Irisheyes: I agree with you about the reading, if it really is slogging, but my dd ENJOYED the skills she learned when she entered school. She loved learning about phonics and language and sounds, even though she was able to read and comprehend chapter books. I realize that might not be true for every child, but I have no problem with school teaching my child the same stuff as everyone else if she's having a good time at it.
And on your digression: there is something to be said about learning to float. Some people learn to swim and waste energy to maintain their body position. BUT, if they learn to float, they will naturally find their bouyancy point and the effort of the arms and legs can go into propulsion rather than staying up. Makes for a more efficient stroke. I'm guessing though that your concern is that they aren't teaching floating to learn body position from which to build the stroke, but are instead holding your child back (which of course is a waste of your good money), so I apologize for jumping in. I just couldn't resist throwing on my swim instructor hat.
Master of None ... fair points on both topics
I think I simply felt frustration that dd's pre-k teacher seemed to have little respect for the fact that dd could already read and comprehend several grade levels ahead. Her attitude seemed to be unless dd knew all the phonics/made-up words ... she was exactly the same as every other child in the class, most of whom couldn't read at all.
I do think dd will have to learn some phonics in terms of getting her to be a better speller - which does not appear to be a strength of hers. I have heard this can be common in early "whole word" readers.
In the end, I appreciate your points and hope my dd enjoys learning all that school has to offer (she is only just entering kindergarten). I simply object to the idea that kids need to learn phonics to know how to read.
