Schoolfamily.com - Helping parents help their kids succeed at school

Comments

1. Posted by - diane davis on Aug. 09, 2009

   I expect my child to learn more and to do better. but as parents we could help our children a lot better. but there are a lot of parents who can not do the homewook the kids do today because they do not know it some of the parents need to be taught.

2. Posted by - connie on Aug. 09, 2009

   i need
   help with my kid in math

3. Posted by - Melissa on Jul. 18, 2009

   I teach K4 and what I do in class Im expected to do to prepare my class for kindergarten the next year. My curriculum to do this is what I remember doing IN kindergarten if not early first grade!! But the kids really do get a grasp of things pretty quickely and every year it seems Im having to bump up the curriculum to challenge a majority of the class. My class I have over the summer and super excited to start learning to read this coming year... they eager to learn to experiment and to discover.

4. Posted by - Azare on Jul. 16, 2009

   I think children now a days learn more cause they work more in groups and back when i was a kid we worked more independitly

5. Posted by - Christine on Jun. 28, 2009

   I believe a lot more is expected of our kindergartners. But, the schools in our area don't seem to over do it. I have one going into second grade and he loves school. When he was in kindergarten he wasn't given homework. Although every few days sight words would be practiced and reading was strongly encouraged. My son has a great attitude towards learning and even with ADHD he has accomplished so much. I do my best to support him and his siblings as I know this is simply to prepare them for the long haul. The sooner the better with our modern technologies. My middle child starts kindergarten this coming school year and I am already excited!!!! Enjoy the summer while it lasts.....

6. Posted by - KeepSwimming on Jun. 15, 2009

   I think the expectations are different. We were expected to work more independently when we were kids, but the kids today have more work.

7. Posted by - Donna on Jan. 23, 2009

   Both my children have benefited greatly from being taught Kindergarten fundamentals from age three. Mine went to both three and four year old pre-school where they learned the colors, letters, shapes, sounds, etc. Years ago they would have not been exposed these until they were five and in Kindergarten. Since they got these concepts early and in a very positive environment they were ahead of the game and hit the ground running when they started their first year of formal school.
   
   I'm all for pushing a child as absolutely far as they can be pushed to acheive their highest potential. I'm the Mom who gives their child extra work on top of their homework to make sure they are drilled in the new concepts they are learning. I don't tolerate an "I can't do this stuff" attitude. I tell them, "No, you just can't do it YET. You need more practice." If done in a supportive environment and if it prevents them from having to struggle so hard then I'm all for it. "She's nuts!!!", you say? Not really. Its all in knowing the individual and not pushing TOO hard. Notice I said "a" child's highest "potential". I think its a mistake to group children according to age only. To stand absolute on the standard of what other children of their age are capable of. If a child fails a grade because they have not mastered the work then so be it. So what if he will not be with children his exact age? Think of our associates as adults. Don't we have friends among a wide age range? Most definitely. Do we lean towards people of our own age or people with similar interests and capabilities? I would say the latter.
   We are giving them the tools now that will work with the rest of their lives. So let's give them absolutely as many as they can carry. They will thank us later. (We don't need to leave a good diet and plenty of sleep out of the equation either!) OK, I'm done. =)

8. Posted by - Melody on Dec. 03, 2008

   I have to say that I think kindergarteners are being pushed way to hard, way too fast. My son is learning to write sentences before he can even read. Spelling tests and homework in kindergarten? Give me a break. They even took naps out of my local school, so my kindergartener comes home and I am lucky if he is not asleep by five. I think it is ridiculous the way they are rushing our children to learn. And they wonder why children are being left behind. The harder you push a child the less they will learn and the more likely they are going to be to want to quit school before they even make it to high school. I know. My oldest stepson was ready to quit in the 5th grade. He finally succeeded when he was seventeen after repeating the ninth grade for a second time. He had already been held back once before, and his birthday put him a year behind others his age as well. So, by the time he quit, he was already three years behind the rest of his friends. Other than his birthday, if he had not been held back, he would have been a junior the year he quit as opposed to being a freshman twice over. Someone needs to something about the pressure our kids are having put on them. I am sick of worrying that my child will be left behind because they are not teaching the fundamentals of kindergarten. Stop teaching them like first and second graders. Teach them like the five year olds they are. Put phonics back in school. Maybe there would not be the need for speech therapy if our children were taught the phonics that we once were. melody

9. Posted by - Robyn on Oct. 08, 2008

   I think they are being taught more, but we also expect more. In some ways I feel bad for my generation because we could've been pushed harder. While it is true that some kids are pushed too hard, I still see a great many that are not challenged, and therefore causing problems in the classroom because they are bored. Then they get medicated and never live to their potential, all because the system is not designed to challenge students, just to make sure they pass. AS far as whether or not they are being faced with too much adult decisions too soon, only a parent can decide, and an involved parent will take the time to make sure they are the decision makers not the school, and hopefully not ignore problems.

10. Posted by - Christine on Sep. 25, 2008

    more, but different. They aren't learning the same things we learned...times have changed so much and those times have screamed for new things to be learned. Sometimes, things I don't think young children should necessarily HAVE to learn, just for the simple fact that they are being put in adult situations, given adult choices and are supposed to be able to make adult decisions...this is NOT possible at such a young age. I don't care HOW mature they are or how old they act or what kind of responsiblities they have. THEY DO NOT HAVE THE MENTAL OR EMOTIONAL CAPABILITIES OF AN ADULT. These kids are being pushed by so many people and in so many ways. We want to give them more freedom than what we had, but then get angry because they don't make the "correct adult decision". School is just another form of the pressure that our children are being faced with in the education arena. On the other hand, American kids are SO FAR behind academia wise compared to the rest of the world, we put so much focus on outside activities vs. education. Not all....but most. So...where do we go from here?