Kindergarten Boot camp

Tonight was kindergarten boot camp.  The parents went up to the school for the teacher to explain the class curriculum and answer questions.

One of the things the teacher was really pushing was reading to and reading with your child.  Over two hours of the three hour day will be spent on literacy.  After the winter holidays, books will be sent home weekly for the child to read.  The parent writes how the child did with it and returns that the next day.  After about a month of this, the child will be evaluated as to what color books they can choose to take.

There had already been a question by a parent who had asked if her son would have to just sit there and wait while the other kids are learning math.  Because, and I quote, her kid is a ‘super genius’.  I thought she sounded like a bit of a buffoon.

Also, here are the things your child will be able to do at the end of the school year.   Count to 100.  Recognize numbers up to 40.  Read at the ‘c’ level.  Which consists of a 10-15 page book with two sentences per page.

SHAMELESS BRAG

My kid can do all of those things.  She reads me Berenstein Bear books.  And Frog and Toad.  We have read The Wizard of Oz, All 5 Spiderwick Chronicles, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Just So Stories and two Ramona books.  After I was done reading the chapters to her for that night, she would read on ahead and tell me what would happen the next night.  She knows how to write her name in cursive.

However.  She still writes several of her print letters and numbers backwards.  She is perfectly content to take a book out of her brothers’ room and have that for her story because it used to be hers.  I could see her reading little board books ony in class and never letting on that she can do more.  She has some addition down and some subtraction but at times wants to use my fingers to help her count higher with addition.  Math comprehention needs some help.  Maturity wise, she is age-appropriate.

Disclaimer.  My brother and I were both skipped grades in elementary school.  My birthday is already in June so I was already one of the youngest in my class before the skip.  I was maturity-wise two years behind my peers.  It was not a good situation.  My brother didn’t fare too well either.  I do not approve of grade skipping at any time.  Find some school or class that will help your child at their level in their age grade where they can make friends the same age.

Back to my story.

I was a bit concerned about the literacy thing as there was an actual time frame laid out.  And then I go off sounding like a buffoon.  Getting concerned that my kid will be stuck on board books until after January, I asked if that was the correct time frame that I was assuming from what he had said if my child was already at a level ‘c’.  No, it wil be settled within the first few weeks.  But I sounded like a braggart.  But he kept asking for questions.  And I was nervous.  So oh well.  I’m a babbler.

I could hope the other parents won’t remember this.  But I’m not counting on it.  I was talking with one of her friend’s mom last year and said something or other.  The mom jumped on it, “She can read”?  Asking me all about it.  Then a few weeks later another mom who was a mutual friend brought it up.  “So she can read?”

I really don’t want to be one of those nuisance moms.