Reply to If this is the way the public education system works, I am already in despair about my choices.

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[quote=Anonymous]My child is 3.5 and currently enrolled in a charter school for PS3.  He has attention, sensory and impulse control issues (like a lot of 3yo's I know) and we are working with him on it.  His teacher has been good, too.  But I feel like we made a mistake by letting him be evaluated by the school psychologist and now I am questioning their assumptions about what social and academic expectations are age/developmentally appropriate as well as their opinion about how he measures up.  He was given age inappropriate tests (approved for 4 years and up, he was 3.5 when they tested him) and after talking with the teacher about our concerns with these tests/reports, I am more lost than ever.

She claims that some 3yos come into the classroom able to write their full name and read sight words, and that all of her kids are expected to be able to do this by the end of the year.  So tell me, DCUM, does this ring true?  If so, how does this happen?  I know I did not write or sight read at age 3 or 4; neither did my husband according to his mother.  We are both well-educated and employed professionals, so it's not like we lost out.  If you have a kid in DC's public or public charter PS3 do you agree with their academic expectations?

I am not the kind of parent who wants to nor do I philsophically believe it is appropriate to drill my kid on the alphabet, do flashcards, ask him to practice writing letters, etc etc etc, especially in the few hours I get with him every evening.  HE'S 3.  I want him to play and explore and get dirty and ask questions and use his imagination.  All of this has me feeling that he is too young for a formal academic setting, that I've made an enormous mistake by putting him in this situation, and that this country's focus on testing and standards is wrong and damaging to our kids.  I feel like my son knows that his behavior is a problem (and we agree, and we are working on it) and that he is not living up to expectations.  I know this is damaging his self-esteem.  And my heart is breaking because I have serious doubts that he is being measured against a fair and appropriate standard, so I feel like I am just setting him up to fail.  I am wracked with guilt today.

All this said, what are my alternatives?  His daycare was wonderful but they did not have the resources or training to help address the sensory and impulse issues.  I can't afford to quit my job and even if I did, I'm not kidding myself that I have the ability to teach him everything he needs to know myself.  So, is this what it's going to be like dealing with the public education system for the next 14-15 years?  If so, I will need anxiety meds and Xanax to get myself through.  Or I will have to find a way to pay for a private education with which I philosophically agree.  [/quote]

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