreme so is the punishment matching the behavior which is also extreme? If the behavior is repeatedly outside the school expectation, then a plan needs to be developed so a child can learn coping skills and strategies to develop behaviors that align with the school expectations. A Behavior Intervention Plan is one way that the teacher can collect data.

DD had a teacher who was fond of passing the buck and escalating to the principal when it was not appropriate. DD was not sent to the principal but witnessed a lot of boys being sent there for things like "talking back," not being able to sit still, failing to follow directions on a worksheet. K teacher. This was a teacher issue, not a student issue or a school issue. Some teachers just stink at classroom management.

No, it's not developmentally appropriate for 5 year old boys to be able to sit all day in class and do worksheets. Why do you type things out about stuff you don't understand?

Yes, it is developmentally appropriate for boys (just as much as girls) to be able to sit and do work, which of course they don’t do “all day” or nothing but worksheets, especially not at age 5. Boys aren’t some special magical innately hyperactive unicorns because they have a penis. Parent them and stop excusing everything away with “OMG boys will be boys!l

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be very happy with single sex public school classrooms until 8th grade so the girls can learn more and the boys can be boys, I guess.

As a boy parent, I want my kids educated at school and not run wild and do no academics as other parents don't feel their boys are capable. Ever consider parenting is part of the problem.

NP

Never, I sent my kids to an all boys school that had outdoor activities 1st period, then school, then science outside, then reading outside weather permitting, then lunch, recess, then 1 class, sports, math

I never once thought that they thrived in that environment vs the other was a parenting issue.

NP. I think you hit the nail on the head. It's not just an MCPS problem. While acknowledging that were are making gender-based generalizations that don't apply to all kids, on balance, boys tend to mature a bit slower than girls and have more trouble with attention and lack of physical movement during the day. A school day that incorporates movement, including daily gym and or recess, is helpful for these boys and better for all students. The problem is that we can't do that outside of private schools. We compound the problem of lack of movement by increasing academic expectations from a young age. Any student who doesn't meet the ideal student standard of labeled as a bad student with bad parents. I have one of those spirited boys (and another who isn't), and I sometimes wonder if my parenting, which was constantly punishing my son and taking away privileges, did more harm than if I had used a more hands-off approach. From the beginning, my kid was a square peg being beaten into a round hole, and he internalized the message that what he was was not enough.

But even you are making negative assumptions about characteristics that are associated with boys… “mature more slowly” “have trouble with attention” etc.

Yes, public schools can provide play-based learning in the younger years, provide more outdoor time for all kids, etc. As our academic expectations for younger kids have gotten more intense, their levels of achievement have not improved and more kids have been labeled special needs and medicated. Perhaps we could go back to a time when we saved the more rigorous academics for later years. Our country seemed to have no problem generating literate and creative people in the 60s and 70s. In reality, all day kindergarten was implemented to provide day care. Let’s just make it play-based and be honest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be very happy with single sex public school classrooms until 8th grade so the girls can learn more and the boys can be boys, I guess.

As a boy parent, I want my kids educated at school and not run wild and do no academics as other parents don't feel their boys are capable. Ever consider parenting is part of the problem.

NP

Never, I sent my kids to an all boys school that had outdoor activities 1st period, then school, then science outside, then reading outside weather permitting, then lunch, recess, then 1 class, sports, math

I never once thought that they thrived in that environment vs the other was a parenting issue.

NP. I think you hit the nail on the head. It's not just an MCPS problem. While acknowledging that were are making gender-based generalizations that don't apply to all kids, on balance, boys tend to mature a bit slower than girls and have more trouble with attention and lack of physical movement during the day. A school day that incorporates movement, including daily gym and or recess, is helpful for these boys and better for all students. The problem is that we can't do that outside of private schools. We compound the problem of lack of movement by increasing academic expectations from a young age. Any student who doesn't meet the ideal student standard of labeled as a bad student with bad parents. I have one of those spirited boys (and another who isn't), and I sometimes wonder if my parenting, which was constantly punishing my son and taking away privileges, did more harm than if I had used a more hands-off approach. From the beginning, my kid was a square peg being beaten into a round hole, and he internalized the message that what he was was not enough.

But even you are making negative assumptions about characteristics that are associated with boys… “mature more slowly” “have trouble with attention” etc.

Yes, public schools can provide play-based learning in the younger years, provide more outdoor time for all kids, etc. As our academic expectations for younger kids have gotten more intense, their levels of achievement have not improved and more kids have been labeled special needs and medicated. Perhaps we could go back to a time when we saved the more rigorous academics for later years. Our country seemed to have no problem generating literate and creative people in the 60s and 70s. In reality, all day kindergarten was implemented to provide day care. Let’s just make it play-based and be honest.

MCPS has had all day K for many years. Personally I don't like play based and it was a disaster for my kids. They did much better in more structured, academic preschools and that really prepared them for K. It hasn't gotten more intense or changed. What has changed is lax parenting and its easier to have less so parents don't have to be involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the school plan for a child repeatedly being sent to the Principal. Negative consequences is not the normal best practice to change behavior.

I would recommend that you keep all documentation or request all documentation when your child leaves the classroom to go to the principal or any time recess or breaks or lost as punishment. After you have the documentation, request in writing to your principal to assemble an IEP meeting to determine if your child has a disability that is having an educational impact. The impact is the loss instruction and social skills development your child suffers when not in class or at recess. Request for this meeting to be held in person so you can meet the people making important decisions about your child.

There are multiple disabilities that impact children’s behavior. ADHD is one. Sending a child to the principal is extreme so is the punishment matching the behavior which is also extreme? If the behavior is repeatedly outside the school expectation, then a plan needs to be developed so a child can learn coping skills and strategies to develop behaviors that align with the school expectations. A Behavior Intervention Plan is one way that the teacher can collect data.

DD had a teacher who was fond of passing the buck and escalating to the principal when it was not appropriate. DD was not sent to the principal but witnessed a lot of boys being sent there for things like "talking back," not being able to sit still, failing to follow directions on a worksheet. K teacher. This was a teacher issue, not a student issue or a school issue. Some teachers just stink at classroom management.

No, it's not developmentally appropriate for 5 year old boys to be able to sit all day in class and do worksheets. Why do you type things out about stuff you don't understand?

Yes, it is developmentally appropriate for boys (just as much as girls) to be able to sit and do work, which of course they don’t do “all day” or nothing but worksheets, especially not at age 5. Boys aren’t some special magical innately hyperactive unicorns because they have a penis. Parent them and stop excusing everything away with “OMG boys will be boys!l

It's not developmentally appropriate for either boys or girls to do this at age 5. But yes, there are inherent differences between the sexes (when looking at population data), even though some people don't admit it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be very happy with single sex public school classrooms until 8th grade so the girls can learn more and the boys can be boys, I guess.

As a boy parent, I want my kids educated at school and not run wild and do no academics as other parents don't feel their boys are capable. Ever consider parenting is part of the problem.

NP

Never, I sent my kids to an all boys school that had outdoor activities 1st period, then school, then science outside, then reading outside weather permitting, then lunch, recess, then 1 class, sports, math

I never once thought that they thrived in that environment vs the other was a parenting issue.

NP. I think you hit the nail on the head. It's not just an MCPS problem. While acknowledging that were are making gender-based generalizations that don't apply to all kids, on balance, boys tend to mature a bit slower than girls and have more trouble with attention and lack of physical movement during the day. A school day that incorporates movement, including daily gym and or recess, is helpful for these boys and better for all students. The problem is that we can't do that outside of private schools. We compound the problem of lack of movement by increasing academic expectations from a young age. Any student who doesn't meet the ideal student standard of labeled as a bad student with bad parents. I have one of those spirited boys (and another who isn't), and I sometimes wonder if my parenting, which was constantly punishing my son and taking away privileges, did more harm than if I had used a more hands-off approach. From the beginning, my kid was a square peg being beaten into a round hole, and he internalized the message that what he was was not enough.

But even you are making negative assumptions about characteristics that are associated with boys… “mature more slowly” “have trouble with attention” etc.

Yes, public schools can provide play-based learning in the younger years, provide more outdoor time for all kids, etc. As our academic expectations for younger kids have gotten more intense, their levels of achievement have not improved and more kids have been labeled special needs and medicated. Perhaps we could go back to a time when we saved the more rigorous academics for later years. Our country seemed to have no problem generating literate and creative people in the 60s and 70s. In reality, all day kindergarten was implemented to provide day care. Let’s just make it play-based and be honest.

MCPS has had all day K for many years. Personally I don't like play based and it was a disaster for my kids. They did much better in more structured, academic preschools and that really prepared them for K. It hasn't gotten more intense or changed. What has changed is lax parenting and its easier to have less so parents don't have to be involved.

Yes, it has been many years, which is why I compared it to the 60s and 70s. And the expectations for K and 1st grade have absolutely become more intense and have changed. The use of devices by small kids only exacerbates some of the problems. We can agree that parenting has become more lax while holding school systems responsible for their failed policies.

And the experiences of your children are not data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be very happy with single sex public school classrooms until 8th grade so the girls can learn more and the boys can be boys, I guess.

As a boy parent, I want my kids educated at school and not run wild and do no academics as other parents don't feel their boys are capable. Ever consider parenting is part of the problem.

NP

Never, I sent my kids to an all boys school that had outdoor activities 1st period, then school, then science outside, then reading outside weather permitting, then lunch, recess, then 1 class, sports, math

I never once thought that they thrived in that environment vs the other was a parenting issue.

NP. I think you hit the nail on the head. It's not just an MCPS problem. While acknowledging that were are making gender-based generalizations that don't apply to all kids, on balance, boys tend to mature a bit slower than girls and have more trouble with attention and lack of physical movement during the day. A school day that incorporates movement, including daily gym and or recess, is helpful for these boys and better for all students. The problem is that we can't do that outside of private schools. We compound the problem of lack of movement by increasing academic expectations from a young age. Any student who doesn't meet the ideal student standard of labeled as a bad student with bad parents. I have one of those spirited boys (and another who isn't), and I sometimes wonder if my parenting, which was constantly punishing my son and taking away privileges, did more harm than if I had used a more hands-off approach. From the beginning, my kid was a square peg being beaten into a round hole, and he internalized the message that what he was was not enough.

But even you are making negative assumptions about characteristics that are associated with boys… “mature more slowly” “have trouble with attention” etc.

Yes, public schools can provide play-based learning in the younger years, provide more outdoor time for all kids, etc. As our academic expectations for younger kids have gotten more intense, their levels of achievement have not improved and more kids have been labeled special needs and medicated. Perhaps we could go back to a time when we saved the more rigorous academics for later years. Our country seemed to have no problem generating literate and creative people in the 60s and 70s. In reality, all day kindergarten was implemented to provide day care. Let’s just make it play-based and be honest.

MCPS has had all day K for many years. Personally I don't like play based and it was a disaster for my kids. They did much better in more structured, academic preschools and that really prepared them for K. It hasn't gotten more intense or changed. What has changed is lax parenting and its easier to have less so parents don't have to be involved.

Yes, it has been many years, which is why I compared it to the 60s and 70s. And the expectations for K and 1st grade have absolutely become more intense and have changed. The use of devices by small kids only exacerbates some of the problems. We can agree that parenting has become more lax while holding school systems responsible for their failed policies.

And the experiences of your children are not data.

Adding this... https://daily.jstor.org/kindergarten-become-just-another-grade/#:~:text=By%20the%201980s%20and%20%2790s,one%201981%20story%20put%20it.

"A number of studies suggest that direct academic instruction is both ineffective in preparing little kids for further education and harmful to their social development."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be very happy with single sex public school classrooms until 8th grade so the girls can learn more and the boys can be boys, I guess.

As a boy parent, I want my kids educated at school and not run wild and do no academics as other parents don't feel their boys are capable. Ever consider parenting is part of the problem.

NP

Never, I sent my kids to an all boys school that had outdoor activities 1st period, then school, then science outside, then reading outside weather permitting, then lunch, recess, then 1 class, sports, math

I never once thought that they thrived in that environment vs the other was a parenting issue.

NP. I think you hit the nail on the head. It's not just an MCPS problem. While acknowledging that were are making gender-based generalizations that don't apply to all kids, on balance, boys tend to mature a bit slower than girls and have more trouble with attention and lack of physical movement during the day. A school day that incorporates movement, including daily gym and or recess, is helpful for these boys and better for all students. The problem is that we can't do that outside of private schools. We compound the problem of lack of movement by increasing academic expectations from a young age. Any student who doesn't meet the ideal student standard of labeled as a bad student with bad parents. I have one of those spirited boys (and another who isn't), and I sometimes wonder if my parenting, which was constantly punishing my son and taking away privileges, did more harm than if I had used a more hands-off approach. From the beginning, my kid was a square peg being beaten into a round hole, and he internalized the message that what he was was not enough.

But even you are making negative assumptions about characteristics that are associated with boys… “mature more slowly” “have trouble with attention” etc.

Yes, public schools can provide play-based learning in the younger years, provide more outdoor time for all kids, etc. As our academic expectations for younger kids have gotten more intense, their levels of achievement have not improved and more kids have been labeled special needs and medicated. Perhaps we could go back to a time when we saved the more rigorous academics for later years. Our country seemed to have no problem generating literate and creative people in the 60s and 70s. In reality, all day kindergarten was implemented to provide day care. Let’s just make it play-based and be honest.

MCPS has had all day K for many years. Personally I don't like play based and it was a disaster for my kids. They did much better in more structured, academic preschools and that really prepared them for K. It hasn't gotten more intense or changed. What has changed is lax parenting and its easier to have less so parents don't have to be involved.

Yes, it has been many years, which is why I compared it to the 60s and 70s. And the expectations for K and 1st grade have absolutely become more intense and have changed. The use of devices by small kids only exacerbates some of the problems. We can agree that parenting has become more lax while holding school systems responsible for their failed policies.

And the experiences of your children are not data.

People like you are the problem. Plenty of our boys did great. These kids need structure and academics. They can play at home. They did not get the structure and support at home and in preschool so of course the struggle to adjust. Feel free to wait till your kids are 7-8 to send them to k when they are able to behave. Let the rest of our kids go for an education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be very happy with single sex public school classrooms until 8th grade so the girls can learn more and the boys can be boys, I guess.

As a boy parent, I want my kids educated at school and not run wild and do no academics as other parents don't feel their boys are capable. Ever consider parenting is part of the problem.

NP

Never, I sent my kids to an all boys school that had outdoor activities 1st period, then school, then science outside, then reading outside weather permitting, then lunch, recess, then 1 class, sports, math

I never once thought that they thrived in that environment vs the other was a parenting issue.

NP. I think you hit the nail on the head. It's not just an MCPS problem. While acknowledging that were are making gender-based generalizations that don't apply to all kids, on balance, boys tend to mature a bit slower than girls and have more trouble with attention and lack of physical movement during the day. A school day that incorporates movement, including daily gym and or recess, is helpful for these boys and better for all students. The problem is that we can't do that outside of private schools. We compound the problem of lack of movement by increasing academic expectations from a young age. Any student who doesn't meet the ideal student standard of labeled as a bad student with bad parents. I have one of those spirited boys (and another who isn't), and I sometimes wonder if my parenting, which was constantly punishing my son and taking away privileges, did more harm than if I had used a more hands-off approach. From the beginning, my kid was a square peg being beaten into a round hole, and he internalized the message that what he was was not enough.

But even you are making negative assumptions about characteristics that are associated with boys… “mature more slowly” “have trouble with attention” etc.

Yes, public schools can provide play-based learning in the younger years, provide more outdoor time for all kids, etc. As our academic expectations for younger kids have gotten more intense, their levels of achievement have not improved and more kids have been labeled special needs and medicated. Perhaps we could go back to a time when we saved the more rigorous academics for later years. Our country seemed to have no problem generating literate and creative people in the 60s and 70s. In reality, all day kindergarten was implemented to provide day care. Let’s just make it play-based and be honest.

MCPS has had all day K for many years. Personally I don't like play based and it was a disaster for my kids. They did much better in more structured, academic preschools and that really prepared them for K. It hasn't gotten more intense or changed. What has changed is lax parenting and its easier to have less so parents don't have to be involved.

Yes, it has been many years, which is why I compared it to the 60s and 70s. And the expectations for K and 1st grade have absolutely become more intense and have changed. The use of devices by small kids only exacerbates some of the problems. We can agree that parenting has become more lax while holding school systems responsible for their failed policies.

And the experiences of your children are not data.

People like you are the problem. Plenty of our boys did great. These kids need structure and academics. They can play at home. They did not get the structure and support at home and in preschool so of course the struggle to adjust. Feel free to wait till your kids are 7-8 to send them to k when they are able to behave. Let the rest of our kids go for an education.

I am an educator and the mother of 3 boys who also were able to sit still. Again, you are missing all of the points, including that research shows that kids pushed young do not end up ahead. Population research, not your kids. If you can’t understand that you need to look at experience and data outside your own life, you don’t have anything to contribute to the conversation.

[Anonymous]

Many teachers in MCPS classroom value obedience more than anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many teachers in MCPS classroom value obedience more than anything else.

Well, appropriate classroom behavior is the first step out of anarchy. It's impossible to teach to anarchy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be very happy with single sex public school classrooms until 8th grade so the girls can learn more and the boys can be boys, I guess.

As a boy parent, I want my kids educated at school and not run wild and do no academics as other parents don't feel their boys are capable. Ever consider parenting is part of the problem.

NP

Never, I sent my kids to an all boys school that had outdoor activities 1st period, then school, then science outside, then reading outside weather permitting, then lunch, recess, then 1 class, sports, math

I never once thought that they thrived in that environment vs the other was a parenting issue.

NP. I think you hit the nail on the head. It's not just an MCPS problem. While acknowledging that were are making gender-based generalizations that don't apply to all kids, on balance, boys tend to mature a bit slower than girls and have more trouble with attention and lack of physical movement during the day. A school day that incorporates movement, including daily gym and or recess, is helpful for these boys and better for all students. The problem is that we can't do that outside of private schools. We compound the problem of lack of movement by increasing academic expectations from a young age. Any student who doesn't meet the ideal student standard of labeled as a bad student with bad parents. I have one of those spirited boys (and another who isn't), and I sometimes wonder if my parenting, which was constantly punishing my son and taking away privileges, did more harm than if I had used a more hands-off approach. From the beginning, my kid was a square peg being beaten into a round hole, and he internalized the message that what he was was not enough.

But even you are making negative assumptions about characteristics that are associated with boys… “mature more slowly” “have trouble with attention” etc.

Yes, public schools can provide play-based learning in the younger years, provide more outdoor time for all kids, etc. As our academic expectations for younger kids have gotten more intense, their levels of achievement have not improved and more kids have been labeled special needs and medicated. Perhaps we could go back to a time when we saved the more rigorous academics for later years. Our country seemed to have no problem generating literate and creative people in the 60s and 70s. In reality, all day kindergarten was implemented to provide day care. Let’s just make it play-based and be honest.

MCPS has had all day K for many years. Personally I don't like play based and it was a disaster for my kids. They did much better in more structured, academic preschools and that really prepared them for K. It hasn't gotten more intense or changed. What has changed is lax parenting and its easier to have less so parents don't have to be involved.

Yes, it has been many years, which is why I compared it to the 60s and 70s. And the expectations for K and 1st grade have absolutely become more intense and have changed. The use of devices by small kids only exacerbates some of the problems. We can agree that parenting has become more lax while holding school systems responsible for their failed policies.

And the experiences of your children are not data.

People like you are the problem. Plenty of our boys did great. These kids need structure and academics. They can play at home. They did not get the structure and support at home and in preschool so of course the struggle to adjust. Feel free to wait till your kids are 7-8 to send them to k when they are able to behave. Let the rest of our kids go for an education.

I am an educator and the mother of 3 boys who also were able to sit still. Again, you are missing all of the points, including that research shows that kids pushed young do not end up ahead. Population research, not your kids. If you can’t understand that you need to look at experience and data outside your own life, you don’t have anything to contribute to the conversation.

Thank you, PP.