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Teacher asks child to repeat kindergarten, Please help
Hi,
My child is going to kindergarten in Cobb county , Georgia USA. I have a feeling that the teacher is going to ask or recommend us to get the kindergraten repeated. Can anyone tell me whether its upto the teacher only or Parents have a say whether your kids go to 1st grade or not. My observation is that teacher is not very friendly with the kids and that is pritty much what my child thinks but has never complained for the teacher. She turned 5 yrs, 2 weeks before cut off date which is September here in Georgia. Teacher informed us that she is having lots of problems moving from one task to another but she is young. I dont see any benefit of repeating the kindergarten for social skills which i think she will pick up anyway as she grows. At this late stage of kindergarten i dont see any point requesting change of class. Even otherwise, the teacher is expecting lot of work done in the class compared to other kindergarten clases which is a good thing. We switched school and in the previous school we were told that she is ready for 1st grade just after few months in the school. She is always excited to go to school and i think she is pritty well mixed up with the kids. And she seems quite upset when i told her that you might have to stay in kindergarten, I have a feeling it will have only negative impact if she repeats kindergarten and all the kids in her class move to 1st grade. I have seen she is doing quite well in the reading,math etc and i have stopped teaching more advance things thinking it will put too much pressure on her when its not really needed for KG or even 1st grade curriculum. Please give your opinion... Thanks galbo |
#2
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Teacher asks child to repeat kindergarten, Please help
"Galbo" wrote in message om... I have a feeling that the teacher is going to ask or recommend us to get the kindergraten repeated. Can anyone tell me whether its upto the teacher only or Parents have a say whether your kids go to 1st grade or not. My observation is that teacher is not very friendly with the kids and that is pritty much what my child thinks but has never complained for the teacher. It's been a long time, so this may not apply. My teacher recommended I repeat kindergarten. I would have to say, of the many teachers I've had over the years, she is the only one I would qualify as racist. I never told my parents what she would do to me in class, but maybe they sensed it. My dad did not take her recommendation and I did just fine in elementary school, often the top of my class. Ask her the reasons she thinks your daughter should repeat and judge for yourself. |
#3
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Teacher asks child to repeat kindergarten, Please help
In article ,
Galbo wrote: My child is going to kindergarten in Cobb county , Georgia USA. I have a feeling that the teacher is going to ask or recommend us to get the kindergraten repeated. Can anyone tell me whether its upto the teacher only or Parents have a say whether your kids go to 1st grade or not. My observation is that teacher is not very friendly with the kids and that is pritty much what my child thinks but has never complained for the teacher. She turned 5 yrs, 2 weeks before cut off date which is September here in Georgia. Teacher informed us that she is having lots of problems moving from one task to another but she is young. I dont see any benefit of repeating the kindergarten for social skills which i think she will pick up anyway as she grows. At this late stage of kindergarten i dont see any point requesting change of class. Even otherwise, the teacher is expecting lot of work done in the class compared to other kindergarten clases which is a good thing. We switched school and in the previous school we were told that she is ready for 1st grade just after few months in the school. She is always excited to go to school and i think she is pritty well mixed up with the kids. And she seems quite upset when i told her that you might have to stay in kindergarten, I have a feeling it will have only negative impact if she repeats kindergarten and all the kids in her class move to 1st grade. I have seen she is doing quite well in the reading,math etc and i have stopped teaching more advance things thinking it will put too much pressure on her when its not really needed for KG or even 1st grade curriculum. I don't think that there is enough information in this message to give an informed opinion about whether your daughter is ready for first grade or not. You might want to ask the teacher point-blank for an assessment of her readiness for first-grade. If she tells you that your daughter should repeat kindergarten, you should go to the principal and ask for an independent assessment. If I were you, I would NOT stop teaching at home. In many cases, the stuff kids learn at home is essential, as the schools fall down on one thing or another. (Around here , they seem to fall down on science education---almost all the kids I've met through science fairs and such have gotten their science education from their parents, not from the schools.) If there are specific skills that your daughter lacks (or which the teacher perceives your daughter lacks---not quite the same thing), you could work on those skills with your daughter. For example, if it is sitting still, or remaining focused on a task, or using scissors, or holding a pencil, or raising her hand to ask a question, or counting, or recognizing letters and sight words, then you could make up games or activities at home that would develop that skill. Find out from the teacher what skills she feels your daughter needs most, and work on them. If the teacher has certain pet peeves, you can often turn her whole attitude around by addressing one or two minor aspects of your child's behavior. -- Kevin Karplus http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/~karplus life member (LAB, Adventure Cycling, American Youth Hostels) Effective Cycling Instructor #218-ck (lapsed) Professor of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz Undergraduate and Graduate Director, Bioinformatics Affiliations for identification only. |
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Teacher asks child to repeat kindergarten, Please help
"Galbo" wrote in message
om... I have a feeling that the teacher is going to ask or recommend us to get the kindergraten repeated. Can anyone tell me whether its upto the teacher only or Parents have a say whether your kids go to 1st grade or not. snip Please give your opinion... Retention is usually not considered if the child is working up to grade. I think before you waste another single minute worrying about this, you should ask the teacher if s/he is actually considering retention. If your child is doing well with reading, spelling, etc., then why would s/he? Best, Ann |
#5
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Teacher asks child to repeat kindergarten, Please help
"Galbo" wrote in message om... Hi, My child is going to kindergarten in Cobb county , Georgia USA. I have a feeling that the teacher is going to ask or recommend us to get the kindergraten repeated. Can anyone tell me whether its upto the teacher only or Parents have a say whether your kids go to 1st grade or not. ..... In my district, until 3rd grade it is totally the parent's decision. The school can recommend, but the parent has the choice. Thanks galbo |
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Teacher asks child to repeat kindergarten, Please help
My daughter was born two weeks after the cut-off date, so we waited until
she was almost six to put her in kindergarten. That was fine, but in first grade she was very bored, so we moved her to a second grade class, where she did just fine, and has ever since. "Kevin Karplus" wrote If I were you, I would NOT stop teaching at home. In many cases, the stuff kids learn at home is essential, as the schools fall down on one thing or another. (Around here , they seem to fall down on science education---almost all the kids I've met through science fairs and such have gotten their science education from their parents, not from the schools.) I'd agree with what Kevin has said here. If both you and she enjoy the learning you do together, then by all means continue. I remember my mother was scolded, when I was young, by a schoolteacher who said I would be a nusiance to my teachers for having learned to read before I went to school. But I hadn't learned to read at all -- I had only memorized a fair number of books. I'd also go along with the advice to speak to the teacher directly about this. About a quarter of the school year remains, and that's probably enough time to work on any weaknesses she thinks are important. From what you've said, it would seem better to me if your daughter weren't retained for another year. Peggy -- WWSD ***** What Would Samwise Do? |
#7
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Teacher asks child to repeat kindergarten, Please help
In article ,
Galbo wrote: My child is going to kindergarten in Cobb county , Georgia USA. I have a feeling that the teacher is going to ask or recommend us to get the kindergraten repeated. Can anyone tell me whether its upto the teacher only or Parents have a say whether your kids go to 1st grade or not. SNIP Teacher informed us that she is having lots of problems moving from one task to another but she is young. I dont see any benefit of repeating the kindergarten for social skills which i think she will pick up anyway as she grows. SNIP And she seems quite upset when i told her that you might have to stay in kindergarten, I have a feeling it will have only negative impact if she repeats kindergarten and all the kids in her class move to 1st grade. SNIP IMHO, its premature to talk to your daughter about staying in kindergarten until such time as the school talks to you, and a decision is made. Why not approach the teacher and the school about this? I don't think I'd ask flat out if they are considering asking that she be held back (which IMHO would suggest to them that you think its a viable option) but, instead, talk about her progress and what skills, if any, they think that you should work on over the summer to get her ready for first grade. If there is a suggestion that your daughter stay in kindergarten, you should definitely ask to sit down with the teacher, principal and anyone else who was involved in the recommendation to find out why they are making the recommendation and how they believe that it would benefit your daughter. Find out what accomodations would be made for her as a more advanced kindergartener. Ask about what percentage of kids born at her time of year are held back, and what percentage this teacher holds back (providing additional information to you about whether this was an individual decision based on your child vs. knee jerk she's-young-hold-her-back). Find out what your rights are. Withhold your own judgment until they present all of the information to you. Its entirely possible that the school will provide some information or insight that you did not know about. If there are social issues, I do urge you to give them more consideration than *she'll pick that up* I myself was a younger kindergartener, and my parents asked that I be held back for social reasons; the school refused. While I was consistently the most advanced student intellectually, school life was social hell; I was simply at the social and maturity level of the younger kids, and was never able to catch up or cope. That's obviously not a universal truth. You have to look at your daughter, and think about to whom she would relate best. We know any number of children who attended kindergarten or started a year late for a plethora of reasons (including the fact that public and private school deadlines differ here, so many fall babies attend public K one year, and private the next, both times in the "right" grade). When presented positively by the parents, none seem to suffer ill effects. Best of luck. Barbara |
#8
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Teacher asks child to repeat kindergarten, Please help
Here in Toronto, the cutoff for age is as of Dec 31, so my middle
child, born on December 25th, was the youngest in his class when he started in kindergarten (a 2 year program here, for 4 and 5 year olds, which mean he was 3 and 4 years old respectively starting off the school year in September). He has always been extremely young for his age and poorly coordinated and on top of that, had a learning disability that resulted in some behavioural challenges (he has a non-verbal learning disability, and has all kinds of over the top reactions to sensory stuff). He finished two years of kindergarten and was not ready for grade 1, but the school thought it would be better for him to be in a more structured all day program rather than another year in kindergarten. He started getting a lot of extra help, but it was clear by Christmas that he was in trouble (i.e. here the grade 2 curriculum is a quantum leap from grade 1, and there was no way he could have coped). So, we had him stay in Grade 1 for another year, and he continued to get intensive help with reading etc. The school was somewhat stunned that we wanted him held back, but quite honestly, it was absolutely the right thing to do for this particular child. It was invisible to his peers because our small school has many split grades, and he was so young, so there was no stigma. It was the only time it could have been done so invisibly. He got another year to mature, and arrived in Grade 2 really ready. He still gets some limited extra help, but he's in Grade 4 now, and holding his own very well - and I heart and soul think he would have been in big, big trouble without the gift of that extra year to catch up developmentally. I'm not saying this is your son's situation, but sometimes kids really AREN'T ready and personally I think being pushed ahead when they are still so young without the skill base and the maturity there can result in a lot of emotional issues, and the kid getting the idea he's a failure or stupid (i.e. the kid gets stressed, depressed, starts acting out, hates school, doesn't want to try etc.). I think you should have an open minded talk with the teacher about your son's situation, and involve other educational professionals as appropriate (i.e. have him assessed by someone else, if you don't trust this particular teacher). Mary G. |
#9
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Teacher asks child to repeat kindergarten, Please help
Galbo wrote:
She turned 5 yrs, 2 weeks before cut off date which is September here in Georgia. Teacher informed us that she is having lots of problems moving from one task to another but she is young. I dont see any benefit of repeating the kindergarten for social skills which i think she will pick up anyway as she grows. Depends on what you mean by social. I tend to think that the whole "maturity" thing can be a bit overblown, and yes, children will grow, but 1st grade is very different from kindergarten, in my experience. Much more academic, higher expectations of self control, etc. Could it be that her problems with transitions are such that she would have trouble in the more structured environment that she is likely to find in 1st grade? And whether it's entirely teacher decision or parent input will depend on your state or county. Lesley |
#10
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Teacher asks child to repeat kindergarten, Please help
In article NN74c.10144$i76.153861@attbi_s03,
toypup wrote: "Galbo" wrote in message . com... I have a feeling that the teacher is going to ask or recommend us to get the kindergraten repeated. Can anyone tell me whether its upto the teacher only or Parents have a say whether your kids go to 1st grade or not. My observation is that teacher is not very friendly with the kids and that is pritty much what my child thinks but has never complained for the teacher. It's been a long time, so this may not apply. My teacher recommended I repeat kindergarten. I would have to say, of the many teachers I've had over the years, she is the only one I would qualify as racist. I never told my parents what she would do to me in class, but maybe they sensed it. My dad did not take her recommendation and I did just fine in elementary school, often the top of my class. Ask her the reasons she thinks your daughter should repeat and judge for yourself. Unless the reason is lack of mental ability, there is NO reason not to go on. School should be for learning, not for socializing. -- This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558 |
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