First year dealing with public school, DS is in kindergarten. The teacher seems very energetic, and there are several things I like about the place. However, with the good comes the bad.
Each child is to bring in 1 box of cereal per month, and they are given that as a snack in the am. No restrictions mentioned about what type, although at the kindergarten meeting last week they did say you may want to consider refraining from Honey Nut Cheerios due to nut allergies among some children. I have issues with cereal to begin with, and hearing the parents talk about sending in "Fruity Pebbles" seriously almost sent me over the edge. And then the teachers commented on how half the students have had to be reassigned to different seats due to talking. What the heck do you expect to happen when you jack them full of sugar mid-morning?? We're also expected to bring in an afternoon snack for the class once per month, but great emphasis was placed on that being "healthy". Makes no sense.
They have some special program they use through one of the publishing companies, and through that the company provides them with various readers. They read 5 predetermined books to the kids each week (along with others I'm sure). Yet they flat out REFUSED to let the parents know what the books are, what they're about or anything of that nature since we "wouldn't have access to them anyway". I understand that, but I could at least ask DS "which book did you read today? X or y?" and engage him in conversation that way. So much for parental involvement!
Fund raisers. 3 days into school and we got our first one. Seriously, give me an amount and tell me who to make the check out to and we're good!
Limitations. The children are restricted by age on what books they can check out. They have a "grade level" goal for math - and it's a very legitimate, valid and solid goal. But for the children who have surpassed that already? Too bad. Unless by the end of the year the entire class is to that point, the advanced child gets nothing but boredom.
The food. The cafeteria food is crap (they give a "sample menu" breakdown of an "average" meal - grilled cheese, baby carrots, bananas, chocolate pudding and choc. milk. Total calories: 743. Total calories from fat: 29%. What the heck are they putting in the carrots?? And they wonder why there's an obesity problem??). There is a ban on all gum and against sending soda in a child's lunch, and it's "strongly discouraged" to send any candy with your child. Now, I don't think kids really need soda and it's not something I'd ever contemplate sending with him for lunch, but if I want to drop a couple of hershey's kissses in his lunch as a surprise or treat that's none of their business! Especially after they're merrily loading him up on crap in the mornings! I guess it comes down to my feeling that I should be the one to dictate what "crap" my child gets and when. Not that I'm any kind of control freak or have issues with authority or anything....
My only other complaint is the constant refrain that "kindergarten is what 1st grade used to be". No, it isn't. It may be what 1st grade was 10 years ago, but I'm not so old and addled that I don't recall what kindergarten was like when I was a child. It was not "socialized playtime" as the teachers are trying to tell us it was, we had work to do and things to learn - things similar to what I see DS bringing home.
Really, there ARE some positives to his school. And I admit I may be a bit...headstrong in my ideals of how schools should be.
K.
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