(Only Sponge Bob fans will truly appreciate this title)
At Valley View elementary you only have a parent/teacher conference if you or the teacher requests it. So when I received a request from Natalie's teacher, I thought, "Uh-oh...something is not going well!"
Imagine my surprise, then, when she recommended that Natalie be promoted out of Transitional Kindergarten (which is for 4 year olds born between Oct 1 and Dec 2) to regular Kindergarten. She is doing so well that her teacher thinks she should move up!
My plan was to send her to TK this year then to regular Kindergarten next year. As you may recall, I chose TK over a second year of preschool because I thought she was ready. I guess that was a good decision.
I told her wonderful teacher of this plan and she said she would be surprised if Natalie needed to repeat Kindergarten. She offered to write up testing results and a recommendation attesting to her readiness for first grade at the time of her application to Sacred Heart if appropriate.
I have mixed feelings about this, but am mostly leaning toward the happy side. I know she is sharp and that she likes to be challenged. I certainly don't want her to fester and grow bored when she is so eager to learn. On the other hand, I skipped a grade myself and graduated from high school at 16. I grew up a little faster than my peers and am not sure I want that for Natalie, although with a December 1 birthday she will not be nearly as young as I was. I'm sure the correct answer will be obvious come Spring when I need to decide.
Whichever way it goes, I am happy she was asked, so I just had to share it.
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2 comments:
Yay for Natalie. All children develop and learn at their own pace--some being fast, right on target, and a little behind. Public schools teach to that middle group. They have GATE for the fast ones and Resource for the slower ones. It just so happens that your school district offers transitional; not all do. In others, Natalie would just be in a straight K; she would just be one of the young ones. If she is capable, then that is where she should be. There is the theory that late birthdays should wait for the next year. That is not always the case, esp. when it is a girl. She has been exposed to a lot of language and learning in your home because of all the children ahead of her. My youngest has a late birthday. She went to K at 4 yrs old; she has done just fine. In fact, she is one of the highest in her class. A lot of it comes from the parents and the home. I have known kids who have waited; their parents thought it would give them a leg up. These kids did just okay; they were not at the top like their parents hoped they would be. As for transferring to SHS for first but they have that Sept. 1 cutoff, consider keeping her at Valley View for first; she will probably have a much better teacher. Then, she can transfer for second.
My kids went to Kindercare for Kindergarten since they were already in daycare there. It worked out well for my son, but my daughter (who also has a December 1st birthday, by the way) had a different teacher who didn't teach any of the skills required to enter first grade. She "repeated" kindergarten in public school and has always felt bad about the fact that she "flunked" kindergarten - despite the fact that we have told her over and over again that it was not her fault! Congratulations on your good news! If she's ready, let her SOAR!
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