Okay, okay... I know I have been AWOL for a few days, but frankly nothing's going on worth mentioning. Grace's cold has dug in deep and I'm beginning to show signs of the same~yeah, I'm on it. But all my efforts have yet to knock hers out....
I found this Home-school Curriculum site that listed what kids should know by the end of a school year. It has Preschool to High School requirements listed. It is very informative. Of course, requirements vary by state-with some not having any rules to some with very strict ones.
Grace is on track with Preschool knowledge, even already having some for Kindergarten (this site includes Pre-K in Pre-school), so I feel great about that. She's very intelligent. But where I'm concerned is with things like coloring with crayons, or drawing people (It is typical of children to first draw people with big heads and stick bodies with arms, and legs-if a kid includes hands and feet, that is considered advanced.)
Grace has no desire to use crayons or markers, even if I am coloring with her-she scribbles a few lines and is done. I love to color. I have these abstract black and white prints I get-a habit picked up from Aunt Zombie-and color them with markers or colored pencils.... Grace loves to watch me color them, but she won't even do those.
Now, honestly-I could give two cents on a rat's ass if she ever picks up a crayon and likes it. But apparently, the school system would condemn her to remedial classes for the slower motivated kids. So, what's more important? That she can color in a picture or draw me in all my stick figure glory or that she knows the presidents on the money, or that she can put a 25 piece puzzle together in 10 minutes without help, or knowing 15 of 50 states, or that she can read all of 'Go, Dog, Go :::winks to Stacy::: and recognizes words other places?
Well, I know you guys know, so its a rhetorical question, but I think we're focused on the wrong things anyway. All these standardized tests to see where the kids are and hardly much time spent actually teaching them what they need to know. Hey.... I'm not blaming teachers in any way, its not their faults the system is what it is.
So, if my choice is between sending her to public school and home-schooling her, I opt for the second. My brother and Wayne have suggested sending her for the early grades, like through the 4th or 5th, It's an option, though I'll need to see how things are then.
We have 'Magnet Schools' here and I guess Wayne spent some time with his 2nd daughter, Alicia-a Junior in HS, at her school's competition-she attends one, apparently. She sounds like an awesome kid and the fact that this program keeps her focused on academics at college level, she is being looked at for scholarships... YEA! Wayne watched her a lot when she was younger, I've known her since she was about 7, but haven't seen her in years now.... He sounds so proud of her and what he instilled in her as a child, she remembers still.
The 'Magnet School' idea may be good, but I don't know.... I have to think on it. I'm pretty sure I can rule out a private school, unless she's really advanced for her age, then she would have a shot at financial assistance or scholarship...
All this drama over her not liking crayons....
I certainly can't make her like them. She loves to do everything else-paint, glue things, work with beads, playdoh..... :::sigh::: maybe she's more hands on than visually stimulated. I don't know.....
Alright..... enough already..... I'm off to medicate myself :)
Cat
8 comments:
Crayons are already non-toxic right? See if you can find them in fruit flavors... Problem solved!
And, you thought that I was just another pretty face. [:)]
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So that must be related to her name too. My Gracie still doesn't care about coloring, and now that she's in 1st grade she doesn't care about "penmanship" either. Go figure. All the kids in her class have to color, say a map of the united states and they make them all different colors and everything looks great. My child takes a couple scribbles across the middle and a couple scribbles of blue in the water and figures this is fine. Whatever! Being in school has "forced" her to care a little - because she knows she has to do enough to at least pass a requirement. But she refuses to do more than what is required in this area. Math, reading - anything else she's all over it. But not coloring. Yet she says art is her favorite subject. I don't know what to do with this child :-)!!
Ciara knew way more than Julie at this age, but that was because it was just me and Ciara for quite a few years alone, before Alex and Julie came along. Now, even though I am with Julie all the time, we have no 1 on 1 time together, for me to teach her basic things. She's gonna be a street smart kid, and she's a kick ass artist like her mama, even though some of her masterpieces need to be cleaned off certain surfaces. U just reminded me, I have to get a new pack of flash cards, she drew on the last ones..........
learn from me and Josh...look at everything I am going thru just because Josh is quiet and doesn't like to color either. that standardized testing is really unfair, and the pressure on kids now it unbelievable. can you send me the site you found on the homeschooling? i think about it more and more every day.
with the coloring...the only way i can get Josh to color is things he is interested in, have you tried trains?
hang in there...
*hugs*
Being AWOL is cool, I've been gone for almost two weeks... sometimes life has a way of either getting way too slow or taking off in high gear. Found your journal through the wondrous Sara Jane Smiles. I'm currently observing in a kindergarten classroom and what that teacher is expecting of her children is obscene and despicable. Thanks to No Child Left Untested the pressures of standardized assessment have dug their claws deep into the hides of all children k-12. All we know and understand about development, brain research, and emotional intelligence screams out that forcing young children to attend to reading and writing is wrong, wrong, WRONG. Yeah some children will dig it. But early reading doesn’t mean better or even long lasting readers & writers. Oh if only not using crayons was the LEAST of our children's sins in early childhood. PLAY is the vehicle best fitting a child to discover and explore the wonders of our world. Science, math, reading, and writing can ALL be accomplished through facilitating prime play experiences that are rich, motivating, and meaningful. But I rant don’t I? Sorry. Children are too precious to be dashed upon the rocks of benchmarks and standards at such an early age. Maybe by age 20 or 30 eh? Toodles.
http://journals.aol.com/madmanadhd/ConfessionsofaMadmanInsightsinto/entries/930
My son never liked to colour either, he ate his crayons and lined up his colouring pencils! I wouldn't worry though, Grace will pick it up when she's good and ready as you say. Jason started drawing just last year, fantastical spiders with glasses and belly buttons, and stick figures with hands and feet :o)
Sara x
Who really gives a shit what those people think about Gracie. If she is ANYTHING like you at all....she will rise above and SOAR thru it all.
STacy
Oh my, I feel you on the education deal! We live in one of the counties that sets the standards for the SOL tests, so our kids go through hell to pass thru the school system. The kids have to be able to read to go onto first grade. I remember having to run my finger under the words and pretend I was reading! that was our test. Now they're taking SOL's in Kindergarten, it's ridiculous. Not to mention we're on full day kindergarten here, the child's burned out by 3 o'clock when she gets home. If I knew square one of teaching to home school, I would have! I'm sure Grace will do great whichever road she takes ;)
xoxo~Bernadette
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