Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Is Pre-K necessary?

raeanna74 · 08-12-2009, 07:08 PM

Your son may do fine in Pre-K. Especially with the knowledge that he has already. I think the biggest contribution to sending a child to Pre-K is for him to learn to listen and follow instructions in a group setting. This could be done in the home daycare setting too though. One other main requirement is that he be fully potty trained. Do this for his sake and for the teacher's sake. Imagine handing 10-20 4 yr olds with only one helper and to have one wet his clothes and whatever he's sitting on at the moment.

I seen too many children who were not helped by PreK. I worked with a PreK class for a month this year. (I'm a teacher's aid and move from room to room.) There were a few kids who excelled and consequently got into a lot of trouble because they were bored and their creative minds thought of more trouble to get into. NOT a good start in school IMHO. I also saw too many of the 4 yr olds having trouble halfway through the morning because they were getting tired already. If your 4 yr old needs longer naps yet it probably would not be wise to send him.

Then there's my own daughter - I skipped Pre-K. I even skipped starting her in Kindergarten when she was 5 because she made the cut off date for starting by only 2 weeks. She would have been the youngest in her class and I could see that she wasn't able to manage sitting still for very long among other social skills needed for school. When I did start her she was only the second oldest and she had the social skills and knowledge to handle everything that came at her. She is going into 3rd grade and is the best reader in her class and one of the best in math skills as well. She has had very few behavior issues. I think she's an example of how waiting may actually be a good thing.

I know I haven't helped much by giving both sides but in the end, you've got to follow your gut. If you do I doubt you'll regret it. If you don't you'll be constantly questioning "Would he have had this problem if I'd..." Good Luck.

08-12-2009, 07:08 PM	#34 (permalink)
raeanna74 I'm not a blonde! I'm knot! I'm knot! I'm knot! Location: Upper Michigan	Your son may do fine in Pre-K. Especially with the knowledge that he has already. I think the biggest contribution to sending a child to Pre-K is for him to learn to listen and follow instructions in a group setting. This could be done in the home daycare setting too though. One other main requirement is that he be fully potty trained. Do this for his sake and for the teacher's sake. Imagine handing 10-20 4 yr olds with only one helper and to have one wet his clothes and whatever he's sitting on at the moment. I seen too many children who were not helped by PreK. I worked with a PreK class for a month this year. (I'm a teacher's aid and move from room to room.) There were a few kids who excelled and consequently got into a lot of trouble because they were bored and their creative minds thought of more trouble to get into. NOT a good start in school IMHO. I also saw too many of the 4 yr olds having trouble halfway through the morning because they were getting tired already. If your 4 yr old needs longer naps yet it probably would not be wise to send him. Then there's my own daughter - I skipped Pre-K. I even skipped starting her in Kindergarten when she was 5 because she made the cut off date for starting by only 2 weeks. She would have been the youngest in her class and I could see that she wasn't able to manage sitting still for very long among other social skills needed for school. When I did start her she was only the second oldest and she had the social skills and knowledge to handle everything that came at her. She is going into 3rd grade and is the best reader in her class and one of the best in math skills as well. She has had very few behavior issues. I think she's an example of how waiting may actually be a good thing. I know I haven't helped much by giving both sides but in the end, you've got to follow your gut. If you do I doubt you'll regret it. If you don't you'll be constantly questioning "Would he have had this problem if I'd..." Good Luck. __________________ "Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama My Karma just ran over your Dogma.