Mom Is Teaching

Ok, remember, I had to spend time with one kid at the doc’s office this week and then I spent my afternoon at the dentist, lots of magazine reading time.  This is a continuation of the last one but I broke it up because, well, I just have too much to say on this one article.

So, I’m still at Ladies Home Journal and I’m reading, Learning Guide:  Kindergarten.  And, they have the nerve to say:

“In the classroom - Teachers will show students how to:

*  develop small motor skills by cutting, pouring liquids, tracing, molding clay, coloring pictures and writing their names

*  follow directions, describe objects and events, share tools, and play in a group

*  label and express feelings such as anger, frustration and sadness with words instead of actions

*  tell time to the hour on analog and digital clocks; identify coins; recite personal data (birthday, address, phone number)

*   count and write numbers from 1 to 10; count objects in a set, divide objects into halves

*  explore basic science - plant growth, magnetism, freezing and thawing —ideally with experiments

*  learn about the community, often with local field trips (firehouse, post office, library); stud the child’s family

Ok, I’m going to have to agree here and then I’m going to have to explode in confusion.

First of all, in our neck of the woods, the small motor skills were tested prior to him starting kindergarten and were expected to be at least close to mastering the cutting, tracing, molding clay, coloring and writing of their names.  The pouring of liquids is problem the only one the poor little tots get a break on.  It’s like, hey you are 5, now grow up you little snot-face kid.  UGH

Secondly, they are expected to follow directions prior to getting to kindergarten, lest you get one of these nasty little yellow bee’s every day like we do (yellow being the color directly under purple and today we should have got more like a green which is way further down the chart). 

I do agree that kindergarten is the time to learn to describe objects and events, but sharing tools and playing in a group, geeez, I don’t like to share my toothbrush stuff all the time now but I assume that the teacher might can do these things.  And, as for playing in a group, how many introverts does it take before the experts get the picture that some folks just don’t like all the hoopla.  I’m not one of them, I’ll full extrovert and apparently so is my Yellow-bee-receiving-non-stop-talking son. (Post about today’s yellow bee on my personal blog that I would love some advice on).  But, anyway, I’m ok with this one.

But, now, “tell time to the hour on analog and digital clocks; identify coins; recite personal data (birthday, address, phone number)” come on, my son knows how to tell time, but according to his teacher, he is the only one in that room that does and he only knows because…he is a bossy by nature and thinks he is the boss, so he tells time to keep everyone on their feet around here.  The identifying coins is a joke, all he knows is one dollar bills (or bigger) and the personal data he was suppose to know when they tested him. 

I’m not even going to go into count and write numbers 1 to 10.  We just (in October of a August to May school year) finished writing to a 100 and I’m already sick of it.  Surely 1 to 10 was learned before now?  

The last two, I just as well leave those to the teachers because I hate the hassle and the mess.

Ok, can anyone tell that I’m in a disgusted and dimwitted mood.  I’m hacked at my child (please read on personal blog and comment), so don’t mind me, I just write here.