Well, hello there!
What can I tell you? So much, yet so little has happened in the past two months since I've written.
Jena is doing extremely well in 2nd grade. As you may remember we are homeschooling her. My biggest struggle right now is keeping her challenged and engaged. I think I've mentioned on here before that she is gifted, and it seems like I am constantly being shown exactly how intellectually gifted she is.
By her age, she should be in 1st grade. She is instead flying thru 2nd grade. We attended a co-op during the Fall, but even even at a 2nd grade level, she was so far ahead of what was being taught that it basically ended up being purely social for her. That, combined with how hard the day was on Jillian (and consequently myself), and we decided to pull out of the co-op for next session.
Most recently I let Jena test ahead (again) in Language Arts and Arithmetic. She was able to skip 22 lessons before she got less than an "A" on the test. Twenty two. Just over a month's worth. Just blazed thru it.
Her only struggle area is handwriting, but she has improved massively since last year. It's like something just "clicked" this year, most likely her fine motor skills, LOL.
She does do enrichment classes at a local education center once per week, lots of science & art mostly. That definitely helps.
For those with curriculum / educational philosophy knowledge, we have been doing a traditional curriculum for Language Arts & Arithmetic, with Social Studies & Science being more unit studies. I'm starting to look at integrating more classical education philosophies / activities into our schooling, as I think how she learns may lean more that way. We'll see how it goes. One of the lovely things about homeschooling is that we can tailor what & how we teach to our children's needs as we go along.
Which reminds me, I need to adjust our science teaching a bit, since she recently told me that she now wants to be an engineer when she grows up, so she "can design & build machines". Truth be told, we've been saying since she was itty bitty that she would make an excellent engineer, just by the way she looked at the world. I suppose only time will tell.
Jillian (now 20 months) is growing like a weed. Recently started escaping her crib, though not regularly. Another growth spurt though and we're in trouble. She finally started walking at around 18 months. That, combined with a couple of other seemingly minor issues, and I'm beginning to wonder if she has joint issues, specifically hypermobility. Her pediatrician checked her hips & knees at her 15 mo check up because of her delayed walking and said everything looked okay, but I'm considering seeing a specialist just to make sure. My niece has EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome), and didn't get properly diagnosed until she suffered a dislocation of both knees at age 15. My sister has said they wish they'd known earlier because they could have been more careful and while they couldn't prevent the condition itself, they could have helped keep her from being in so much pain & discomfort, especially in the 2+ years she was dealing with back & joint pain before getting a proper diagnosis.
Our family business is doing very well, as evidenced by the fact that I am still a SAHM, LOL. I am so proud of Jason and the work he has done to make the business such a success. Speaking of, right now he is in Mexico on a mission trip, so please pray for his and the team's safety.
I suppose that's about it for now. Thanks for checking in.
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Saturday, February 7, 2015
2014 Recap
* I originally wrote this in January, but apparently never hit "publish", so here goes*
So a quick recap of 2014:
March:
- Jason's business kicked off it's 2nd season
April:
- my employer announced that it will be closing the Kentucky location within the next 3 years and all jobs will be relocated. Mine specifically is going to Michigan.
May:
- Miss Jillian was born
- Miss Jena graduated from Kindergarten
- my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary
July:
- we made a decision regarding both my job and Jena's education
August:
- after more than 10 years with my employer, I resigned my position
September:
- we began homeschooling Jena
October:
- our family's first trip to Disney World
- a trip to Chicago
November:
- Jason expands his business to include Christmas light installation (residential & commercial)
December:
- holidays (need I say more)
So a quick recap of 2014:
March:
- Jason's business kicked off it's 2nd season
April:
- my employer announced that it will be closing the Kentucky location within the next 3 years and all jobs will be relocated. Mine specifically is going to Michigan.
May:
- Miss Jillian was born
- Miss Jena graduated from Kindergarten
- my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary
July:
- we made a decision regarding both my job and Jena's education
August:
- after more than 10 years with my employer, I resigned my position
September:
- we began homeschooling Jena
October:
- our family's first trip to Disney World
- a trip to Chicago
November:
- Jason expands his business to include Christmas light installation (residential & commercial)
December:
- holidays (need I say more)
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Socialization? Really?
** disclaimer: while we decided that we felt homeschooling was the right decision for our family at this time, I truly believe that there is no one "right" answer for educating your children, and each family must decide for themselves which route is best for their children, be it public school, private school, or homeschooling. They are all equally valid options **
I was recently approached by someone close to me regarding the fact that we are homeschooling Jena. They were asking how she was doing, what was she learning, did she like it. They seemed genuinely impressed at what she was learning, and shocked that she liked "school".
Why?
Because all four children in their family, ranging from Kindergarten thru 4th grade, all attending public school, ALL of them hate going to school. Dread it. Can't stand it. Hate school.
They find it odd, they said. Usually you hear of one kid hating school. Or one kid loving school. And most kids somewhere in between. But all four of them HATE it, and they're looking for answers, so they decided to question me about homeschooling.
So, by his own admission, all four of the children in his family absolutely HATE school. I think we can all agree that if you dislike something that much, you probably aren't doing your best work or reaching your full potential either.
In his frustration with their current school situation, he chooses to approach me to ask questions about homeschool. Seems impressed with what she is learning and how she is doing, and especially with the fact that she LIKES school and learning.
So of course let's argue that my daughter's not getting properly socialized {{ head desk }}
He brought it up gently, as if he were genuinely concerned for Jena. I pointed out all the different activities Jena was currently participating in with her peers:
- Sunday School (coed, all 1st graders, includes children of several different racial / ethnic backgrounds)
- Girl Scouts (all girls, K thru 3rd grade, includes girls of several different racial / ethnic backgrounds)
- play group (coed, age 5 thru 10 [with younger siblings in tow], includes children of several different racial / ethnic backgrounds)
- gym class (coed, age 5 thru 10, includes children with autism, sensory issues, etc)
- science class (coed, age 5 thru 10)
While there is some crossover, each group is a different set of kids with which Jena is building relationships.
He told me that was all well & good, but it's no the same as spending all day every day with the same friends who are all these same age as you.
{{blink, blink, blink}}
He's right. Attending five different activities with five different sets of kids, building friendships with kids in a wider age range is not the same as spending six hours a day, five days a week with the exact same kids, who are all in the same grade, approximately the same age.
I attended public school. While we didn't choose it for Jena at this time, we do still believe it is a viable option. But do not preach to me about how it is a great way to socialize your kids.
Besides, I personally am not making education decisions for my children based on their social life. There are plenty of other opportunities for them to make friends and socialize. I don't have to compromise their education to do so.
Your kids hate school. They aren't doing as well as they could because of it. You're impressed with what my homeschooled child is doing academically. And the ONLY argument you can come up with against it is socialization? Really? Sit down.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Education Dilemma
So, I mentioned in my last post that the current dilemma is
what to do regarding Jena’s education for next year and beyond.
You see, we had always planned on sending her to the local public school, and I had even called talked to them prior to enrolling her in Kindergarten at her current school. Why did I call? Because she misses the cutoff for the school year by less than a week. But I wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be any issues.
At that time I was assured that if she completed an accredited Kindergarten program, there would be no issues enrolling her in first grade the following year.
So a couple of months ago, due to several things that were going on, I met with her current teachers, then called the public school again.
Uh, no. They want her to repeat Kindergarten next year. Strictly because of her age. I explained that she will have completed an accredited Kindergarten program, that her current teachers think she will be more than ready to proceed to first grade both academically & socially, and offered to bring her in for whatever testing / evaluations they feel are necessary.
No.
Basically they really, really, REALLY don’t like to move kids out of the neat & tidy little box associated with their age.
It was explained to me that even if she did test into first grade, and they evaluated her to be socially ready, and IF they decided to then permit her to enter into first grade, they still would only allow her to attend half-day, because kids her age aren’t ready for a full day of school. According to them. Even though she's been in a full-day preschool since she was 2 years old. Oh, and schools across the country have full-day kindergarten. But, whatever.
Oh, and they’d charge us a tuition (yes, to a public school) as well.
You see, we had always planned on sending her to the local public school, and I had even called talked to them prior to enrolling her in Kindergarten at her current school. Why did I call? Because she misses the cutoff for the school year by less than a week. But I wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be any issues.
At that time I was assured that if she completed an accredited Kindergarten program, there would be no issues enrolling her in first grade the following year.
So a couple of months ago, due to several things that were going on, I met with her current teachers, then called the public school again.
Uh, no. They want her to repeat Kindergarten next year. Strictly because of her age. I explained that she will have completed an accredited Kindergarten program, that her current teachers think she will be more than ready to proceed to first grade both academically & socially, and offered to bring her in for whatever testing / evaluations they feel are necessary.
No.
Basically they really, really, REALLY don’t like to move kids out of the neat & tidy little box associated with their age.
It was explained to me that even if she did test into first grade, and they evaluated her to be socially ready, and IF they decided to then permit her to enter into first grade, they still would only allow her to attend half-day, because kids her age aren’t ready for a full day of school. According to them. Even though she's been in a full-day preschool since she was 2 years old. Oh, and schools across the country have full-day kindergarten. But, whatever.
Oh, and they’d charge us a tuition (yes, to a public school) as well.
How she’s supposed to only attend half day first grade and
still progress along with the other students I have no idea. Or how that’s not
supposed to hurt her socially, as she leaves every day while her friends stay.
Or why they’re charging tuition to a public school. Or why her completing a
Kindergarten program, accredited, in the same state, isn’t good enough. I.
Don’t. Know.
Momma not happy.
Momma not happy.
Especially since I had previously called and been assured
there would be no problems. Apparently our definition of “issues” is different.
Hmph.
So, we may be able to get her into public school, but in
order to do so we will have to go before the school board and fight for it. And
quite frankly, even if we succeed in getting her in, I’m not sure I want my
child attending a school where the administration seems to think that all children should fit
into this tidy little box based solely on age. Or any other factor for that matter.
And did I mention the cost of after-school care?
If they permit her to attend full-time, it will eat up over
15% of my paycheck each month. Not bad. Pretty much expected.
If she only attends half-day, the after school programs in the area will cost us nearly 25% of my paycheck. Starting to hurt a little more.
If she only attends half-day, the after school programs in the area will cost us nearly 25% of my paycheck. Starting to hurt a little more.
But if the school charges us a tuition on top of that? We might
as well send her to private school.
So… we looked into that. Basically there’s only one private
school in the area who has a good academic reputation, doesn’t add too much
onto my daily commute, and we might be able to afford.
Except… private school tuition + after school care = nearly
75% of my paycheck.
At which point… why am I working?
So… we’re looking into homeschooling.
Seriously.
Right now it seems like the best option, except for that
minor losing-my-income thing. Because our last tax statement showed that I
bring home over 40% of our net income, plus provide all the benefits &
childcare. Not exactly chump change to lose.
Thus, the dilemma.
Currently we’ve pretty much ruled out private school because of the cost. So we’re actively looking into homeschool curriculums as well as area groups / co-ops for homeschoolers while at the same time moving forward with trying to get her into full-time first grade in the public school. We figure if we get her in we can always change our minds later if we see fit, but all decisions regarding enrollment have to be made by the end of the previous school year (so May-ish timing), so we’d better start now so we know if that’s even an option.
I'm pretty much adamant that she not be forced to repeat Kindergarten. Just knowing her as her parent, plus having her current teachers tell me that not only is she the most academically advanced of all the kindergartners, she's also one of the most mature students in the class, I honestly believe forcing her to repeat Kindergarten would be detrimental to her development both academically and socially. So that is pretty much our worst case, last choice, we can't figure out any other possible way option.
So that’s where we are right now with that. As always, thanks for checking in!
Thus, the dilemma.
Currently we’ve pretty much ruled out private school because of the cost. So we’re actively looking into homeschool curriculums as well as area groups / co-ops for homeschoolers while at the same time moving forward with trying to get her into full-time first grade in the public school. We figure if we get her in we can always change our minds later if we see fit, but all decisions regarding enrollment have to be made by the end of the previous school year (so May-ish timing), so we’d better start now so we know if that’s even an option.
I'm pretty much adamant that she not be forced to repeat Kindergarten. Just knowing her as her parent, plus having her current teachers tell me that not only is she the most academically advanced of all the kindergartners, she's also one of the most mature students in the class, I honestly believe forcing her to repeat Kindergarten would be detrimental to her development both academically and socially. So that is pretty much our worst case, last choice, we can't figure out any other possible way option.
So that’s where we are right now with that. As always, thanks for checking in!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Jena's Turn!
And now it’s Jena’s turn!
Jena is doing as awesome as ever.
She is happily halfway thru Kindergarten, and is doing very well. We are blessed that she is currently in a setting where the teachers strive to meet each kid at their ability.
While Jena started the year already reading at a 2nd grade level, her best friend started the year not even knowing the letters of the alphabet (long story). It’s interesting to see such a difference in two best friends, and how the teachers reacted to it and adjusted the lessons & homework so that each child could progress at their level.
Jena is doing as awesome as ever.
She is happily halfway thru Kindergarten, and is doing very well. We are blessed that she is currently in a setting where the teachers strive to meet each kid at their ability.
While Jena started the year already reading at a 2nd grade level, her best friend started the year not even knowing the letters of the alphabet (long story). It’s interesting to see such a difference in two best friends, and how the teachers reacted to it and adjusted the lessons & homework so that each child could progress at their level.
Unfortunately she is currently at a preschool, and
Kindergarten is the last level. She will graduate in May. The current dilemma
is what to do about her schooling for next year (and beyond), but that could
easily be another post in and of itself.
She is excited to be a big sister, and was really hoping for it to be a girl so she could have a little sister. She talks regularly about what it will be like having a little sister, and naming ways she can help. I know there will be an adjustment period for all of us, but I really think she will be a great big sister and am so excited to see her in that role.
Currently she loves all things Barbie, and this has for the most part taken over for her love of Disney Princesses.
She still likes her princesses, but the obsession is definitely Barbie now.
So that’s about it on my Jena for now. As always, thanks for checking in!
She is excited to be a big sister, and was really hoping for it to be a girl so she could have a little sister. She talks regularly about what it will be like having a little sister, and naming ways she can help. I know there will be an adjustment period for all of us, but I really think she will be a great big sister and am so excited to see her in that role.
Currently she loves all things Barbie, and this has for the most part taken over for her love of Disney Princesses.
She still likes her princesses, but the obsession is definitely Barbie now.
So that’s about it on my Jena for now. As always, thanks for checking in!
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Private School
Earlier this week we went to one of the private schools in the area to meet with the director, have Jena tested for placement, etc.
It was the school that was at the top of our list for private schools, and we're satisfied that they would provide a quality education and try to work with Jena at her level.
The testing was a little... unclear. The way they do testing is to review work that the students are currently doing. So for Jena the teacher reviewed both Kindergarten work and 1st grade work.
Kindergarten work, no problem. But they are small classes, they believe in advancing the student as they are ready, etc. So sounds good.
1st grade work... well, everything they covered is something that I know Jena knows how to do. But... how it's delivered confused her.
For instance, for reading they asked her to identify which words follow the "mb" combination sound rule. Things like "lamb", "climb", "plumber", etc. She couldn't answer.
But here's the deal. She can read all of those words. She knows how to pronounce "mb" in combination. But no one has taught her that it is a "rule", that it's a "combination sound", etc. So to ask her to identify words that follow a "combination sound rule" doesn't make sense to her. But if you asked her a different way, I know for a fact she knows that information. Does that make sense?
So probably if we were to send her there we would go ahead and start her in Kindergarten, so she could catch up on the way they teach there. Does that make sense?
We haven't made a decision yet, but I'm glad we went. It gave us a lot of good information.
One issue we have to look at is finances. The private school tuition, plus after school care for over 3 hours a day, means a significant chunk of my paycheck would be going just to her schooling.
Plus, since this school starts earlier, but I still can't pick her up till after work, she'd be either at school, or in an after-school care center for roughly 9.5 hours a day. I know she's already in preschool for 8 hours a day, but that extra 90 minutes just makes it sound like a lot. I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that.
We're keeping our options open, and continue to gather information. I'm sure we'll figure it out in the end.
We're also considering the possibility of homeschool. Any readers care to share their experience / knowledge on the subject?
As always, thanks for checking in!
It was the school that was at the top of our list for private schools, and we're satisfied that they would provide a quality education and try to work with Jena at her level.
The testing was a little... unclear. The way they do testing is to review work that the students are currently doing. So for Jena the teacher reviewed both Kindergarten work and 1st grade work.
Kindergarten work, no problem. But they are small classes, they believe in advancing the student as they are ready, etc. So sounds good.
1st grade work... well, everything they covered is something that I know Jena knows how to do. But... how it's delivered confused her.
For instance, for reading they asked her to identify which words follow the "mb" combination sound rule. Things like "lamb", "climb", "plumber", etc. She couldn't answer.
But here's the deal. She can read all of those words. She knows how to pronounce "mb" in combination. But no one has taught her that it is a "rule", that it's a "combination sound", etc. So to ask her to identify words that follow a "combination sound rule" doesn't make sense to her. But if you asked her a different way, I know for a fact she knows that information. Does that make sense?
So probably if we were to send her there we would go ahead and start her in Kindergarten, so she could catch up on the way they teach there. Does that make sense?
We haven't made a decision yet, but I'm glad we went. It gave us a lot of good information.
One issue we have to look at is finances. The private school tuition, plus after school care for over 3 hours a day, means a significant chunk of my paycheck would be going just to her schooling.
Plus, since this school starts earlier, but I still can't pick her up till after work, she'd be either at school, or in an after-school care center for roughly 9.5 hours a day. I know she's already in preschool for 8 hours a day, but that extra 90 minutes just makes it sound like a lot. I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that.
We're keeping our options open, and continue to gather information. I'm sure we'll figure it out in the end.
We're also considering the possibility of homeschool. Any readers care to share their experience / knowledge on the subject?
As always, thanks for checking in!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Class of 2026
So earlier this week, this happened:
I am so excited for her to begin this next journey in her life. And so is she.
We are blessed in that her preschool extends thru kindergarten, so she will stay at the same facility. She is in the same montessori classroom she has been in since turning three. They will have concentrated kindergarten instruction for two hours every afternoon (coincides with nap time for the younger kids), as well as continuing the montessori approach the rest of the day. There are only six kids in kindergarten, with two teachers who rotate as "lead" teacher.
For those who are good at math (or maybe just memory), yes she is only four years old.
Yes, we are starting her early.
In fact, besides that we love this school and the montessori approach to education, being able to start her early was a big factor in deciding to stay here. Because why else would we pay private school tuition, right?
Well, there were several factors really.
1) Starting her "early". In Kentucky, she misses the cutoff date by less than a week. So while technically she is starting school early, if she had born just one week earlier it would be "on time". After talking to several different resources in the state, we realized that the public school system makes it really hard to start early. The cutoffs are firm, and the only way around them is to subject your child to rigorous testing in an effort to prove they are ready.
2) After school care is taken care of. Since her current facility operates as a daycare / preschool / kindergarten facility, she can stay in one location the entire day. Our local schools have half-day kindergarten. While great for instruction, a nightmare for families with two working parents. We're pushing off the after-school care issue for another year by keeping her in a facility we know & trust.
3) Top-notch education. The facility she is at provides a quality education in a montessori setting. With small classes and excellent teachers who believe in continually challenging kids to reach their fullest potential, we couldn't be more pleased with the education she is receiving there.
4) Continuing her progress. I've written before about our concerns in how to handle Jena's apparent giftedness in certain areas. While she has yet to be formally evaluated, we did recently have a local school administrator, after only talking with Jena a few minutes, and with no comments from us, suggest that we learn a new word in our home: "gifted". Our evaluation appears to be correct.
We mentioned to her teacher that once informal kindergarten assessments are done, we'd like to sit down with her to review them, because we want to make absolutely sure that they know where she is. She immediately responded by telling us that while of course she will be happy to sit down with us after assessments are complete, she already knows that not only is Jena more than ready for kindergarten, she is the most advanced student in the class, despite being the youngest, and both kindergarten teachers have already discussed how to continue challenging her.
Though we're still uncertain exactly how we will proceed in the years to come, we feel confident that by leaving her at this facility she will continue to grow and develop in her abilities. In short, this is a good fit for her.
And so, for all of the reasons above, we started our daughter in kindergarten a year "early", at her current preschool facility.
Wish us luck for a successful first year of school!
That's right. My baby girl started kindergarten!
I am so excited for her to begin this next journey in her life. And so is she.
We are blessed in that her preschool extends thru kindergarten, so she will stay at the same facility. She is in the same montessori classroom she has been in since turning three. They will have concentrated kindergarten instruction for two hours every afternoon (coincides with nap time for the younger kids), as well as continuing the montessori approach the rest of the day. There are only six kids in kindergarten, with two teachers who rotate as "lead" teacher.
For those who are good at math (or maybe just memory), yes she is only four years old.
Yes, we are starting her early.
In fact, besides that we love this school and the montessori approach to education, being able to start her early was a big factor in deciding to stay here. Because why else would we pay private school tuition, right?
Well, there were several factors really.
1) Starting her "early". In Kentucky, she misses the cutoff date by less than a week. So while technically she is starting school early, if she had born just one week earlier it would be "on time". After talking to several different resources in the state, we realized that the public school system makes it really hard to start early. The cutoffs are firm, and the only way around them is to subject your child to rigorous testing in an effort to prove they are ready.
3) Top-notch education. The facility she is at provides a quality education in a montessori setting. With small classes and excellent teachers who believe in continually challenging kids to reach their fullest potential, we couldn't be more pleased with the education she is receiving there.
4) Continuing her progress. I've written before about our concerns in how to handle Jena's apparent giftedness in certain areas. While she has yet to be formally evaluated, we did recently have a local school administrator, after only talking with Jena a few minutes, and with no comments from us, suggest that we learn a new word in our home: "gifted". Our evaluation appears to be correct.
We mentioned to her teacher that once informal kindergarten assessments are done, we'd like to sit down with her to review them, because we want to make absolutely sure that they know where she is. She immediately responded by telling us that while of course she will be happy to sit down with us after assessments are complete, she already knows that not only is Jena more than ready for kindergarten, she is the most advanced student in the class, despite being the youngest, and both kindergarten teachers have already discussed how to continue challenging her.
Though we're still uncertain exactly how we will proceed in the years to come, we feel confident that by leaving her at this facility she will continue to grow and develop in her abilities. In short, this is a good fit for her.
And so, for all of the reasons above, we started our daughter in kindergarten a year "early", at her current preschool facility.
Wish us luck for a successful first year of school!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Doing Right By Jena
There have been so many times that I've wanted to write this post, but have stopped. Why? Because it feels like a taboo topic to me.
It feels like if I write about it, my concerns, our struggles as parents to guide Jena in this area, that I will offend someone, just for sharing this part of our journey.
I've read other blogs & message boards where just sharing your child's current progress, or even your struggles, in this are, is viewed as "bragging", when the other moms were really just trying to share what's going on in their lives.
And that's it, isn't it? The fact is that it is part of our life, part of our journey. The older Jena gets, the more frequently this topic dominates mine & Jason's conversations about how to parent Jena, how to progress, what the next step is.
The older she gets, the more worried I am that we will fail her somehow in this area, that we will make the wrong decision, that we will hold her back instead of guiding her forward.
And so I've decided to share this part of our parenting journey, because it's there, staring me in the face on a near-daily basis. And hopefully my dear readers will get that I'm not bragging, I'm worried. That Jason & I are doing our best to do right by our child, and this is just one part of that effort.
So, here goes.
My daughter is smart.
Seriously. She is incrediblyintelligent. Freakin' crazy over-the-moon smart.
So smart we don't know what to do with it.
Her preschool utilizes DECA assessments to rate how they are progressing. While in motor skills & social development she has solidly maintained scores at her age level or slightly below, in academic areas she regularly tests at years above her age.
Years. Plural.
Her school is finishing up the latest round of assessments, so we should know her most recent progress in the next few weeks.
Last year (at age 3 1/2) her preschool teachers contended that she was 90% ready for Kindergarten. The 10% that she needed to develop being her social skills.
She will start Kindergarten thiscoming Autumn, two months shy of her 5th birthday, at her preschool. This is technically starting her early. Here in Kentucky she misses the deadline by less than 10 days (ie. she "should" wait another year to start Kindergarten). But we are blessed in that her incredible, private, Montessori preschool continues thru Kindergarten and will progress her based on her abilities, not an arbitrary number.
When it comes to looking ahead to the days she will enter the traditional public school system (as that is still currently the plan), Jason & I have seriously discussed things like:
- skipping a(nother) grade,
- the school's gifted program,
- supplementing her instruction with homeschool activities, and yes, even
- pulling her out altogether and homeschooling her.
I don't know how to navigate this area. I feel woefully unable to make the "right" decision. What do you do, what decisions do you make when your child appears to be progressing years ahead of her peers academically, but lags behind them socially? How do you continue to encourage her intellectual development without pushing her into social situations that she's not ready to handle?
I don't have the answers. I so wish I did. Some times I think maybe this is one of those areas in which there is no "right" answer, that whatever we decide will have it's good points and it's struggles, and she'll just turn out fine in the end no matter what we do.
But as a parent, no matter what the topic, that's not always a strong comfort. Because we all want to do what is best for our child, we want to make the right decisions, give our children the best opportunities to succeed in this little game we call Life. We all stress and worry and contemplate outcomes for one thing or another.
Well, right now, this is our thing.
So that's where we are in a nutshell. As always, thanks for checking in.
It feels like if I write about it, my concerns, our struggles as parents to guide Jena in this area, that I will offend someone, just for sharing this part of our journey.
I've read other blogs & message boards where just sharing your child's current progress, or even your struggles, in this are, is viewed as "bragging", when the other moms were really just trying to share what's going on in their lives.
And that's it, isn't it? The fact is that it is part of our life, part of our journey. The older Jena gets, the more frequently this topic dominates mine & Jason's conversations about how to parent Jena, how to progress, what the next step is.
The older she gets, the more worried I am that we will fail her somehow in this area, that we will make the wrong decision, that we will hold her back instead of guiding her forward.
And so I've decided to share this part of our parenting journey, because it's there, staring me in the face on a near-daily basis. And hopefully my dear readers will get that I'm not bragging, I'm worried. That Jason & I are doing our best to do right by our child, and this is just one part of that effort.
So, here goes.
My daughter is smart.
Seriously. She is incrediblyintelligent. Freakin' crazy over-the-moon smart.
So smart we don't know what to do with it.
Her preschool utilizes DECA assessments to rate how they are progressing. While in motor skills & social development she has solidly maintained scores at her age level or slightly below, in academic areas she regularly tests at years above her age.
Years. Plural.
Her school is finishing up the latest round of assessments, so we should know her most recent progress in the next few weeks.
Last year (at age 3 1/2) her preschool teachers contended that she was 90% ready for Kindergarten. The 10% that she needed to develop being her social skills.
She will start Kindergarten thiscoming Autumn, two months shy of her 5th birthday, at her preschool. This is technically starting her early. Here in Kentucky she misses the deadline by less than 10 days (ie. she "should" wait another year to start Kindergarten). But we are blessed in that her incredible, private, Montessori preschool continues thru Kindergarten and will progress her based on her abilities, not an arbitrary number.
When it comes to looking ahead to the days she will enter the traditional public school system (as that is still currently the plan), Jason & I have seriously discussed things like:
- skipping a(nother) grade,
- the school's gifted program,
- supplementing her instruction with homeschool activities, and yes, even
- pulling her out altogether and homeschooling her.
I don't know how to navigate this area. I feel woefully unable to make the "right" decision. What do you do, what decisions do you make when your child appears to be progressing years ahead of her peers academically, but lags behind them socially? How do you continue to encourage her intellectual development without pushing her into social situations that she's not ready to handle?
I don't have the answers. I so wish I did. Some times I think maybe this is one of those areas in which there is no "right" answer, that whatever we decide will have it's good points and it's struggles, and she'll just turn out fine in the end no matter what we do.
But as a parent, no matter what the topic, that's not always a strong comfort. Because we all want to do what is best for our child, we want to make the right decisions, give our children the best opportunities to succeed in this little game we call Life. We all stress and worry and contemplate outcomes for one thing or another.
Well, right now, this is our thing.
So that's where we are in a nutshell. As always, thanks for checking in.
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