Are you ready for kindergarten? Am I? Is Z?

[dsrtao]

Here's what the school district wants in a child entering kindergarten:

[Unknown site tag]

• Listen to stories without interrupting. That sounds like it's for the teacher's convenience. I don't listen to stories much in the office, although I do write them from time to time. Z can do this.
  
• Understand actions have both causes and effects. 37% of the voters don't know this one.
  
• Cut with scissors. I suppose. Although a knife with a straightedge guide is usually better.
  
• Follow simple directions. Z manages complex directions, when he feels like it. Creating simple directions is harder -- that's programming!
  
• Manage bathroom needs. An excellent skill. Everyone should have them. Politely excusing your self from a meeting or class, for instance... what do you mean, carry a pass?
  
• Button shirts, etc... the people on television aren't great role models, and Z's only clothes with fasteners are one button-down shirt and several polo shirts. He's so preppy...
  
• Begin to control oneself. I hear some subtext...
  
• Separate from parents without being upset. Have I ever told you the story of How I Went Home in the Middle of the Day and the Teacher Never Noticed?
  
• Speak understandably. Z can pronounce seventy-nine dinosaur species.
  
• Talk in complete sentences of five to six words. How about fifty words with proper subclauses and phrases?
  
• Identify some alphabet letters. Z is teaching himself to read silently. He identifies some non-English letters.
  
• Count to ten. E counts backwards for rocket launches. Z is trying out counting by 2s and 3s.
  
• Be ready to listen. No comment.
  
• Be responsible for putting away his toys. Well, when prompted.
  
• Establish a clear dismissal routine for your child to follow. Fish bicycle?
  
• Smile. Condescend much?
  
• ...more things for parents, not kids.
  

The question is not whether Z is ready for kindergarten. The question is whether he is ready for first grade or second.

Comments

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

I hate to say it but some of these skills are definitely worth learning, and (if I can be somewhat rude) ones that you lacked. I remember a time when we went to do some crafts...I think cutting up paper and stapling it to bulletin boards -- and either your scissor or your stapling skills were highly suspect. (Can't remember which right now.) I blame your kindergarten teacher! The world could have ended!

On a more serious note, I'm glad they wrote these down. These are actually fairly important skills. Learning to take your turn is something you need to have down pat before you learn when you *may* interrupt. Learning to dress yourself and use the potty properly...well, let's just say I wish that folks were taught that better just about every time I use a public restroom. (And I still routinely miss a button in the middle of my shirt somewhere.)

Learning to smile...is a sign of social engagement. I think there's something wrapped up in there which isn't condescension, but should be better expressed. Something like, "should be socially engageable"?

...anyway. Interesting list.

(Oh, and of *course* it's for the teacher's convenience. I'm not sure why this part is surprising.)

[marysdress.livejournal.com]

Actually, it's not just for the teacher's convenience. It's also for the other children who need to share the teacher. A child who is not developmentally ready for kindergarten can disrupt the entire class and require lots of extra time. If you're paying for a private school with a small class, this isn't such a big deal. If you're going to public school, then it's a big deal. (See my note I'm going to post about our own experience.)

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Well put.

Some social structures exist to make things smoother for everyone, lest the squeaky wheels get *all* the grease.