Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am a parent of a kindergartener who is doing very well and is at the top the class but feel like there's something missing in the school day. I felt like there was a lot of joy and wonder in DC's day in preschool but that MCPS is all about discipline, rules and doing things the "right" way.
Does anyone else feel the same way?
Are there any private schools in the area with a more creative approach to early elementary and that are affordable?

Relax. Your precious little snowflake will be just fine.

Amen.

Anonymous wrote:Am a parent of a kindergartener who is doing very well and is at the top the class but feel like there's something missing in the school day. I felt like there was a lot of joy and wonder in DC's day in preschool but that MCPS is all about discipline, rules and doing things the "right" way.
Does anyone else feel the same way?
Are there any private schools in the area with a more creative approach to early elementary and that are affordable?

Relax. Your precious little snowflake will be just fine.

The classes are so large and MCPS only has 1 teacher per class in schools that aren't Title 1. Its not like DC where even though there is only one teacher allotted for 25 kids, parents can raise money to fund a full time teacher/aide to be in the classroom.

The teacher's are capable of doing more but everything has to to be brought down what can be done in a large group or what can kids just do independently at their desks. You'll see an occasional interesting activity but its basically assembly line uninspiring worksheet crap for the next several years.

If you look at private the world is very different. Look for schools that have small class sizes and subject specific teachers. In public school, one teacher teaches everything except art, music and PE. In many (not all) privates, you'll see a math teacher, a science teacher etc. If they are specializing they can spend more time coming up with exciting and interesting things to do. In addition, they aren't forced to march to the the county level prescribed worksheet stuff.

I have a kindergartener in MCPS and they have not gotten any report cards yet (they only get 2/year unlike older kids.) Nor have they done any standardized testing. I'm sure OP is volunteering precisely for the purposes of ascertaining where her daughter stands in the fierce academic pecking order of K, but it's a pointless effort. Anyone who has older kids knows how much changes in these first few years of schooling, and many of the kids who may seem to be "at the bottom of the class" (!) in K wind up in a very different place by grades 3 or 4, much less when it matters in HS.

To the point of her post - yes, K spends a lot of time on socialization and teaching kids the rules of the institution. You may not like it OP, but if you were teaching a classroom of 5/6yos - whether it's 18 or 28 of them - it's essential that they learn to operate within the classroom setting, which is quite different than a home setting and most private preschools.

So OP, stop worrying about where your child ranks - you are the one who is turning her into a robot, not the school system.

They also do a lot of standardized testing and some teachers will give you a sense of where your child scored relative to his/her peers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am a parent of a kindergartener who is doing very well and is at the top the class but feel like there's something missing in the school day. I felt like there was a lot of joy and wonder in DC's day in preschool but that MCPS is all about discipline, rules and doing things the "right" way.
Does anyone else feel the same way?
Are there any private schools in the area with a more creative approach to early elementary and that are affordable?

Are they ranking kids in kindergarten now????

Wait until you see how much more is expected in first grade...seriously though, each year brings heightened expectations relaying c to self control and understanding that there is a time and a place for all different kinds of behavior. Perhaps you have a firmer teacher t Han most, but they are all working to help kids be able to succeed when they step up again to the next grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am a parent of a kindergartener who is doing very well and is at the top the class but feel like there's something missing in the school day. I felt like there was a lot of joy and wonder in DC's day in preschool but that MCPS is all about discipline, rules and doing things the "right" way.
Does anyone else feel the same way?
Are there any private schools in the area with a more creative approach to early elementary and that are affordable?

Go on the private school page and they will direct you to all options. County schools teach for standardized testing only. B O R I N G!!!!!

That may be true for your child's school. It is not true for my children's schools.

Can you enlighten me on the school that doesn't teach in a highly structured curriculum that is set to work on test scores? Your school is allowed to teach outside of the box?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am a parent of a kindergartener who is doing very well and is at the top the class but feel like there's something missing in the school day. I felt like there was a lot of joy and wonder in DC's day in preschool but that MCPS is all about discipline, rules and doing things the "right" way.
Does anyone else feel the same way?
Are there any private schools in the area with a more creative approach to early elementary and that are affordable?

Go on the private school page and they will direct you to all options. County schools teach for standardized testing only. B O R I N G!!!!!

That may be true for your child's school. It is not true for my children's schools.

Anonymous wrote:Am a parent of a kindergartener who is doing very well and is at the top the class but feel like there's something missing in the school day. I felt like there was a lot of joy and wonder in DC's day in preschool but that MCPS is all about discipline, rules and doing things the "right" way.
Does anyone else feel the same way?
Are there any private schools in the area with a more creative approach to early elementary and that are affordable?

Go on the private school page and they will direct you to all options. County schools teach for standardized testing only. B O R I N G!!!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am a parent of a kindergartener who is doing very well and is at the top the class but feel like there's something missing in the school day. I felt like there was a lot of joy and wonder in DC's day in preschool but that MCPS is all about discipline, rules and doing things the "right" way.
Does anyone else feel the same way?
Are there any private schools in the area with a more creative approach to early elementary and that are affordable?

Are they ranking kids in kindergarten now????

Not the PP but there are reading group levels and if you volunteer it takes you 1-2x times to see where your child is compared to others. And if ey get all P's.

My dd's teacher told me point blank at conference my childs in the highest reading group. I didn't even ask or question.

Anonymous wrote:Am a parent of a kindergartener who is doing very well and is at the top the class but feel like there's something missing in the school day. I felt like there was a lot of joy and wonder in DC's day in preschool but that MCPS is all about discipline, rules and doing things the "right" way.
Does anyone else feel the same way?
Are there any private schools in the area with a more creative approach to early elementary and that are affordable?

Are they ranking kids in kindergarten now????

Rules and structure is a good foundation for taking more responsibility. Imagine a class of 25 kids where there are no rules and structure. There probably is less joy and wonder because there is a curriculum, but a good teacher should be able to provide it in an engaging way.

Anonymous wrote:Am a parent of a kindergartener who is doing very well and is at the top the class but feel like there's something missing in the school day. I felt like there was a lot of joy and wonder in DC's day in preschool but that MCPS is all about discipline, rules and doing things the "right" way.
Does anyone else feel the same way?
Are there any private schools in the area with a more creative approach to early elementary and that are affordable?

I did not feel this way at all. Maybe it's your child's kindergarten teacher? Maybe it's the tone your child's principal sets? I think it would be good to think about both of those things before generalizing from half a year in one kindergarten class to all of MCPS.

Most public schools are structured. It's not daycare/preschool anymore. Look into Montessori.

Am a parent of a kindergartener who is doing very well and is at the top the class but feel like there's something missing in the school day. I felt like there was a lot of joy and wonder in DC's day in preschool but that MCPS is all about discipline, rules and doing things the "right" way.
Does anyone else feel the same way?
Are there any private schools in the area with a more creative approach to early elementary and that are affordable?