Will my child be bored in kindergarten?

Question:

I have a 3.5 year old daughter.  I am a stay-at-home mom.  I have always put learning first in our home and she seems to be ahead of others her age or a little older.  Is the hard work and time I have invested in her education going to backfire when she goes to school?  Will she be bored and unchallenged?  I have friends who say they aren’t working as hard as I do because they don’t want their child to be bored.  I don’t want to think like them but I seem to be out-numbered every time this subject comes up.

Response:

Mediocre attitudes lead to mediocre lives!  You are making all of the right choices for your little girl.  Good kindergarten teachers are able to teach to an individual child’s needs and build forward on their strengths.  As a kindergarten teacher for 15 years, I cringed when parents would introduce themselves and their child to me that way.  Almost proud of doing nothing to make my life (as the teacher) easier, saying things like,  “Well… we didn’t want her to be a behavior problem and we didn’t want her to be bored in your class so we decided to limit how much we have taught her.” 

Barbaric and unbelievable, but yes… well within the norm for some parents -I see it as a “cop-out.”  They don’t know what to do so they do very little.  Enrolling their children in expensive extra-curricular activities that many times over stimulate little ones, overscheduled parents and the children and leave little time for developing the imagination, which is critical for optimal brain development. 

When the time comes and your little one goes off to school you will feel proud of your accomplishments and her love for learning.  If you believe the teacher will be appreciative of your child’s gifts and love for learning, then that is what you will receive. 

You will have a chance to meet with your child’s teacher prior to school starting.  You should share what you have been doing at home and where you think she needs more assistance.  Let the teacher know how willing you are to do extra activities at home.  Kindergarten teachers trust parents to offer lots of information that will support them in the classroom.  The transition is a difficult one for many five year olds, therefore we want to keep a certain sense of normal in their day.

Speaking for all teachers of young children, “we LOVE parents like you!”  You are providing a path for us to teach your child much more than we might have dreamed of teaching.  Kindergarten teachers like to (and, have to) teach more than the ABC’s and 123’s, buttoning, zipping, tying and washing hands. 

Today’s kindergarten is yesterday’s first grade.  Standards are higher and the No Child Left Behind act is making accountability tough.  I might suggest that your friends take a few hours to visit some kindergarten classrooms to see what kindergarten is really like. 

Good luck and bless you for your hard work!

Tracey Bryant Stuckey

Chief Creative Learning Officer

www.wigglegigglelearn.com