Pre -k crazy? Been there. Now try to relax.

February 17, 2018

As the pre-k application deadline looms over NYC, I am able to sit back and relax. Ha-ha.  But seriously, sit back and relax. The fact that you are stressing about a pre-k placement shows that you are in fact an active, concerned parent, and you hope little Jimmy goes on to an Ivy League school.  The exact (or any) pre-k won't matter. As parents, WE are the foundation of success. We will read books with our children, we will put our tablets down, and we will read a book in front of them. We will take neighborhood walks and point out letters on signs, and talk to people and demonstrate good manners and how to be social. We will sing songs. And laugh. And be silly. We will teach them how to be people. And that my fellow parents, is the foundation of early childhood education.  

But what about writing?!  And reading?!  Doesn't Jimmy need to be able to do all of these things?! Sure he does. And he will. My daughter was in a public school pre-k just a few years back ( my third will be going in next year) and this I was shocked at the level of expectation. Writing letters. Counting objects. Writing sentences. Using inventive spelling. At 4!  Was she doing these things? Sure.  Some of them. And sometimes she was excited to do her homework, and other days, not so much.  But I have every confidence in the world that when she enters the world, she will have these skills. These things can be taught. But while I enjoy her time in the classroom, I always keep in mind that it is up to me as a parent to expose her to the world. Teach her to respect her peers. Respect her elders. Appreciate art. Enjoy a good book. The basic skills eventually came in time. And if needed, extra help is always available for these subjects especially when our little ones enter into pre-k. But I have never seen an after-school program for appreciation/respect/etc./you get the idea.  

So parents, let's focus on teaching our children to be amazing people and worry less about what school they are in.  For the record, my daughter didn't do a 2s program. Or a 3s class. She hung out with me, and then me and baby brother, and then jumped right into the big, bad, public school. And let me tell you, she was absolutely fine. She shared with her fellow classmates. She easily wrote her name. She loved to raise her hand. She was not shy to participate in classroom discussions. She had and still has amazing thoughts and ideas. She is an awesome girl. And so is your child. Don't let a pre-k rejection define who they are. They are yours and you will help define who they are and who they become. You are already doing a great job.  

 

Posted by Erica  



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