Educating nonKiddos

[Ensign Steve]

Here's another anecdatum. I probably told you guys this already.

I know someone who is an adult person now, but I knew her also when she was a baby. She didn't go to preschool because her mom couldn't afford it, and her mom was fairly neglectful in the intellectual stimulation department. Mostly I saw this child sit in a room with the TV on while her mom talked on the phone.

By the time she reached kindergarten age, she could barely talk in full sentences, much less read or do math or any of that. Her doctor suggested holding her back a year because he thought she wasn't ready. She has one of those borderline birthdays so she was still pretty young and she wouldn't have been much older than the other kids if they had waited a year.

But! Public kindergarten is free childcare, so they didn't wait. Best decision ever! As soon as she got in school and got any kind of stimulation, she completely thrived. By the time she got to first grade, she was about as prepared as anybody else in her class. Now she's all grown up and a successful, functional human person, so no harm done I guess.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by Ensign Steve

Now she's all grown up and a successful, functional human person, so no harm done I guess.

I thought for a moment you were talking about yourself, but clearly not.

[Janet]

Originally Posted by wildernesse

He knows his colors and shapes and a fair amount about outer space, dinosaurs, sea life, weather, the human body, and the mechanics of a steam engine.

All I could think when I read that was, "They must own a lot of DK books." Just can't turn off those librarian reactions.

[wildernesse]

Originally Posted by Janet

All I could think when I read that was, "They must own a lot of DK books." Just can't turn off those librarian reactions.

Not as many as you might think, because I made the mistake of buying one about Dinosaurs and then being REQUIRED to read it from the beginning until he got bored. Every day. For a very long time. It has like 200 pages! I only recently discovered where I had hid it.

[wildernesse]

Originally Posted by wildernesse

So what you're all saying is that I'm stressing myself out because my 4 year old can't write.

He's teaching himself to write.

[catchthisdrift]

Originally Posted by Sock Puppet

IMO, preschool is only important if you look at your kid and have misgivings about whether he/she will have trouble adapting to the classroom environment when kindergarten age comes around. I don't think it has much more application than that.

I agree... except for families in which the parents haven't had the time, or simply didn't care, to teach "the basics" like colors and puzzles and those other things most 3-4 year old can do to some extent.

One thing about what wildernesse said about the child's opportunities to learn to follow directions, etc... moms at play dates, Sunday School teachers.. they most likely are a little more loose with strict rules than a child could run into at school.

[wildernesse]

Originally Posted by catchthisdrift

I agree... except for families in which the parents haven't had the time, or simply didn't care, to teach "the basics" like colors and puzzles and those other things most 3-4 year old can do to some extent.

One thing about what wildernesse said about the child's opportunities to learn to follow directions, etc... moms at play dates, Sunday School teachers.. they most likely are a little more loose with strict rules than a child could run into at school.

True, but he's also the kid who remembers all the rules and tries to get the other kids to follow them. I'm less worried about preschool as we are less than a year away from kindergarten now. He will probably have a hard time being away from home all day at first, but maybe not by then.

[Angakuk]

If he loves being away from home all day won't that just make you feel like crap?

[wildernesse]

Haha, no, because I would love to be away from home all day!