Re: [unschoolingbasics] RE: prek experiance and the end result
[email protected]
Once again I have to say I'm no expert in this feild, BUT.....My 3rd son was
in a preschool similar to the one it sounds like your stepson is in. They
went so far as to tell me before he left for K that he would not be accepted
due to the fact that he didn't know his alphabet backwards, forwards, and
unside down. ok, it those weren't their words, but what I am trying to say is
they expected way too much out of him. And he was only 4! When he went to K
screening, he blew them away with what he knew. I think these people that run
some of the preschools push and push to make themselves look good to attract
more customers.
Now, at this point, he is 6. He would not sit down to workbooks or
writing (this was before we found unschooling!) and now i've absolutly stopped
pushing him. His absolute favorite thing is to be read to. I do that whenever
he wants and especially at bedtime, he just loves it so much. But, I've
noticed over the last few months that he won't even try to answer questions
sometimes, and i've come to the conculsion that he was pushed so hard in prek that
now he has a fear of having a wrong answer. This is the honest to God truth.
He is just not starting to ask tons of questions that other kids would have
started doing a long time ago, and thats not to compare him to anyone else,
but being my 3rd I pretty much realize when they start doing this. So its
taken almost a year to deschool him from something so innocent as prek. Oh if
I could only go back and do it differently I would.
Why does anyone expect a 4year old to read? Sure, there are alot of them,
especially girls, that DO read by then, and alot of them seemingly on their
own. But boys have a way different makeup then girls. Why would he even
need to ability to write at 4? (and i'm questioning all 4 year olds, i'm not
attacking you!)
My strongest advice to you from somone who has been there is to stop
pushing, read on child development, especially good is John Holt, and then ask the
prek what and why they are expecting so much out of someone who has only
been in this world for 4 years!
Syndi (still mad at myself for mine being in prek)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
in a preschool similar to the one it sounds like your stepson is in. They
went so far as to tell me before he left for K that he would not be accepted
due to the fact that he didn't know his alphabet backwards, forwards, and
unside down. ok, it those weren't their words, but what I am trying to say is
they expected way too much out of him. And he was only 4! When he went to K
screening, he blew them away with what he knew. I think these people that run
some of the preschools push and push to make themselves look good to attract
more customers.
Now, at this point, he is 6. He would not sit down to workbooks or
writing (this was before we found unschooling!) and now i've absolutly stopped
pushing him. His absolute favorite thing is to be read to. I do that whenever
he wants and especially at bedtime, he just loves it so much. But, I've
noticed over the last few months that he won't even try to answer questions
sometimes, and i've come to the conculsion that he was pushed so hard in prek that
now he has a fear of having a wrong answer. This is the honest to God truth.
He is just not starting to ask tons of questions that other kids would have
started doing a long time ago, and thats not to compare him to anyone else,
but being my 3rd I pretty much realize when they start doing this. So its
taken almost a year to deschool him from something so innocent as prek. Oh if
I could only go back and do it differently I would.
Why does anyone expect a 4year old to read? Sure, there are alot of them,
especially girls, that DO read by then, and alot of them seemingly on their
own. But boys have a way different makeup then girls. Why would he even
need to ability to write at 4? (and i'm questioning all 4 year olds, i'm not
attacking you!)
My strongest advice to you from somone who has been there is to stop
pushing, read on child development, especially good is John Holt, and then ask the
prek what and why they are expecting so much out of someone who has only
been in this world for 4 years!
Syndi (still mad at myself for mine being in prek)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
G&M Contracting Inc., Kenneth Gillilan
>>I think these people that runsome of the preschools push and push to make themselves look good to
attract
more customers>>>
I was a an owner/preschool teacher in what feels like my past life and I
can tell you from experience that the main cause of such strict curriculum
is the parents themselves and the kindergarten teachers. I was happy with
learning through play, but after hearing the majority of parents demanding a
better education for their children or they were going to move them to the
stricter place down the road you almost begin to feel forced in to it. I
ended up expected way too much from those kids and started hating my job.
Now I stay home with my kids and Unschool.
FYI a great majority of the kids I took care of ended up burning out at
school and staying back a grade. Most were also in special ed. classes,
because they had a hard time focusing on their work. I feel terrible about
letting those parents convince me that it was good to push their kids. I'm
glad I'm out of that business.
AnnMarie
-----Original Message-----
From: Onesnotenough@... [mailto:Onesnotenough@...]
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 1:29 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [unschoolingbasics] RE: prek experiance and the end result
Once again I have to say I'm no expert in this feild, BUT.....My 3rd son
was
in a preschool similar to the one it sounds like your stepson is in.
They
went so far as to tell me before he left for K that he would not be
accepted
due to the fact that he didn't know his alphabet backwards, forwards, and
unside down. ok, it those weren't their words, but what I am trying to
say is
they expected way too much out of him. And he was only 4! When he went
to K
screening, he blew them away with what he knew. I think these people
that run
some of the preschools push and push to make themselves look good to
attract
more customers.
Now, at this point, he is 6. He would not sit down to workbooks or
writing (this was before we found unschooling!) and now i've absolutly
stopped
pushing him. His absolute favorite thing is to be read to. I do that
whenever
he wants and especially at bedtime, he just loves it so much. But, I've
noticed over the last few months that he won't even try to answer
questions
sometimes, and i've come to the conculsion that he was pushed so hard in
prek that
now he has a fear of having a wrong answer. This is the honest to God
truth.
He is just not starting to ask tons of questions that other kids would
have
started doing a long time ago, and thats not to compare him to anyone
else,
but being my 3rd I pretty much realize when they start doing this. So
its
taken almost a year to deschool him from something so innocent as prek.
Oh if
I could only go back and do it differently I would.
Why does anyone expect a 4year old to read? Sure, there are alot of
them,
especially girls, that DO read by then, and alot of them seemingly on
their
own. But boys have a way different makeup then girls. Why would he even
need to ability to write at 4? (and i'm questioning all 4 year olds, i'm
not
attacking you!)
My strongest advice to you from somone who has been there is to stop
pushing, read on child development, especially good is John Holt, and then
ask the
prek what and why they are expecting so much out of someone who has only
been in this world for 4 years!
Syndi (still mad at myself for mine being in prek)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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[email protected]
We live and we learn. I just remembered a bit ago that they left my sons
shoes untied, because he wouldn't (couldn't) learn to tie them, at 4. ERRRRRR!
syndi
"...since we can't know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it
is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn
out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able
to learn whatever needs to be learned."
-- _John Holt_ (http://www.quoteworld.org/author.php?thetext=John+Holt)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
shoes untied, because he wouldn't (couldn't) learn to tie them, at 4. ERRRRRR!
syndi
"...since we can't know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it
is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn
out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able
to learn whatever needs to be learned."
-- _John Holt_ (http://www.quoteworld.org/author.php?thetext=John+Holt)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]