Entries in Kindergarten (3)
Princess said something that made me laugh this weekend. We were riding back home from going out to breakfast and I was complaining about Starbucks being the devil and accusing them of putting crack in their pumpkin lattes…which I am suddenly finding myself hugely addicted to…after being coffee-free for over a year. My conversation was with THE Daddy and I didn’t know she was listening. We hear from the back seat:
”Mommy, I know who the devil is.”
THE Daddy and I look at each other and I say, “Really…who is the devil, honey?”
She says, “The snake ate the apple and turned into the devil. I learned that at school.”
She was all proud of herself…too cute. Glad we're paying $3500 for her to go to a Catholic kindergarten!
Leave a Comment
Yesterday was the first half-day for Princess at her kindergarten. I mentioned before that we were struggling with the half or full day option. She’s so ready to be at school full-days, but we were unhappy about the lack of curriculum in the afternoons. We decided to give her a little of each and dropped her down to half days on Mondays and Fridays. Tuition was reduced $475, score!
My morning went a little smoother. I was able to get the kids ready without having to pack her a lunch. It saved me about 10 precious minutes. We actually got our “good morning” call into THE Daddy before getting into the car. I hate having to pass off my cell phone and translate “BamBam Speak” via speaker phone while trying to drive.
I was a little worried that Princess would be upset when she had to leave, but it was quite the opposite. I’m not sure who was more excited when 11:45 rolled around! I was able to get in 3 hours of work while she was there for the morning. Knowing that I didn’t have all day really forced me to focus and get things done. I was greeted with a big hug and huge smiles. She was tickled pink to leave and spend the afternoon running errands with Mommy.
We got to spend some quality “girl” time together without THE Daddy or BamBam, a rarity these days. Since she had my undivided attention, I was able to throw in a little learning along the way. We went to Friendly’s for lunch and worked on a connect-the-dots picture while waiting, all the way up to the number 40. We went grocery shopping where we talked about words and numbers. We came home and she was able to color and spell words for a bit before we had to head back out to pick up BamBam.
I’m not 100% on the half-day bandwagon. Even though they aren’t teaching new concepts in the afternoons, I still think she benefits from being there. She’ll be better prepared for first grade. Also, she loves playing in the “centers” in the afternoons at school and is looking forward to being there all day today. I think the 2 half-days will be something that we both look forward to.
Does your school district have full-day kindergarten? Is it really a full-day program, or mixed in with half-day students? I'm curious to know what other parents are doing...especially if you only have half-day in your town and you work. Please leave a comment.
Kindergarten: Half or Full Day?
Posted by
THE Mommy
in Mommyism, Parenting, Princess, Kindergarten
Princess started kindergarten a few weeks ago. Our public school has full-day, half-day AM and half-day PM. Sounds great, right? Not so much. They apparently do not have enough full-day spots for all the families who prefer full-day. Therefore, they do a “lottery” for their full-day spots. Unfortunately, we did not win the lottery and they only gave her a half-day in the morning from 8:30-11. Do the math, that’s only 2.5 hours. Once you throw in snack and recess, not a heck of a lot left for “school”. That might be fine when BamBam starts school. Princess has always been advanced for her age. She already is trying to read. She really needs a full-day curriculum to keep her interested.
SO, we decided to send her to a private, Catholic school. Their enrollment numbers have been down in recent years and they saw what was happening in town with kindergarten, so they jumped on the bandwagon and offered a full-day program. It’s actually the school that I went for 1st-8th grade, so you’d think it would have been an easier decision for me. I loved the school and it was definitely a better environment and stronger curriculum than the public school at that time. Times have changed a bit and they appear to be struggling. I’ll give them an “A” for environment still, but I’m not sure that they’re much stronger on the curriculum. Also, now that I’m the one paying the tuition, I hate fact that we pay through the nose in taxes (just over $5k a year) and I’m shelling out $4k just for my child to get a quality education.
After a summer filled with waiting for the lottery results and the indecision that followed, we committed to sending her to the private school. She was very excited because her “boyfriend” across the street is a big 1st grader and attends that school as well. They held an Open House the night before school began…that’s when I saw the first red flag.
Apparently, they decided to mix the full-day and half-day students within the same classroom. The half-day kids are there from 8:20-11:45 (still better than the public school!). In order to make it work, they decided to only introduce new concepts in the morning when the entire class is there. Red Flag, but I thought “OK, perhaps they will be reinforcing concepts in the afternoons, not a big deal.”
The first few days I picked Princess up at school, she was so excited that she could barely remember anything that occurred throughout the day. Once she settled in, she was able to give me a complete play-by-play. The 5-year old version of what transpires from 11:45am until 3pm when I pick her up was this:
“Um, we ate lunch. And played outside for recess. Then we put our heads on our desks. Then we played in centers”
This became a recurring theme, so I started probing a little more.
Me: “Princess, what’s your teacher doing when you play in centers?”
Princess: “She works at her desk”.
Me: “What do you do at your centers?”
Princess: “I colored today”
Basically, for $1500 more for the year, I’m paying for my daughter to put her head down on her desk and color. This doesn’t fly for me. Perhaps there are other parents who work outside of the home and cannot have their kids in the afternoons, but I can do better than having her put her head on her desk and color. I work from home. I’m just on the computer. I never even have to make a phone call. She can easily do some worksheets or play an educational game and get more out of it.
I didn’t want to be labeled a PIA, but I ended up sending the Principal an email and having a quick conversation with the teacher. I tried to be as nice and PC as possible. I stressed that I love the school and really like the teacher, but I wasn’t convinced that Princess was benefiting from a full-day program and we would like to explore options. They pretty much think I’m crazy. The teacher thinks it’s fabulous for the kids in the afternoon because “they get to listen to classic music” (ah, ha! They DO put their heads down on their desks!) and “they get to work independently in centers and are really starting to create imaginative things…and they’re starting to pick up after themselves.” REALLY…that is fabulous! My kids get to color at home all the time and have no choice but to pick up after themselves because we, as parents, require it!! The school even threw me the “I totally understand if it’s a financial decision” card…which kind of pissed me off. Sure, there is a price tag involved, however, I never even mentioned money being an issue. Red flag number two.
I sent in a letter to the Principal this morning, so I’m anticipating a phone call…and dreading the sound of the phone ringing. Starting next week, we decided to drop Princess to half-days on Mondays and Fridays. My gut tells me that we won’t be agonizing with indecision next summer. If I had to make a decision right now, she’ll be going to the public school for 1st grade. We’ll see what the rest of the year brings.
What is kindergarten like in your town? Any stories you’d like to share? Please leave a comment.
