Parenting Toddlers (1-3) Support Group
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This article is precisely why I am withdrawing my daughter (my oldest) from the school she is in right now. It is indeed a public school, but with a gifted magnet. My daughter is (or rather, was) in this particular magnet and it has been a horrifying experience. She is both smart and savvy, but not what I would call 'gifted'. In fact, none of these kids that are in this much-coveted gifted and high ability magnet seem particularly 'gifted' to me.
And the parents, oh god, the parents in this school...make me want to wield a machete.
What I do know is that last year's second grade class was the pinnacle of all hell. My daughter is seven, nearly eight, and the amount of homework and stress she brought home for this age was both angering and sad. She managed through it, did her homework, did well on tests, got good grades, but at the expense of the joys of childhood. There were some nights when homework lasted literally from 4pm until 9pm.
And anyone who knows the public school system here, knows that even the magnet programs don't have enough funding for things that we as children took for granted in the public system such as PE, music, art, computers.
As of the second week of September, my daughter will be leaving this school, this school that has an enormous waiting-list for children whose parents believe they are extraordinary, and going to a private school, that has a reputation for academic excellence, but also understands that children should get to enjoy other things in life as well.
Someone else can take Jaquelin's vacant seat in the magnet.
We gladly give it up.
You get to be a child once...why stress at age 7? There is plenty of time in adulthood, actually, stress probably starting in high school, that this age should be enjoyed for all that is has to offer.
Here's the article:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/08/27/gifted.kids/index.html
And the parents, oh god, the parents in this school...make me want to wield a machete.
What I do know is that last year's second grade class was the pinnacle of all hell. My daughter is seven, nearly eight, and the amount of homework and stress she brought home for this age was both angering and sad. She managed through it, did her homework, did well on tests, got good grades, but at the expense of the joys of childhood. There were some nights when homework lasted literally from 4pm until 9pm.
And anyone who knows the public school system here, knows that even the magnet programs don't have enough funding for things that we as children took for granted in the public system such as PE, music, art, computers.
As of the second week of September, my daughter will be leaving this school, this school that has an enormous waiting-list for children whose parents believe they are extraordinary, and going to a private school, that has a reputation for academic excellence, but also understands that children should get to enjoy other things in life as well.
Someone else can take Jaquelin's vacant seat in the magnet.
We gladly give it up.
You get to be a child once...why stress at age 7? There is plenty of time in adulthood, actually, stress probably starting in high school, that this age should be enjoyed for all that is has to offer.
Here's the article:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/08/27/gifted.kids/index.html
While school was a lot different when we were attending, I think that we all came out fine and there wasn't the amount of homework and pressure that is put on the kids of today.
They are only young once and need to be kids. Age will catch up with them all too soon and there is no reason to make them grow up too soon.
"Sure Jimmy, you can spin around all day with your eyes closed if you feel like it today..."
I'm a big advocate of academic excellence and discipline in studies, but this particular magnet was way over the proverbial top. There were children in this class labeled as 'gifted' that were failing and their parents refused to take them out of the magnet because
they couldn't fathom that it was their child's fault that they were not passing. We parents are biased. If we think our child is awesome, then dammit, our child IS and no one can tell us otherwise. (At least for the delusional ones).
Amazingly, once a child is put in the gifted magnet here (or at this particular school), the teacher can make suggestions to the parent that the child is not making the standard and it is ultimately up to the PARENT to decide whether the child stays in the magnet or not.
If I were that parent, and saw my child struggling, I would most certainly take him / her out. Self-esteem is more important than the damn gifted magnet and these people can't see that.
I was fortunate that Jaquelin was doing well, but was just not happy. She's smart, but she doesn't have that yearn to sit down in front of a pile of homework and spend 3 hours with it until the sun goes down and there is no more time in the day for anything else.
At her new school she will have a great learning environment, academically-based, but also have the ability to do extracurriculars and have a decent amount of humanities throughout the day as well.
I will worry about her having a rigorous schedule in the latter part of middle school and high school when college choices begin to count.
Right now, it is important for her to be both academically challenged AND happy.
Or maybe I'm wrong, I don't know.
1) To love school.
2) To learn to play with other kids (his an only so far, so hard to learn at home)
3) To learn to listen to an adult besides mom and dad.
I really don't care about numbers, letters, and colors. I can teach him that. I don't need to send him to school for that. The preschool he is in will not determine what college he gets into. But if he learns those 3 things school will be a lot more fun when he gets to it. Did you see the parenting article about parents hiring tutors for their preschoolers? 4 year olds doing 2 digit math. It was insane.
Schools today are too focused on test scores and have to be because of "no child left behind". I know a lot of teachers who really hate that program. It would have helped if the program requirements had come along with some money to actually help the schools instead of budget cuts.
My problem with this is two-fold: Firstly, the bright kids or even the average ones are disadvantaged because the lowest sets the norm. Secondly, the child who "does not achieve" will learn about failure eventually, as we all do, and I think it is a lesson better learnt sooner than later.
i think that you are absolutely right to opt out of the whole competitive thing though - I don't believe that children should ever be pushed that hard.