Conference moira::parenting

This note was also entered in the EDUCATION_ISSUES file.
For those who don't read there here's my reply.....

Mike 
       <<< CVG::LSTARK$DKA200:[PUBLIC.NOTES]EDUCATION_ISSUES.NOTE;1 >>>
                             -< Education Issues >-
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Note 138.1                    Age and grade levels                        1 of 1
WWDST1::MGILBERT "Education Reform starts at home...."  45 lines  26-JAN-1994 09:16
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You have 2 things to consider.  The first is social and
the second is educational. 

The social aspect of school is important. You should 
visit classrooms in each of the schools and observe
the interaction of the children and their level of
socialization in order to judge how your own child
will fit in. You do have an advantage. Since your
child is currently in a Montessori setting I'm assuming
that he's already dealing with social interactions
among kids both older and younger than himself as 
Montessori classroom usually have age groupings spanning
3 years (3-6, 6-9, 9-12).  

The education aspect revolves around interaction between
you and your child's current teacher now and possibly
a future teacher. Montessori education allows students
to move through curriculum areas at differing rates. 
You need to work with the current teacher to understand
where your child is at in terms of grade level work in
each subject area and then determine where he best fits
in a traditional environment. If you are not comfortable
with the current teacher you should explore possible
assessment options with the new school.


A couple of cautions. Many educators, both public and
private, are unfamiliar with Montessori education. Some
will deem it a slow plodding methodology and try to hold
back a child. Others see it as excelling the learning
process and will push kids too far too fast. Many will
simply stick to their rules on age eligibility (IE if
the Kindergarten entrance age is 5 on Dec. 1st then the
3rd grade entrance age is 8 on Dec. 1st). Additionally,
you don't say how long your child has been in the 
Montessori school. Montessori education is a different
style and thus transition to a traditional classroom
can present its own problems. In my community, where
we run a public Montessori program, we provide a 
transition year for Montessori students. Our classes
use the 3-6 and 6-9 age groupings and also have a
"4th grade" year for 9-10 year olds that transitions 
students from Montessori education to the traditional
middle school program.

    I'm new to this conference and generally read only, but this issue
    touches very close to home, so here is my $.02 -
    
    I grew up as an Air Force "brat" and when I was 4 my Dad was stationed
    in the UK.  This was back in the 50's when American bases overseas did
    not have dependent schools as a rule.  At age 4 1/2 I started school in
    the village we lived in.  When we returned to the US, I had completed
    the first year of English primary school and was placed in the 3rd
    grade.  I entered junior high at the age of 10 and high school when I
    was 12.  I graduated from high school when I was 16.  Fortunately at
    that point I was mature enough to recognize that I was not ready for
    college and did a "post graduate" year at my high school  Even then, I
    entered college at 17 and ended up leaving after my freshman year with
    a 1.4 GPA (immaturity and being away from home for the first time both
    took their toll).  After my freshman year I went into the Air Force for
    4 years, and when I returned to college I was better equipped to handle
    it and actually ended up graduating cum laude.
    
    Although I have many fond memories of my school days, I have just as
    many unpleasant ones.  I was the "baby" of each class I was in. 
    Academically I did well, although at time immaturity affected my
    performance.  It was the social aspects that really suffered.  Although
    I loved sports, and ultimately played in college, in high school I was
    just to young and physically immature to be able to participate.  I
    didn't go to dances, or even date - after all which one of my
    classmates would be seen dating someone 2 or 3 years younger than them,
    and if you're in high school you don't date someone from the junior
    high - even if they are the same age.
    
    Although it might not seem like such a big deal now, consider the
    implications all the way down the line.  I know that looking back, if I
    could have changed things I would have liked to have had the
    opportunity to go thru school with classmates of my own age.
    
    Steve
    

    
    I do not know your answer... but just to keep the 
    scales balanced...
    
    My family grows them big and early :-)  My brother was a
    January baby and I was a March baby.  I believe the cut 
    off back then was in December sometime.  Anyway, we were
    one of the oldest in the class and always much 
    taller/older looking then everyone else.  Even in my 
    1st grade picture, my shoulders were higher then most
    students heads...
    
    Anyway, if your son really looks like a 8/9 year old, maybe
    his height could hinder his acclimation to a younger class.
    
    Just a thought...
    Amy

    How does he feel about the move, and what grade would he prefer? I ask
    this because when my neice moved from Montessori to public school, she
    asked to be moved, first of all, because she wasn't challenged any
    longer at the Montessori, and secondly, she agreed quite willingly to
    go into 3rd rather than 2nd.
    
    I guess my suggestion is to factor in his thoughts/feelings about the
    situation.
    
    regards,
    

While it may be difficult if the new school is not a Montessori school, you 
may want to copare the curriculum at the new school with what he is studying 
currently.

If the course material is more or less similar in the two second grades, but 
the teaching style is very different, I would recommend the second grade, to 
give him time to get acclimated.  I assume that the grades change in 
September, so that would mean that he would be going from second to fourth in 
a short period of time, with also a change in teaching style.

As for his size, do you have reason to believe that he will always be ahead 
of the growth curve?  Are you and your husband both big?  If not, it could be 
that he has just grown early and other kids will start catching up soon.

As a mod, I think that your issue is a bit different than what age to start 
kindergarten, so I won't move it, but I do suggest that you read through the 
entries in topic 139, since many of the issues are similar.

Clay  

I'm not sure about the school system where you live, but where I am, a child
turning seven this March would only be in 1st grade.  If he goes into 3rd now,
and 4th this September (as a 7 year old!), I would think that he'd be 2-3 years
younger than most of his classmates.  In my opinion, there is too much of a 
difference socially between 7 year olds and 9 year olds to have this be a good
situation for your child.

One of my best friends in grades 5-8 was a girl who was very bright and had 
skipped first grade.  Even the one year difference in age made it difficult
for her to "fit in" with most of the students in our class.

                                                Tracy

    I have a son, birthday June 1, he started school when he was five.
    He turned 6 at the end of the year.  He was academically tested before 
    entering school, he tested at a first grade level.  Being a young mother, 
    I didn't realize that there is a big difference between socially ready/
    emotionally ready/academically ready.  He is very intelligent, but he
    is having a hard time keeping up with the social/emotional situations.
    He just doesn't seem as mature as the other kids.  If I had realized 
    this earlier, I would have either held him back a year or switched
    schools and kept him back a year.  I feel that now it would be far more
    devastating to his self-esteem to hold him back.  I will continue to
    tutor him at home and help him understand his assignments and his
    homework but not do them for him.  I would suggest that for my children
    (both who were born in the spring) the emotional/social maturity be 
    the determining factor rather than the educational/intellectual level. 
    I would rather them be able to be a little ahead  in their school work
    than a year behind in the emotional/social settings. 
    
    Sidenote:  I just cannot believe the amount of peer pressure these kids
    face.