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[quote=Anonymous]We are in a top school district, one that people move and buy housing in to be able to attend. There are no private schools around (except one Catholic school, one LDS and one $$$$ forest school type preK-5th), because the public schools are “too good.” Each class is capped at 20, with a main teacher and a full-time aide. We have resource teachers and an in-school counselor.

But from what I have seen the past few years at our K-5, I’m not sure the kids are learning what I think needs to be learned. There’s too much student choice! You get to choose your math activity (iPad, worksheet, game…. Of course mine and most others always picks the iPad). Same with literacy (choose iPad that reads to you, a book from the classroom library). And of course with the iPad, a lot of energy seems to go into building an avatar or earning clothes for your character in whatever app. DD tells me one girl just flips through a bunch of digital books so she can earn more stars.  There’s no single book they all read - I strongly feel there should be a simple chapter book so they can all read and talk about characters, the plot, etc. and have a shared experience. Does this come in later grades? For writing, again you get to choose the activity or choose the topic. My child has picked the same topic (dogs) two years in a row.

I feel like at this age, there need to be quality, teacher-led models. I want the teacher to choose the books, choose the writing activity and approve a limited number of topics, and I want the kids to have to do math on paper. Am I just behind the times? How important is it that the kids get to choose? And how much choice should they have?

I also don’t know what to do about this, given that we are stuck in this district unless we move or try to petition the district to move our DD to one of the other district elementary schools. And I’m assuming the curriculum is the same anyway. [/quote]

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