What happens once they reach school age?

[kmum]

I am wondering what plans everyone has for their child once they reach school age.  The amount of knowledge some kids will have may make their schooling needs different than other kids in the same grade.  Is anyone in this position already?

[carpe_diem]

Hello -
I used the Doman 'Teach Your Baby to Read' kit with my eldest many years ago when it first came out. He loved his flashcards as a toddler.
I didn't keep up the reading cards much longer than a year - he was so keen on more and more cards that I decided he needed to have other developmental experiences. I had the idea that he might lose out on 'play'
 
However when he started school he went straight into reading with confidence.
Whilst the other kids were starting from the beginning, he already had a wider vocabulary and was more articulate. Certainly the teachers were pleased with his progress and kept him busy - he was always encouraged to extend his skills, using them to use dictionaries and finding information.
The practise he had had in early reading and language skills were definitely an advantage. 

[KL]

Felicity started in pre-nursery last year and just started kindergarten. 

This too has been a concern of mine, and I spoke to her class teacher about it recently.  The teacher says that she does seem to get bored at times when she's teaching stuff which Felicity already knows (though the funny thing is, sometimes when the teacher would skip certain words to make the story more simple, Felicity would correct her... ).

The good thing is, she would often group students into different groups according to their abilities, so that she can go at a more advanced level with the more advanced.

I think the important thing to do is to make sure that the school has a system to deal with children of different abilities, and so make sure you talk to the school first.

[kmum]

Thanks for your responses.
That is so funny about Felicity correcting the teacher!

[jtg]

In the book Native Reading: How to Teach Your Child to Read, Easily and Naturally, Before the Age of Three, the author has a pretty funny discussion of this issue, including a first kinda nightmare scenario with a preschool teacher who only saw a reading three year old as some sort of problem!

Kailing ended up switching to a Montessori school and found it worked really well for a bunch of different reasons. For example, the multi-age classrooms make the difference of ability less of a big deal (the oldest kids in class can often read), and the because the activities are child chosen and not all big group activities, a fluent-reading two or three year old can choose something appropriate for where they are at, and not have to sit bored while the whole class learns the alphabet together.

Montessori schools can vary quite a bit, but those points are pretty generally valid. The detailed discussion of native reading, the transition to school, and Montessori is in the notes of the book, on page 155, for those that have it. I know a few parents who have sort of skimmed the notes of Native Reading, because the notes are occasionally a little more scientific than the rest of the book. They're worth reading though, IMO.

[kmum]

Those are some good points! I also wonder if home schooling is pretty common.

[carpe_diem]

Hi 
I homeschooled my youngest (years ago - he is now a father of three )
My older two kids were at secondary school when he was born - so his language development was very advanced and he was keen to read from very early on. I  considered the local school for him but decided that I could do better myself being a trained teacher anyway.

Homeschooling meant that he could learn all the time. He learned at his own pace and had the opportunity to go as deeply into topics as he wanted without having to be cut restrained by the school programme.

We both enjoyed his years at home - but in those days there was no internet and by the time he was 12 I thought he ought to go to the secondary school - because of the social aspect and because I couldn't do science with him at the level he needed.
There is so much available on the internet now that I think it would be possible to homeschool for much longer.

We joined a UK homeschool support organisation 'EO' (Education Otherwise) - which was helpful. They had a slogan "School Is Not Compulsory" but that education IS compulsory. 

[grass_tiger]

Hi, my daughter is three years old and is reading first level readers. We plan to homeschool, because we aren't confident she would get what she needs elsewhere. I know there are some good schools out there, but they seem pretty rare and if we are customizing her education to her, she should be more likely to get what she needs. My husband and I both are gifted and learning disabled and our schools didn't know what to do with us. She had the same problems with the Early Intervention program and feel we would probably run into it in most schools too. Where we were able to get to know her really well and present things the way she needed them even though others said not to do it that way. By following our daughter she got to where she needed to go very quickly and is excelling. Her Early Intervention evaluators actually encouraged us to homeschool (we were shocked!) and the OT said, "Whatever you are doing, keep doing it". Most teachers have many students and don't have the time to work so individually with everyone. I don't think homeschooling is necessarily best for everyone, but I think it might end up being best for our us.

Leah

[karli]

I am really hoping to home-educate. I was home educated in Australia and the majority of my friends here in London home-ed as well so it seems natural to me. However I may have to go back to work...Damn that money thing!!!!

[linzy]

My dream is to homeschool my son.  In the next 1-2 years I hope to take a more flexible job so I can devote myself more fully to it.  I was reading anything I could get my hands on by the age of 3 and stayed ahead, as a result I was bored stiff in school.  Although I got all A's and was valedictorian I was a horrible student.  I would find ways to get out of class so I didn't have to go; I would memorize things the night before the test, ace it, and then forget everything; or myself and each of my friends would just do a portion of the homework and then combine the answers. School was just an exercise in tedium as far as I was concerned.  Anyway here I am years hence and now I am interested in learning things, and I lament the opportunities I missed.  I think if I could be the one to teach my son in a joyous way then instead of him seeing school as something to get through he will see it as an opportunity to satiate his appetite for knowledge and enjoying learning how to become a lifelong learner. Not to mention I want to be there to see him learn these things (and perhaps pick up some things I missed myself).

[rixu]

now E can read some simple words and sure she can do i perfectly by the age she reaches to preschooler. i wonder how she would feel if i send her to a preschool where they just start from begging, the things she knows already. will she feel boring or do she enjoy. how did you all feel about.

in Maldives we have pre schools from 2 1/2 years onward. there they are teaching just those nursery rhymes and coloring and these are the things she would be perfect to. so do i need to send her pre school regularly

[linzy]

I'm sure she will enjoy the social aspect of preschool.  But as far as intellectually I doubt she will be stretched at all intellectually.  She will probably end up teaching the other children.

[Grover]

One of my daughters has a visual memory. She counts and writes her name and she is four. The children at a young age, prior starting school..will show you how intelligent they actually are.

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