Another year of preschool....... Honestly the thought had never crossed my mind. My little Madison is brilliant and kind but truth is... she's young. At least the youngest in her class, she has a June birthday. While she turns 5 this year, she will be one of the last in her class to do so.
If I moved her on to kindergarten, she would continue until she graduated, at 17 years old. Do you remember being 17 years old? I do... I was an idiot at 17 years old. I wasn't ready at 18 for what the world had to throw at me, let alone being able to do it at 17.
Her teacher called it "the gift of another year". And it makes sense, developmentally shes just at a younger age. But for some reason, the words hurt me. I couldn't help it, the feeling just flooded over me and of course just like any mom would, I placed the blame on myself. "Maybe I should have put her into a young 3's program", "We should have worked harder with her at home." But this kind of thing isn't anything you can prevent, it just takes time. It's like asking a 6 month old to walk, they just are not ready for that kind of thing yet.
I had asked the teacher "Well... what if we worked really hard with her through out the summer and put her in a summer class? How do you think she would do than?" Again the logic was there but the feelings clouded the point she was making. We could do that, yes, but it would still be a struggle for her to keep up. Kindergarten isn't what it used to be 20 years ago. It's more academically based, which is different from the sand tables and finger painting I remember. It's not just a time for kids to get used to being in a classroom, it's what we used to learn in 1st & 2nd grade.
My husband pushed against it, saying we should just send her on to kindergarten, she will be fine. If we had to hold her back later on, we will do it then. Holding a child back later in their school career can be pretty devastating though. They would have to watch their peer advance while they "repeat" the same grade. It's much more of a big deal.
This is when I hear my Aunt Amie in the back of my head, always saying "give it 24 hrs. Just 24 hours to process and think it over." So naturally I called family to get advice and put off making a decision until the next day.
Ultimately we decided to keep her at preschool another year. We have heard parents say they regret not keeping their child in preschool for another year but never the other way around. Giving your child more time is never a bad thing, Besides, it's not like we're in a hurry for her to grow up.
If I moved her on to kindergarten, she would continue until she graduated, at 17 years old. Do you remember being 17 years old? I do... I was an idiot at 17 years old. I wasn't ready at 18 for what the world had to throw at me, let alone being able to do it at 17.
Her teacher called it "the gift of another year". And it makes sense, developmentally shes just at a younger age. But for some reason, the words hurt me. I couldn't help it, the feeling just flooded over me and of course just like any mom would, I placed the blame on myself. "Maybe I should have put her into a young 3's program", "We should have worked harder with her at home." But this kind of thing isn't anything you can prevent, it just takes time. It's like asking a 6 month old to walk, they just are not ready for that kind of thing yet.
I had asked the teacher "Well... what if we worked really hard with her through out the summer and put her in a summer class? How do you think she would do than?" Again the logic was there but the feelings clouded the point she was making. We could do that, yes, but it would still be a struggle for her to keep up. Kindergarten isn't what it used to be 20 years ago. It's more academically based, which is different from the sand tables and finger painting I remember. It's not just a time for kids to get used to being in a classroom, it's what we used to learn in 1st & 2nd grade.
My husband pushed against it, saying we should just send her on to kindergarten, she will be fine. If we had to hold her back later on, we will do it then. Holding a child back later in their school career can be pretty devastating though. They would have to watch their peer advance while they "repeat" the same grade. It's much more of a big deal.
This is when I hear my Aunt Amie in the back of my head, always saying "give it 24 hrs. Just 24 hours to process and think it over." So naturally I called family to get advice and put off making a decision until the next day.
Ultimately we decided to keep her at preschool another year. We have heard parents say they regret not keeping their child in preschool for another year but never the other way around. Giving your child more time is never a bad thing, Besides, it's not like we're in a hurry for her to grow up.
As a teacher, and someone who graduated at 17 "back in the day", don't fret. Giving your child space to grow is awesome. Knowing that they aren't ready is okay. Hugs momma. ~Aimee from theburnedhand.com
ReplyDeleteYou took the words right out of my mouth with your last sentence... what is the rush? If she was very bored in the class that would be one thing but if she is thriving I'd go with the teacher's suggestion. Also, this will make her now the oldest in her new year, right? Far better chance at being average or at the top of the class versus struggling. It's so hard to know what is right. Trust your decision and don't look back. I believe as long as we do what is in the best interest of our children we can't be wrong. you did good, mama.
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I'm sure she'll do fine either way. As far as your comment on 17 year olds, I was engaged at 17, graduated less than a month after turning 18, and was married a month before I turned 19. In my experience, age is not what matters. Maturity of an individual does. I know that's not what you meant when you made the comment, but I just wanted to point it out. :)
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