AboutTonya Expertise I can help with the following categories: infant-toddler care,curriculum for two through four year olds, child development associate (CDA), teacher-parent concerns, classroom projects and ideas, developmental questions, lesson planning, developmentally appropriate practice, child care director questions. I can give information based on my experiences, opinions, and education although I cannot answer questions that require psycholgical or developmental diagnosis.
Experience I have worked in the field of early childhood education for fifteen years. I previosly taught preschool and kindergarten. I am currently an administrator for a center accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. I also conduct and attend parent and teacher workshops on various topics related to early childhood.
Organizations National Association for the Education of Young Children
Publications Mailbox Magazine
Local Community Association Newsletter
Newsletter for local chapter of National Association for the Education of Young Children
Education/Credentials BS in Psychology with Early Childhood Credits
Infant-Toddler Certification
Currently working on MS in Education
Child Development Associate (CDA) Advisor
Level Six Maryland Credential
Expert: Tonya Date: 4/21/2008 Subject: should we go to first grade?
Question QUESTION: I have a daughter who will be 6 at the end of April. She will be completing kindergarten in a few weeks and has done well, but her teacher says she has trouble focusing, more so than the other students on worksheets and test. sometimes she is o.k. i really feel that it wouldn't be right to hold her back because of focusing issues since she has done really well- straight A'S- and the teacher hasn't mentioned it. Could I help with something at home.
ANSWER: Leslie - I have very mixed feelings about this so I hope that I can give you some assistance. My first instinct after reading your question is to ask - "Why are kindergartners expected to do worksheets and tests?" As a former kindergarten teacher I did not administer tests and I used worksheets very rarely, if at all. Kindergarten children by nature are active learners and should be expected to move about. I wonder how long your daughter sits still before getting distracted? For most kindergartners somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes is MORE than enough time to sit still. I like, you would wonder why this is the first time you are hearing of this at the end of the school year.
Ok - so having said that, you still have to make a decision that is best for your daughter. You may want to speak with the first grade teacher at your child's school to see what his/her expectations are. How long does she expect children to sit still? Are they expected to sit and do dittos/tests? If this teacher has similar expectations as the K teacher you may want to reconsider first grade. You don't want to put your daughter in a situation where she is set up to do poorly.
You might also consider observing in your daughter's current classroom and in the first grade classroom so that you can get a feel for what the expectations are.
As far as improving your daughter's attention span - find something that she likes. If she can attend to that activity for a reasonable period of time then I wouldn't worry too much. If she always has trouble sitting still or attending to a situation, you may want to ask your pediatrician or the teacher for specific recommendations on how to improve your daughter's focus.
So, I know this is not a yes or no answer that maybe you were hoping for...but maybe I've giving you some things to consider as you make your decision.
My Best to you and your daughter...
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QUESTION: I agree with you about the test/worksheets. My daughter was allowed to sit for 45 mins. on a worksheet about addition! They just finished 2 days of SAT's and the teacher told me she done really well the first day but lost focus the second day. Well, I dont blame her. She was under so much stress, I could see it! She can focus for a normal amount of time when, like watching a movie or a game to play. I don't know, I am very pround of her, she is the youngest in her class and has all A's but, it just seems like the teacher can only see the bad. It'd like, I went to the parent teach conference and she said " well she has straight A"s but she can't focus. How can you not be focused and have straight A's?
Answer You said your daughter just finished two days of testing? Wow! What state are you in? In Maryland students in grades 3-8 take the MSAs (http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/testing/msa/) but I don't think that there is much formal testing for kindergarten. For regular assessments many schools use the Work Sampling System since it seems to be much more appropriate for the younger students.
You also said that your daughter gets all As. Does she get actual letter grades and test scores in Kindergarten? That is very interesting.
Can you get all As and be unfocused? Maybe. If your daughter already knows the information that is being taught she can get the correct answer without focusing on the teacher. Other students I know can move around, walk around the room, play with the hem of their skirt (and APPEAR unfocused) and still absorb what is going on around them.
