[maxnmaizy]

I just found out that neither Max nor Maizy got into the Waldorf charter school here. Now I am scrambling to figure out what the hell I am going to do. I need some help and advice.

Max will be in third grade next year. He is just now starting to read. He does pretty well in math but has low confidence about it. They have never done any hard science or social studies in his class. He has been with the same class his whole academic career. Same teacher for the past three. I am very concerned how this transfer is going to affect him. His father has learning disabilities, and basically no zest for learning. I am worried that Max is going to go down the same path if he gets into a situation where he feels like the studies are too difficult and feels completely behind everyone else. I am worried what it will be like for him to have to go to "special" classes. I am worried that he will be just completely overwhelmed by it all and turn off. He is at such a fragile point in his development. He is right on the cusp of really opening up some important learning paths and I don't want him to shut down. I don't know what my options are as far as support goes.

Maizy I am not so worried about. She knows most of her letters and is beginning to read on her own. She will be in first grade and I don't see any problems with her transition.

Has anyone done this before. What can I do? How can I prepare Max for next year? What about testing? He has never had a test in his life. He just started having actual homework this year.

I am really freaking out over this.

 

[wombatclay]

Have you spoken with the school system where your littles will be attending next year? If you explain your concerns they may be able to offer you a summer transition program. Meeting a few times a week with a private tutor might be all your ds needs in terms of getting up to speed and seeing that even with the huge changes the process can be fun/interesting. A college student, student teacher, or teacher in a private program like Kumon might be able to help with this.

At the least the school could provide you with the curric they use in grades 1-3 (and 4) and a list of things they would expect a 4th grade student to have covered already so you could see what you needed to cover during the summer. I know one local school tells transfer parents to flip through the "What your blank-grader should know" books and that might be another place to start. I've seen that series of books at Barnes and Noble and Boarders so you probably don't even have to purchase them unless they look useful.

I'm so sorry you and your littles are facing such a big change... growing up our local Waldorf school and the local Catholic school both only went up to 5th grade so while I certainly wasn't in the "parent" role I had a lot of peers who were transfering into public schools at 5th/6th grade and I know it was a challenge for some of them. But the school was really willing to work with them and you never know, the school you're moving to may have a similar program to help new students integrate!

Good luck!

 

[Linda on the move]

My DD went from homeschooling in a relaxed and mellow way to attending public school in 5th grade. In some ways it's similar to your situation, in some ways different.

Our experience was that science and social studies don't matter at all. What they want the kids to know, they go over. My DD had done these at home but had done completely different things from her class and it didn't matter at all. These are really different in different states and school districts, so it's really no different for our kids coming from an alternative education than for a child who has moved cross country because of a parent's job.

Math and reading are the only subjects that really matter. I second the vote for a tutor between now and when school starts.

My DD never really liked math and I never made her do much of it. She was pretty behind, so she attended Mathnasium (a math tutoring center) for about 6 months before starting school. She is now making As in math and is in the top math group at school. She's been more motivated to work at school where everyone is working, and we are surprised by her success in math.

Reading was already going OK for her, so we didn't do anything special for that except have her read out loud a little more than usual so if she needed to read in front of the class she would feel more confident. Many children aren't reading that well in 3rd grade. You may be assuming that the other kids are further along than they really are.

I'd talk to the school your kids will be attending and tell them the whole story and all your concerns. My DDs school has been super to work with. They have been very kind to my DD and offered lots of support for the transition.

I wouldn't worry about tests too much. My DDs class has quizes on Friday but the teacher has them well prepared so they aren't a big deal. The absurd state mandated test is what it is, but it isn't lethal. The kids just waste some time on it and then it is over.

I think that getting your head into a good place on this would be very helpful to your son. Everything happens for a reason, even when we don't know what the reason is. This is part of his life path, so there is something in this for him (a teacher that will really inspire him? A friend who will feed his soul? an experience that will help him decide what he wants to do?) Have confidence in his ability to thrive and to be strong. Believe that this is one of the many things that will help him become who is, that that who he is is pretty amazing.

 

[egoldber]

You may want to ask if any teachers at the school he will attend do tutoring over the summer. I know at my school that some teachers tutor for extra money over the summer (they are not allowed to tutor during the school year). If you can find a third grade teacher who does that then the teacher would be familiar with what the kids are expected to know going into 4th.

 

[EFmom]

I would try to have him evaluated by the school, or at least meet with people there to discuss the situation.

I think your emphasis should be on reading and math, particularly reading. Not being able to read will carry over into every other subject, and I'd try to get him tutoring or some other help over the summer.

Personally, I think that if you can get kids to be enthusiastic readers, that's 90% of the educational battle. In my family, we do that thought weekly trips to the public library. We let the kids pick out a totebag full of books that they are interested in--any topic, any level. If they are too hard, I read them to the kids. If they are too easy, that only serves as reinforcement, which improves fluidity.

 

[bea3]

Just a quick additional comment from a school teacher perspective--I think the above comments are thoughtful and insightful...

Eights are great at adjusting! I thought a lot about a private intimate school environment for my DS for k-2 and then switching to public in third grade. Kids in this grade are typically young and welcoming still and I think it is a good grade in which to make that kind of transition.