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dancerjodiOur plan all along was to put Mina into the Playschool that is at her current center (they enroll kids infant through kindergarden). They may not be the "best" and surely aren't exclusive at all, but it has been a good fit for her. They have become an extended family of sorts for us and have been flexible with her/our needs.
She's just been early for a lot of things: walking, talking, complex talking. She moved into the toddler room early and though the Preschool room is on paper intended for age 3, they are starting the process of doing her readiness assessment for the preschool now, with the assumed plan of her starting there in September (she turns 3 in late January). They would go through their assessment, review all of the results with us, we'd go back and forth and if all were in agreement we'd fill out a lot of paperwork and she'd start in that room. The director of the center said that they have concerns about her getting bored with the activities/lack of structure in the toddler room. She appears older than all of the kids in there, both in size and verbal ability. She isn't mature enough to handle the preschool structure now, but they don't want to hold her back.
I was kind of blindsided by all of this when I picked her up this week, but it makes sense. Brian and I don't want to rush these early years (thinking too far ahead), but we also want to be prepared.
He and I both have had experiences in schools where we were ahead of what the other kids were doing, and bored. We don't want her to be in that position. When I was born we lived in Wellesley, and we moved to Waltham over winter break when I was in 3rd grade. They wanted us in Catholic school, but they wouldn't admit us mid-year, so I went to the local public school for a 1/2 year. My math and reading abilities were so advanced, that I would leave my class and have private lessons with the librarian (who was also a special ed teacher I think). I remember feeling singled out and awkward about this, and I was even bullied a bit by a couple of kids for it (the followed me home one day taunting me, drilling me on multiplication tables). When I moved to St. Pat's the next year it wasn't much different. In 4th grade I left the class to have math and english with the 5th graders. In 5th grade they were sick of this 'inconvenience' and had me stay with my own class, re-reading the same general english/reading text that I had already read in Wellesley, in 3rd grade! I finished there and did HS at Waltham Public (where I think I actually did thrive, despite being pushed back a bit for 5 years).
Brian was that smart kid in classes where he was bored in the Everett system. They kind of left him to his own devices, and he did a lot of his own pleasure reading. He wanted to be with his friends rather than 'the nerds', and coasted through the general college level courses in a school that almost lost accreditation while he was there. But I digress.
Who knows what kind of things she'll excel in, and where she'll find challenges. Brian has had a lot of concentration issues to deal with. I'm great at multitasking but have a very hard time with memorization and standardized testing (as a result). Plus, she is her own kid.
Brian texted me that one of Mina's friends in the school is going to be leaving. His parents aren't happy with the quality of education in the Preschool, given 'lack of structure'. We'll miss them! They are neighbors of us and have had philosophical similarities to us. I want to give it a chance, but there is this fear in the back of my head that we may need to find a plan B. I have simiar worries about the local kindergarden. I want to support our local neighborhood public school. On paper it is pretty bad, but on paper there is a lot to contend with given the high % of kids that enter who aren't english speaking. As such, lots of resources have been put into that school. Parents I've talked with have been quite happy with it.
Oh the challenges of being responsible for someone's development! I want her to be happy and interested and learn things along the way. I think that in the end, most kids end up at the same place, just at a different pace. I've done find despite my early issues (as has Brian). Who the hell knows.
She's just been early for a lot of things: walking, talking, complex talking. She moved into the toddler room early and though the Preschool room is on paper intended for age 3, they are starting the process of doing her readiness assessment for the preschool now, with the assumed plan of her starting there in September (she turns 3 in late January). They would go through their assessment, review all of the results with us, we'd go back and forth and if all were in agreement we'd fill out a lot of paperwork and she'd start in that room. The director of the center said that they have concerns about her getting bored with the activities/lack of structure in the toddler room. She appears older than all of the kids in there, both in size and verbal ability. She isn't mature enough to handle the preschool structure now, but they don't want to hold her back.
I was kind of blindsided by all of this when I picked her up this week, but it makes sense. Brian and I don't want to rush these early years (thinking too far ahead), but we also want to be prepared.
He and I both have had experiences in schools where we were ahead of what the other kids were doing, and bored. We don't want her to be in that position. When I was born we lived in Wellesley, and we moved to Waltham over winter break when I was in 3rd grade. They wanted us in Catholic school, but they wouldn't admit us mid-year, so I went to the local public school for a 1/2 year. My math and reading abilities were so advanced, that I would leave my class and have private lessons with the librarian (who was also a special ed teacher I think). I remember feeling singled out and awkward about this, and I was even bullied a bit by a couple of kids for it (the followed me home one day taunting me, drilling me on multiplication tables). When I moved to St. Pat's the next year it wasn't much different. In 4th grade I left the class to have math and english with the 5th graders. In 5th grade they were sick of this 'inconvenience' and had me stay with my own class, re-reading the same general english/reading text that I had already read in Wellesley, in 3rd grade! I finished there and did HS at Waltham Public (where I think I actually did thrive, despite being pushed back a bit for 5 years).
Brian was that smart kid in classes where he was bored in the Everett system. They kind of left him to his own devices, and he did a lot of his own pleasure reading. He wanted to be with his friends rather than 'the nerds', and coasted through the general college level courses in a school that almost lost accreditation while he was there. But I digress.
Who knows what kind of things she'll excel in, and where she'll find challenges. Brian has had a lot of concentration issues to deal with. I'm great at multitasking but have a very hard time with memorization and standardized testing (as a result). Plus, she is her own kid.
Brian texted me that one of Mina's friends in the school is going to be leaving. His parents aren't happy with the quality of education in the Preschool, given 'lack of structure'. We'll miss them! They are neighbors of us and have had philosophical similarities to us. I want to give it a chance, but there is this fear in the back of my head that we may need to find a plan B. I have simiar worries about the local kindergarden. I want to support our local neighborhood public school. On paper it is pretty bad, but on paper there is a lot to contend with given the high % of kids that enter who aren't english speaking. As such, lots of resources have been put into that school. Parents I've talked with have been quite happy with it.
Oh the challenges of being responsible for someone's development! I want her to be happy and interested and learn things along the way. I think that in the end, most kids end up at the same place, just at a different pace. I've done find despite my early issues (as has Brian). Who the hell knows.
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no subject
Date: 2014-07-18 03:44 pm (UTC)Damn her overly intelligent (and beautiful!) gene pool!
no subject
Date: 2014-07-18 04:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-18 05:44 pm (UTC)Anyway good for you for thinking about these things in advance. As another September baby, I was always one of the youngest in my grade, but I think in many ways that just inspires you to work harder/take more pride in what you've accomplished. I'm sure Mina will swim along just fine in the higher level.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-18 06:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-23 01:06 pm (UTC)These parents in question have been very strict with their son. This is a trivial example of it, but the school provides 2 snacks a day, but they always send him with his own food (he doesn't have any allergy issues, they just don't want him eating the "junky" school food, like sometimes a Ritz cracker or little cupcakes that the teachers may bring in as a treat . . . for the most part the snacks are pretty healthy and they actually go out of their way to try and help provide education to parents on healthy food options). I'm behind the sentiment of that of course, but I also don't want my kid to be the only "weird" one who isn't allowed to do what all of the other kids are doing, either. If the girl isn't allowed junk ever, I think she's going to gorge on it when she gets the chance (at least, that's what I'd do :) ). I don't think this family owns a TV. Nothing wrong with it at all! They are just very extreme in one direction, where we are looking to find a more balanced experience for Mina until she's old enough to make up her own mind.
I think the caliber of teacher seems to go down as the kids age: exceptional in the infant room, good in the toddler room, OK in the preschool room. But, the teachers also rotate around (and the director who I have a lot of respect and confidence in moves all over). I like their flexibility and the diversity of kids there (in background and ability). We'll just have to see how it goes. Staffing doesn't have a huge turnaround in terms of the folks that are making this a career (and the school has some good, ongoing training opportunities for teachers). There are some teachers there though that I think are just there because they have young kids who also go to the school, they live in the area and can walk, and they do take great care of the kids there, but they aren't what I'd call "educators". This young, perhaps that's OK anyway. We have a rich environment for Mina at home, too.
Their "schedule" in the preschool room (sometimes they have guest teachers like music/dance/animals, sometimes they walk to local parks for 'field trips', right now they are hosting some chick eggs in a little incubator until they hatch)
I know they don't always follow this, because sometimes they are outside when I pick her up (between 4:30-5, which is supposed to be "self selected activities"), and they do bring them out to play in water tables/sprinklers/bathing suits in this hot weather.
7:30 - 9:00 Arrival, Free Choice (table activities related to theme).
9:00 - 9:30 Circle Time (calendar, songs, talk about theme).
9:30 - 10:00 Snack
10:00 - 11:00 Self Selected Activities
11:00 - 12:00 Large Motor Activities (outside when able).
12:00 - 12:30 Story Time
12:30 - 1:30 Lunch, Clean-up, Ready for Nap / Rest
1:30 - 3:30 Nap / Rest Time
3:30 - 4:00 Waking, Clean-up / put away mats / cots
4:00 - 4:30 PM Snack
4:30 - 5:30 Self Selected Activities
5:30 - 6:00 Departure Time / quiet time
no subject
Date: 2014-07-23 02:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-23 08:52 pm (UTC)The other parents are, I think, more strict than I would want to be. It sort of feels like the community / family she has there is more valuable than what she may get by uprooting her like they did.
I think that day that I stumbled on the conversation was his last day. I haven't seen them since.
no subject
Date: 2014-07-22 02:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-23 01:08 pm (UTC)If you are curious, I responsed to my friend Shannon above with Mina's preschool schedule. It looks like structure enough for me (for a kid this young). The family pulling this boy out has been quite strict about everything in his life, which we do not want to do for Mina (like not letting the kid eat anything even remotely junky, ever). Either way, I'll miss seeing them around. We'll probably run into them in the neighborhood, and if they choose the neighborhood public school, he'll be a year or so ahead of her there too.
no subject
Date: 2014-08-15 12:18 am (UTC)