Kinder 1 teaching, I need your opinion
By debshie
@debshie (392)
Philippines
December 6, 2011 5:17am CST
I'm sure we have teachers, educators and parents here in mylot that would be able to help me with my situation.
I am mother of a 5 year old girl who just started school this year. She's in Kindergarten 1. Since she's still in Kinder 1 I thought they will just learn the basics but I was quite shocked when they are now learning skip counting by two, by 5 by 10 and they are making them count 1-100. It was ok at first but now I think this is not the kind of lesson kindergartens are supposed to learn yet. Within 3 weeks they have covers lessons in the first week of December they learned ones, tens skip counting by two. The second week they learned skip counting by 5, by 10 and Roman numerals from 1-20. And that's just in their math subject! In their Filipino subject, they are already learning reading comprehension! I think they are way too advanced and the teachers pace is too fast that most students have a hard time catching up. My kid was at first very excited to go to school but it seems that she lost interest now. I've talked to the teacher but I was just told that she is following the book. Some parents have talked to her and got the same answer. I think she is just too fast and have not noticed that she is sacrificing the quality of education over quantity.
Now, my problem is I am not even sure if they are too advanced as I have no idea about other schools or if it's just my kid whose having a hard time. Take not my daughter is the 4th in their class so I can just imagine how hard it must be for other kids. And I am not sure how to approach her without offending her or if I should approach her or leave it be.
I would appreciate your inputs on this matter! Thanks in advance!
4 responses
@nicanorr (1789)
• Philippines
8 Dec 11
The kinder teacher isn't doing the right thing. Teaching guides, materials, etc aren't the be-all of teaching. They're mere helps in making the teaching-learning process easy, understandable and enjoyable. Yes, she's more quantity oriented. The teacher should give more attention to the kids feelings, their likes and dislikes and their strengths and weaknesses as well. She should not rush up things because she wants to finish minimum essentials. If the children are losing interest in their school life, it's simply because they found no reason in going to school anymore because the subject matter and activities are not suited or leveled to their understanding. Teacher, please not your fellow teachers and superiors but tone down your teaching to the levels of your ward. I hope this helps!
@bb_gabs (205)
• Philippines
7 Dec 11
Hello! I have been a teacher in Kindergarten before, and I think what you have said is just a normal lessons for kindergarten 1, did your child have gone to Nursery?? In Nursery grade, it is where the simple maths, coloring and simple language class were taught,in the school where I used to teach, we put children in Kinder 1 if they have not entered Nursery class, and in that class the teacher is really have to double time, because she have to teach basics in the first quarter, like what they use to teach in nursery then proceed to the subjects they will teach in Kindergarten 2. When your child pass the Kindergarten 1 then he will jump to Preparatory class and don't need to go to Kinder 2. Children's lessons now are more advance now, and we parents should cope with it. Sometimes, we just pity our children but if they will not cope with it, they will be left behind by other children. Just follow up her in her lessons after school, so that you can teach her in the lesson she is having difficulty.
@debshie (392)
• Philippines
7 Dec 11
ah thanks for that input very much appreciated! I do accept the fact that lessons are more advanced now compared to what we have before. What I am concerned about really is the time spent on each lessons. The teacher just gives a few minutes of discussions and drill then she gives a practice tests after. In any case, I think her pacing is just to fast considering this is the first time children learn these things. Children coudn't possibly retain all the lessons when they have not mastered it yet. In my opinion, I think she should tackle a lesson, give more time and activities before proceeding to the next.
I also asked my sister-in-law, my neices are both Kinder 1 and Kinder 2 - her Kinder 1 math lessons is just counting 1-50 and spelling number 1-10 the whole semester. Ours we had spelling number words from 1-20 and counting from 1-100 all in just a month!
That is also to set aside the fact that they have 8 subjects the whole year and they only spend 2 hours each day learning 4 subjects.
Since you mentioned that you are a kindergarten teacher, I would appreciate if you can tell me whether you teach reading English and Filipino in one semester or do you separate them. I think its confusing when English sounds are a bit different from Filipino.
Again, I appreciate your opinion. I would love to hear more from you! Thank you so much!
@zhaozy (33)
• China
9 Dec 11
Do not worry.Your child has been 5 years old,this time the child's intellectual development is very fast,as long as you are good at guiding the child's learning certainly can do it.
@eileenleyva (27562)
• Philippines
12 Dec 11
The teacher has a whole class of tiny tots to handle, and she has a syllabus to follow, so that means the less stress she gets from the parents, the better.
The point is, we parents believe that formal school (kindergarten) is the beginning of simple lessons as in ABC and 123. But those simple lessons should have been started when the kindergarteners were still babies, as in 0 years old...
The point is, again, it is never too early to teach our children even Poetry and Algebra if we want to. Children can understand and really grasp all those. We can teach them ten languages at age zero and they will speak it by the time they say mama or papa.
Five year olds today can tinker on computers. Surely they can skip count easily...
Five year olds today can tinker on computers. Surely they can skip count easily...