Early entrance to kindergarten May 12, 2008

Today we had a visitor.  It’s a common occurrence in my classroom, only today, our visitor was four years old.  We’ll call him Charley.  Charley’s dad brought him to school so that I could watch him play in my room for an hour, and evaluate whether or not he will be okay to enter kindergarten in the fall, even though he won’t be five by the cutoff date.

It’s a new system, instituted last year, that works better than the old system.  The old system was that parents begged the principal, and the principal said yes or no depending on their gut, or their mood.  It was very inconsistent and unfair, so the early childhood department came up with a procedure that all schools are supposed to follow. 

So now, in the spring, I have small visitors who come and work in my room with my students, and I observe them and fill out an observation form.  If they get enough points, they pass, and they can come to K in the fall.

I have mixed feelings about this.  On the one hand, I’m glad that the early childhood dept. got involved, and that they came up with a consistent procedure.  On the other hand, I think it is still a bit too lenient.  I think many of the parents who want their child to get early admittance to K are really thinking about the full-day aspect, and not having to pay for daycare in the afternoon (if their kids are instead sent to a pre-K classroom like mine).

Also, it’s a grade skip.  Starting kindergarten a full year before you’re supposed to is a grade skip, and I think it should only be for the kids who are clearly advanced academically, socially, and emotionally.  Besides, don’t a lot of experts say that boys tend to mature more slowly at that age, and shouldn’t be pushed ahead?

Hoagie’s Gifted page has a bunch of articles on the topic, as does this article from the ERIC Clearinghouse.

Charley did fine.  He was quite reserved, but he separated from his dad readily, and did respond when spoken to.  He followed directions, paid attention to what was going on around him, and followed our routines.  He had fun playing in sand, and even got along with our Miss L. — that is, until she hit him and had to leave the sand table.  I talked to his dad, who said that they just moved here from another state, where the cutoff is different, and where, had he stayed, he’d be going to kindergarten in the fall automatically.  Also, he knows his letters and sounds and is starting to learn how to read.

I’d be interested in hearing what other people think.

Boys, boys, boys May 6, 2008

A few months ago, while at a lesson waiting on my kid, I started chatting with another parent. He told me all about his son’s ADHD, and commented that “women teachers just don’t know how to teach boys.”

I’ve been thinking about that ever since. A few years ago, I had a four year old boy and a seven year old boy at home, and at school I had fourteen four year old boys in my class, plus three girls.

One of the girls had special needs and was in her own delightful universe, one was from Vietnam and barely spoke English (although she was smart as a whip and learned quickly), and one was a charming, utterly normal African American girl who was flummoxed by her limited choice in playmates, but managed well anyway. The three of them played house while all around them, blocks crashed and lego robot spaceships said “pyoo! pyoo!”

My life was dominated by boys. And it was great.

Two of the boys met each other at the open house, and proceeded to run around the room flying a red airplane. When I tried to talk to them about running, they were so kinetic they basically couldn’t make eye contact with me. And they were typical of the class. But within two months, I had squeezed the life out of them. No, just kidding. (Seriously, just kidding!) Actually, in the stability and predictability of my routine-driven classroom, all the boys calmed down. Some of the mothers were astonished by the change in their sons, and I was delighted.

By the end of the year, most of the boys in my class could read at a kindergarten level, and they dominated the house corner. Lego robot spaceships continued to take over the world. (The girls moved to the block corner and built houses and farms.)

In solidarity with my younger self, I love teaching the girls. But I tell you, I really really love teaching the boys.