Kindergarten Woes

Another school year, another basket full of angst toward our public school system.

As you might remember, Nick was in the first ever kindergarten class for our town. Before that, there was just no public kindergarten. That was year #1, the angst revolving around the fact that I was sending my firstborn off to the wolves in an unproven program run in a bunch of trailers that was only 2.5 hours long. Because we didn't want to spend the money on a full day program.

Year #2 of angst was because Nick was recommended for the transitional program instead of 1st grade. They deemed him unready, and predicted he would not do well. I angsted over that one plenty, although in the end I came around and decided it was the best thing for him. A lot of this has to do with the teacher he ended up with, because she is so wonderful, and I would put him anywhere to have had her.

Anyway, my angst and anger have become unleashed over this anew, in this is the LAST year that particular program will be offered. It's the money. They don't say that, though. instead, they posted a particularly snotty paper written in "researchese" explaining how it has been proven for YEARS that holding a child back at this level does not improve their chances at success, and that giving a child an extra year of kindergarten is just a waste of time and resources, and that it poses a bunch of extra problems later in middle school, something which no parent ever wants to consider when making this choice. And now it's rendered useless as we have this kindergarten program set up and can spot children who will have difficulties on the way in and offer these perhaps twelve children a full day for "extra help."

I have to say, I read this article and then shook for hours. Because for years the one thing I have been hearing about the transition program is "It's not Kindergarten!" and it's not. The kindergarten program is 2.5 hours. Transition is full day. They do the work the first grade does at a less intense pace. Also, this lady who wrote this report obviously did not talk to me about what I considered in making this choice, because I did so think about his being a year ahead in middle school and in high school and in college. I thought about his self esteem and his abilities and weighed placing him in a classroom where he was unable to keep up and would foster a hatred of school and a sense in incompetence with that extra year.

But most of all I got angry that they placed all this on the parent. As though I forced them to put my child in the transition program because I had some sneaky plan to make him a better football player or a better student than anyone else. Like I was trying to cheat the system. The SCHOOL offered and even recommended it. That was why I did it. And now they turn around and basically state that it was a selfish choice that is, in the long run, not actually going to help my child. And by the way, my kid went to their new kindergarten, and still 'wasn't ready', so there.

I have more to say, but it's going to need it's own post because I'm too wound up.