I have to ask...
and please be honest with your responses.
I use Facebook, which can be a fun thing and a really bad thing all at the same time. I love it for connecting with old friends, new friends and current friends, but I hate it for how nosy some people are, I think its odd when people have long, back and forth personal conversations that once upon a time, you used to share via emails! Yeah. Enough on that subject.
Anyway, Ethan is starting Kindergarten in a couple weeks and I've posted about it a few times in the past 3 months. Each time I post about it, I get these very odd comments back, insinuating that its impossible for him to do Kindergarten before he's 5 years old. Like at the age of 5 you magically become smart enough and ready. I was curious, so I drove down to a local elementary school a few weeks ago and said "if my son is 4 1/2 and I wanted him to start school this year, would you let him?" Their answer?... "Yes!" Amazing.
So now I'm really curious why so many of my FB friends seem to think its "impossible" and "unheard of" to have him start 5 months before he turns 5.
Then I get the underline feeling that they all think I'm rushing him. Haha! I seriously have to laugh. I am in no hurry for Ethan to be the smartest kid in the class, get ahead or run off to college when he's 12. No hurry at all. My kids will each be encouraged to thoroughly enjoy their childhoods and embrace being young and free. We are not crazy into sports like so many in our culture and are very excited to let them be young and carefree (without such a hectic daily schedule to keep) as long as possible. When they want to start playing in sports, taking extra classes in areas they enjoy, they will ask and we will let them. Life passes too quickly and all that stuff will bombard them eventually. I'm just not a fan of kids growing up before they should and have seen it backfire in adulthood way too many times.
Ethan has been realizing, from watching us read to him, that when you take single letters and put each sound together, they make words! He just gets it. He sits in the car and studies words outside the car and begins correctly reading what he's seeing. A few weeks ago I said something like "No, buddy... I had 3 of them but Rache took one so now I have 2." He stared at me for a long time and then came over and said "So if I had 5 and I lost 2 then I have 3?" Wow.
Since then he's been having fun with adding and subtracting everywhere we go.
That said... I'm still curious why it seems like in the year 2009, going to Kindergarden 5 months before you turn 5 is so weird to so many people. I was 4 1/2, Jason was 4 1/2 and several other adults I know were 4 1/2, a couple were even 4.
Didn't realize I was breaking any laws :)
I did notice one thing - all the people that have made comments were public school kids. So now I'm wondering if its just not what their schools did, but being home schooled I always got to see my Mom do what was best for each one of us, individually and not as a group of 15+ kids.
I did go to public school Kindergarten, but 1st grade on, was home schooled.
I had to laugh last night because lately I see all these commercials about "send your child to pre-school or he/she won't do well in college" But then people hear your son is starting Kindergarden 5 months before he turns 5 and they all begin to freak out -- what?
Anyway, I was really curious and wanted to know what you all thought.
I use Facebook, which can be a fun thing and a really bad thing all at the same time. I love it for connecting with old friends, new friends and current friends, but I hate it for how nosy some people are, I think its odd when people have long, back and forth personal conversations that once upon a time, you used to share via emails! Yeah. Enough on that subject.
Anyway, Ethan is starting Kindergarten in a couple weeks and I've posted about it a few times in the past 3 months. Each time I post about it, I get these very odd comments back, insinuating that its impossible for him to do Kindergarten before he's 5 years old. Like at the age of 5 you magically become smart enough and ready. I was curious, so I drove down to a local elementary school a few weeks ago and said "if my son is 4 1/2 and I wanted him to start school this year, would you let him?" Their answer?... "Yes!" Amazing.
So now I'm really curious why so many of my FB friends seem to think its "impossible" and "unheard of" to have him start 5 months before he turns 5.
Then I get the underline feeling that they all think I'm rushing him. Haha! I seriously have to laugh. I am in no hurry for Ethan to be the smartest kid in the class, get ahead or run off to college when he's 12. No hurry at all. My kids will each be encouraged to thoroughly enjoy their childhoods and embrace being young and free. We are not crazy into sports like so many in our culture and are very excited to let them be young and carefree (without such a hectic daily schedule to keep) as long as possible. When they want to start playing in sports, taking extra classes in areas they enjoy, they will ask and we will let them. Life passes too quickly and all that stuff will bombard them eventually. I'm just not a fan of kids growing up before they should and have seen it backfire in adulthood way too many times.
Ethan has been realizing, from watching us read to him, that when you take single letters and put each sound together, they make words! He just gets it. He sits in the car and studies words outside the car and begins correctly reading what he's seeing. A few weeks ago I said something like "No, buddy... I had 3 of them but Rache took one so now I have 2." He stared at me for a long time and then came over and said "So if I had 5 and I lost 2 then I have 3?" Wow.
Since then he's been having fun with adding and subtracting everywhere we go.
That said... I'm still curious why it seems like in the year 2009, going to Kindergarden 5 months before you turn 5 is so weird to so many people. I was 4 1/2, Jason was 4 1/2 and several other adults I know were 4 1/2, a couple were even 4.
Didn't realize I was breaking any laws :)
I did notice one thing - all the people that have made comments were public school kids. So now I'm wondering if its just not what their schools did, but being home schooled I always got to see my Mom do what was best for each one of us, individually and not as a group of 15+ kids.
I did go to public school Kindergarten, but 1st grade on, was home schooled.
I had to laugh last night because lately I see all these commercials about "send your child to pre-school or he/she won't do well in college" But then people hear your son is starting Kindergarden 5 months before he turns 5 and they all begin to freak out -- what?
Anyway, I was really curious and wanted to know what you all thought.
Comments
She said that the reason there is a "law" set into place, is just to help them keep control over their schools.
She pointed out, however, that with homeschool you can pretty much do whatever you want. Oh, the joy. :)
She said that you can have them tested yearly, to make sure they're keeping up with school kids. She said they used to allow 4 1/2 year olds, even 4 year olds to start Kindergarten, but it got to be too overwhelming and they had several law suits due to turning away some and not others. So the law was set into place.
Anyways...
I've seen the same thing you're talking about (maturity wise) when we do things like VBS at our church. Its so obvious when a child is just way too young to be in a certain class. I have no idea how Ethan would do in an actual Kindergarten class... most of his friends are 5-7 years old and we don't notice a difference with him and the 5 year olds, but who knows.
I just friended you on FB :)
I am pretty sure that here in Sac that you would need to be 5 by December in order to start Kindergarten. If you are homeschooling, I don't think it really matters. You can tailor his education to meet his individual needs. I would venture to say that Rachel will probably be ready to start Kindergarten next year. She will want to keep up with her brother. She would be starting TEN months early. Gasp!!! :)
You are doing what is right for your family. That is all that counts :)
I really want my kids to enjoy school and desire to learn more. I'm sure I'll make plenty of mistakes along the way, but hopefully it will be a learning process for all of us :)
Here, I looked it up: General Rules found here: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/em/kinderinfo.asp
Private School Considerations: Private schools do not necessarily operate under the same requirements as public schools, but representatives of the California Association of Private Schools Organizations (CAPSO) indicate many private schools do follow Education Code sections referenced in this document. If children have been admitted as three- or four-year olds to private school kindergarten, it is their parents'/guardian's responsibility to monitor their children's emotional and physical responses to the accelerated curriculum.
On the second issue, I laugh too. We do not challenge - let me correct - expect enough from our kids anymore. Think of the Hebrew children tradition. They have the Torah memorized by 12. And we teach our kids "dumbed down" versions of Bible verses bc we don't think they will be able to do it. A book I found interesting is "Do Hard Things". It was written by teenage brothers to encourage other teenagers - so it addresses the so-called teenage years, not quite where you are at, but still, they had some valid points.
I don't have my kids in a 'grade', we just plug along at their pace. So they are all over the place...my 9 year old might be doing 5th grade math but 3rd grade grammar. But I do tell them what grade they are in based on their age, so that they can tell the nice cashier lady in the store who asks.
You are doing a great job, Stef! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
I definitely think that if you were putting him in public school there would be different issues. Usually it involves emotional maturity. I don't know Ethan so he might have been up for that too.
I'm doing little kindergarten things with my 4 1/2 year old because I see that she is capable.
One thing another homeschool mom told me about teaching kindergarten is make is FUN!!! I really took that to heart and made that more of my focus than book learning. It set the tone for the other years I noticed.
Can't wait to hear how your homeschooling year goes. We are having a blast with ours!!!
We are using Heart of Dakota...awesome! Check it out!