Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Elementary School Kindergarten 2009-2010

shellymos-hang in there and enjoy the last bits
of summer vacation.

JJsmom - hope your ds gets excited when he meets the new teacher.

As for us, DH and I like less and less of what we see in DS5's class. no horror stories (yet), just an uninspiring environment. and the 'mind control' aspect. Mrs. teacher rings a little bell when they switch centers. too pavlovian for our tastes.

DS seems a little stressed out too. hopefully the long weekend will help. and an afterschool sports class will start in a few weeks.

we are also going to keep doing afterschooling/weekend science projects and play dates to provide balance to the school day.

Also - I wish we had a plan C. Plan B was the charter school but we are stil on the wait list with no change in position.

LOL, that's great. DS loves those wordplays as well. That teacher sounds like a keeper. She had me at "mint"

Shellymos: Hope you hear from the teacher this week. I know the teachers in our school started work the week before school, so hopefully that's the holdup.

Have a ball! I've snagged a couple from here already (HLD = Hyper learning disability! LOL). The thing is it is so hard for ME to remember that he is only 5. I get just as frustrated as he does that he can't keep up physically with the work he can keep up with mentally. Yay Asynchronous development!

i've been reading this thread a while and as our first day of K for our HG DD5 is Tuesday, i am wondering about something.

is it unfair to our child to build up her excitement and enthusiasm when all involved are worried that it will not work out (including DD).. do you think it will create elevated sense of disappointment and loss if it ends up being a miss instead of a hit? We so want the experience to be positive.. but is building up the excitement (for the bus , the new clothes, the new friends, etc.) mean when it seems so bound to not work out?? or can the positive attitude MAKE it more apt to work? i am totally confused about this.
irene

I've been wondering the same thing. I think we did the same things you did (or at least it looks the same from what you listed your post): we emphasized nonacademic things to be excited about, and did not ever say "you're going to learn so much!" I'm an eternal optimist, and I believe that if you are positive about things when you talk about them, your child will view them as positive or at least will until something happens to make it not so. Maybe focus more on the things you remembered liking and make it about you: instead of saying, "You're going to love the bus," say, "I always loved bus rides!" or "That's so cool that your room has _____; I didn't have that in my kindy" or even, "I think that you will like...." Then, if your child doesn't end up liking something, they can't really come back and "you were wrong."

Of course, I'm sure there will be many hard days the first few weeks. But I think if we don't focus on positives, the outcome will be worse.

This stuff has been an issue for us also.
Here is something I say to my kids.
It's important to work hard, do your best, challenge yourself so you feel good about it. But then the school has not always provided the challenge. I have done somethings to provide stimulation - challenging classes during the summer, stimulating books and projects at home. I learned something from a friend that I tell my children to help them deal with the situation.
We need to remember that other children need a chance to learn and some kids need more time to learn. Try to be patient and understanding. We must work to give them enough stimulation and challenge that they can be patient. It's a balancing Act.

I feel like I made too big of a deal prior to her starting. I wanted to be aware of the rules and changes etc. but she adapted fine. I think I gave her anxiety. Next child, I will not start talking about it until 2 weeks before. Of course, she will know but I am not going to make a big deal about it.

So far my DD is exceeding my wildest hopes of her adjusting. She has been wonderful, I am thrilled so far.

I'm glad your DD is adjusting so well! It is a fine line we walk in deciding how much to prepare our kiddos. I'm hoping my anxiety isn't rubbing off too much on DS.

I wanted to wish luck to all of the kids starting school in the next few days. I hope everybody has an understanding and flexible teacher. I remember how nervous I was when DS7 started K two years ago. It was quite an adjustment for all of us.

We are about to start homeschooling tomorrow. DS5 and DS7 part time school (6.5 hours/week) on Wednesday.