I interacted with parents and teachers in the last two weeks. The parents were transitioning their children to a different classroom which meant a different setting and teacher for their children. The parents were asking different questions like what will their child learn and also telling the teachers what they are expecting their child to learn. What was new to me was how they transitioned kids during the middle of the year. The kids that were transitioned over to the Pre-K 2 classroom are ready to be over there but I just never knew that they would transition kids like that. Most of the children will be going to Kindergarten so the main concern of the parents was would their child be ready for Kindergarten when they left that classroom. So on this particular morning Ms. Jan and Anndrella Lee (Director) held a brief morning meeting with the parents of the children who are going to kindergarten. Ms. Jan explained to her parents what are some of the things the kids will be learning in kindergarten and what type of work they will be doing. She also talked about other things the teacher would be looking for.
Ms. Jan explained that kindergarten is much more academically challenging than what kindergarten use to be.Ms. Jan explained to the parents the children will be learning a lot more than what they are learning at the center but this is why she is preparing them for the type of work they will be doing and this is why she push the children so hard. In her class this is why the children are working on sight words, she is working on their reading skills, and she is also working on math skills that may seem challenging to them. Ms. Jan then gave the parents a survey to complete at home and she also had the same survey to complete herself for how the children are at school. The survey included some questions like this, does your child have the oral communication skills to make his/ her needs/wants clearly understood or met, can your child separate from you for hours at a time, Is your child able to follow one- and two-step directions and follow rules, can your child sit and pay attention for at least 10-15 minutes at a time, does your child get along well with other children, Is your child able to complete personal needs independently, does your child know how to use crayons, a pencil, and scissors, and can your child state his full name, address and phone number?
They had a good turn out for this meeting and the parents were asking a lot of questions about kindergarten and asked what could they do at home to help their child/children in this transition. Some parents even said, "Ms. Jan what can we do to help you in this process because we know that it is a lot of work and you can't do it by yourself." As an observer it made me feel good that they were moving in the right direction and that they were all on the same page. This is what parent involvement is all about.
About Me
- Nakia Davis Group 1/ Foundations Early Childhood
- My Name Is Nakia Davis, I Have Been Teaching For 10 Years and I Have A 18 Year Old Son.
I think this transition in the middle of the school year is very strange. It seems confusing for parents and children . I am also concerned about the amount of work these children are doing before they reach Kindergarten. Does this teacher have an Early Childhood Bachelors degree? It seems like very often teachers are teaching things they are not qualified to teach and if they teach it the wrong way it can be more work for the children to learn it the right way when they go to Kindergarten. I do like how the director and teacher had a meeting with the parents so they know what to expect. It is good to have parents on your side and to have them on board with what is going on in the classroom. Great Post!
ReplyDeleteHi Nakia, kindergarten is advanced more now than it use to be that's for sure. The children are doing a lot of different things like math, reading, science, etc. When my grandson was in his kindergarten class I was amazed at what the children was doing. However it is important to steer them in that direction so, it can get them ready for what's ahead of them in their educational development. I also love the idea about the survey. It gives the parents the opportunity to voice their opinions about subjects they might want to talk about in depth and couldn't do it at the meeting.
ReplyDeleteThis meeting sounds very informative. It sounded like the parents got their answers answered too. I think this is a good transition for these children. Kindergarten can be scary; these children are leaving their comfort zone from the child care center or home center they are used to and going into this big school with unfamiliar faces.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have come across a nice center. The closeness of the families also sounds like it is a great benefit, especially for them. It sounds like there is a variety of a student and family situations as well, which I personally think is great. I also really like that the families are so involved in the transition of their children when entering kindergarten, because i believe is it also a change for the parents as well as the student.
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