Living in America....... summer 2010!

[redflipflops]

So.... new thread.... please join me

introductions:

redflipflops - California (central Coast)

We went to back to school night tonight and found out what class DS would be in. (He doesn't start until next Wednesday)I was slightly sad because he didn't have very many friends in there (except his girlfriend), but then I realized they cherry picked that class. I'm super pleased because it is a 1st/2nd split, and his teacher said they picked kids that were good independent workers and could keep up. ALL the troublemakers from his class and the other Kindergarten last year were not in that class.

That sounds great dooney and that he'll make loads of progress this year.

Wishing everyone a fantastic Labor Day weekend. We're going to Florence on the Oregon coast as the kids love building sand castles obviously! Have a great one.

My DD started 1st Grade last week but she's not been happy and we've had tears every morning... She's not bonded well with any of the other kids (partly beacuse Kindergarten was only part time and only a few are in the same 1st grade class). She said yesterday that she just plays on her own at lunchtime

Also at the 1st grade orientation evening last night the teacher told us they'll be learning phonics this term - which DD did 2 years ago during Reception in the UK... arhh is so hard to change education systems! (Reading is taught very differently here)

Feeling guilty we moved away from where she had loads of friends

Sorry, redflipflops and I was feeling a bit hard done to as dd would have started reception this year and is waiting another full year. She is really ready for it too and we can't afford to send her to pre-school for more than 2 mornings a week as ds has started too. I hope she makes friends really quickly and forgets the first week. Hope you have a really special Labor day weekend with her.

Thanks tad My DS would have started Reception in the UK this year too. Weird to think of all his little friends in school uniform! I don't necessarily think it's good to start school at 4... all children are different so no one system is right for all. Just hard if you change countries!

California schools are in such dire straits financially. The teacher even asked for volunteers to vacuum the classroom as there's no money for a cleaner!

That's shocking - are you having to provide a rota to clean the classroom? I always used to tidy mine up before the cleaner arrived - pick up paper etc but I never had to clean it myself.

redflipflops I am sorry to hear that your DD is having a miserable time. I have been in your shoes and it is draining. My own DD was reading by Kindergarten thanks to good old jolly phonics. Her school were very open to working with her and giving her "just right" books. I don't know if you have been in to talk to her class teacher but you should definitely make an appointment to talk about the phonics situation. If you have no joy there then find the reading coordinator (if you have one) then the head of school. The thing I have discovered about American schools is that you really have to be an advocate for your child. You will probably discover other children who are reading too and receiving an individualized lesson plan. Good luck. My DD is now in 7th grade and I still feel a sadness that she never went through a school system that I understood totally even though we have been more than happy with her experience!

thanks Satin am planning to talk to the teacher next week. Trouble is they seem to spend an hour all reading a 'decodable' book together (which is very basic) - so not sure how they can manage different reading levels within the class? I agree it's hard when you don't really understand the system!

Hope everyone is having a good Labor Day.

hi all,

have realised it's been a while.

San Fran was great, we didn't do everything as I think we have visitors they'll want to go. We took the scenic route up route 1, so stopped to see the elephant seals. Alcatraz was sold out, so we did Sausalito instead. We lucked out on the weather with the fog clearing up as we got to the bridge and clear all day Sunday.

Planning kids parties sounds very stressful and I'm glad it went well. We should be gone by the time LO starts school (well that's the plan anyway)

Red I hope your DD starts to enjoy school more soon.

Our next trip is the canyon with maybe a stop in Vegas on the way, but not until October.

Hope you managed to talk to the teacher red. Glad you had a good trip climber. How's the breastfeeding going? I've noticed you have been on those threads while I've been logged on. I managed to catch the sun on the Oregon coast this weekend - that's no mean feat, I can assure you! It was lovely to get away though and the kids loved the beaches we went to. I just love the name Sausalito, what is it?

Hope you have success with the teacher. Last year my DS' teacher's solution to him getting bored in class because she was only teaching to the lowest level child in there was to give him candy for not telling me he was bored. I'm still trying to figure out what he actually learned in there.

Sitting here today with no children back in school due to them already taking a "budget reduction day". Their first day is tomorrow.

Hi ya tad.

Sausalito is a little marina town just outside San Fran. Very reminiscent of the Mediterranean towns.

Breastfeeding going well, we've made it to 6 months at the weekend. I'm assuming that since I've been back at work for 2 months, that we should be alright from now on (if it was a bit much expressing, I figure I would chucked in the towel by now). Saying that, I shall be very happy when I don't have to do it.

Teachers, they have all the power don't they.

sorry tad, how rude of me: how's the pregnancy?
(i've got that right haven't I?)

Hi everyone, I totally lost track of the thread

Re: schools, it just varies so much. Can you volunteer to help out in the classroom red? That might make a difference in getting things done with the teacher. There are also enrichment programs that could be stimulating for her. Do you know many of the other parents? The Parent Teacher Organization could be a good resource. It seems likely that there are other children who are bright and bored.

As someone who has always gone to and now works in American schools, I totally agree with Satin about being an advocate. It usually is very much a case of "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". :)

Hope that goes well for you and that your DD makes some friends! Poor little thing.

That's so odd re teaching to the lowest level. When I was last in a classroom (3 years ago ) differentiation was massive and I had to show in my lesson plans goals that everybody, most and some pupils need to achieve in the short, medium and long term. Then again I was working around 50 hours a week at least and that doesn't seem to be the case here in Bend. I'm not in any way suggesting that the British education system is any better; just surprised that a teacher would even admit to not fulfilling the needs of everyone in their class.

Pregnancy is going well, thanks, climber. I have the 18 week scan tomorrow, which I'm a little freaked out about, to be honest. Just if there's anything catastrophically wrong with the baby, then I would have to travel to Portland, possibly on my own so dh could look after the other two. A long journey on the bus back on my own after anything major like that would just finish my off I think. I'm probably worried for nothing, of course, but dh does carry a gene mutation on his side of the family. [worried emoticon]

What I hope to talk to the teacher about is how she manages different levels (especially in reading & writing). The whole class seems to read one pamphlet thing (not even real book!) within the lesson. I agree there must be lots of different abilities within the group.

It is fascinating how the expectations of children during the early years of school are so different. There are kids in DD's class who are 7 already (held back K a year) and they're being given the same type of work as Reception age children in the UK (how to draw a number 8, learning very basic words such as 'the', 'an', 'and', 'in' etc....). I do strongly believe all children are different and learn at different rates (so starting at 4 is not necessarily a good thing) but am just amazed by the huge difference between US and UK curriculum!

Unfortunately I can't volunteer yet as I have 2 younger DC. Will definitely do that type of thing when youngest is in school.

The state of California is so bankrupt the schools have all got massive funding problems. That probably isn't true in other areas.

His class (Kindy) had a fascinatingly giant discrepancy last year of who knew what, Tadjennyp. There was DS who was reading 3 years above his grade level (I have 2 late August birthdays, and I'm one of those who held back K a year, so he's the oldest in his class) his friend who could add and subtract 3 digit numbers, and some kid that could draw the solar system and correctly spell and identify every planet and their moons. And there was a large number of children that didn't know their letters coming into class, and still didn't know them leaving. (My most head banging conversation one of the last days of school: Me) Can you tell me what letter this is? Girl) S? Me) No, it's P. Can you tell me what sound P makes? Girl) Lion?) There really weren't that many "average" students in there. Plus, I think his teacher was very, very lazy.

Oregon isn't as bad that we need to clean our own classrooms, but they cut about 10 days off of DS' school year, and I don't think we go the legal minimum of days.

I just want to empathize and reassure you. I cannot begin to tell you how many sleepless nights I spent and how many soggy tissues I sniffled into over the differences in the educational systems. Whilst all my friends from England were buying their DCs adorable little first school uniforms we were packing up to move here. Every time we would go home to visit I would be treated to a show of how well they were all doing with their phonics/mental maths/nativity plays, meanwhile my DD was attending pre-school two mornings a week where she did nothing but paint. I worked with her at home on her phonics, but not too much. Anyway, eventually she went to school and I resigned myself to embracing it! As cheerfulyank said whenever I had a spare moment I was volunteering. Eight years later (last year) we thought we would be returning to England so I start looking for schools. I found a couple of selective ones and one not so selective. My DD sat the exams and was offered places at all three. At one of the selective schools she scored the highest Maths score they have ever had and at another they bizarrely comment on what a wonderful athlete she is (here she is considered a total klutz). My point isn't to brag about her wonderfulness but just to say try not to worry too much. If you do plan to go back after a couple of years then maybe buy some of those key stage books from Amazon. I have no clue if one system is better than the other! Over the years I have seen many British children join and leave the school and all seem to have moved between the systems easily. Good luck.

Just re-read my note - hope it wasn't too preachy. I realize we are in a very fortunate position and were able to choose a school and we live in a fairly affluent part of America. I know California is having awful problems within the educational system so it is totally different to our situation.

Yes, I've seen a few friends post pictures of their children starting school this week and for my own sanity I wish my curious and willful daughter were starting school too, even half days! It doesn't really matter which system is better at her age and it's a moot point anyway as they have to function in whatever system we put them in. What suits one child may not suit another.

I can't believe that they were children who still didn't know their letters by the end of they year, even if one child was an astrophysicist and another a mathematician, dooney. As a teacher (albeit at secondary level) I should think that is unacceptable. How are the teachers held to account in Oregon?

wow dooney that is an amazing discrepancy. No wonder you're glad he's in a split level class this year!

It's interesting and reassuring to hear your experiences Satin. From what I have read about school starting ages they all seem to catch up in the end (around 8 or 9?). Apparently Finland has a fantastic education system and they don't start till 7.

However, it is so hard not to compare with friends back home. We do intend to move back to the UK in a few years and I find the whole school issue adds to the stress!

Also the lack of money and investment in California Schools is pretty depressing.

There really is no accountability for teachers here, I think. I remember being in 7th grade (a long time ago) and there was a teacher there that was awful, and there was an organized movement by a lot of parents to get him out. Basically they were told he was so high on the tenure list, there was nothing that could be done, and nothing was done, even when most of the kids were pulled out of his class.

It was a very interesting discrepancy. All I can say is there was a direct correlation between parental involvement and academic success in that class. And it wasn't anything to do with SAH or WOH parents, there was a mix of both in the good and bad. I know nothing about teaching, but my FIL and all of his brothers and sisters and his wife are all retired teachers, and they said it was very odd, that there should have been more of an evening out during the year than there was.

It is such a shame for the children whose parents don't/can't/don't know how to be a positive influence on their education. There is only so much a committed and hard-working teacher can do, but if that person can't be bothered either, a whole year of that child's education is lost. It makes me so sad, but then I do get too emotionally involved with my students, in terms of how they grow and develop both intellectually and personally. I hope all your dcs have a great school year.

It also annoys me that the teacher gives M&M's as rewards in the classroom and if they fill up their star charts she buys them a chocolate ice cream! Rewarding kids with chocolate and sweets just seems SO wrong...