Thoopernatural Thamaurai

[captqitn]

Oh dang.  Monday again.   

[captqitn]

The teachers are on strike at A____ and E_____'s school for the next 2 weeks.

So glad my dudes are still nerdy enough to be bummed about not having school.   I reckon it'll wear off soon enough, but it was fun hearing them make plans to make up research and art projects for themselves this week.

Feel bad for babymama though, its going to seriously crimp her ability to work.   I offered to cover some days, we'll see if she takes me up on it.

[Berunda]

Where are A & E in school out of curiosity? Kindergarten is next year for C, as hard as that is to believe, so we're starting the process of getting her into school. There is a well-regarded elementary school literally across the street from us, but this being NYC there's no guarantee that's where she'll go. She has a test for the gifted program there later this month, which would guarantee her a spot, but usually in NYC schools you have to be above the 98th percentile to qualify, so I dunno. I'm not even totally sure I'd want her in a gifted program as silly as that might sound.

[captqitn]

I get that.   It really depends on how the program is run and the personality of the kid.     I like the one that A is in because its very long-term creative project oriented, which suits A perfectly.    But I know some gifted programs have started leaning more toward being simply advanced curriculum.

They are in Langhone, PA during the school week, so that's probably not helpful.    When they were still in NY, we sent them to private hippie schools because our school district was pretty lousy.

Have you checked out http://www.nytimes.com/schoolbook yet?      Its a joint project between WNYC and NY Times.   It's supposed to be chuck full of good and current info.

[Bizarro]

Simon turns 3 in February. I suppose that means we're due to start looking at preschools.

I know there are fine schools that will teach my kid Italian and watercolors and what not, but honestly, I'm more of the frame of mind that preschool is where you learn to behave in class and maybe start to read if you're inclined.

I don't really know that I place the same value on spme of the other stuff.

[Berunda]

The good news is that C can stay where she is (a Montessori school) for kindergarten if we choose. So we're trying not to stress about it too much. I feel like C is a sharp kid, but of course people disgustingly spend thousands of dollars tutoring their four year olds for this gifted test. Of course we didn't do that and just this weekend told C she's going to visit the school next door in a few weeks to play some games with a teacher there. Thanks for the site, I'll check it out. I don't know too much about the gifted program at that school yet, but I sort of recoiled at the sample test materials they sent. You never know though, if it's a good teacher that could make all the difference.

[Bizarro]

I realize I can Google this and get libraries worth of an answer, but what exactly is a Montessori school?

[captqitn]

In a nutshell, its an educational philosophy that emphasizes individual strengths and allows kids to hit basic benchmarks on their own timetable.   

[Berunda]

Montessori is an italian (originally) system of preschool (mostly, can be elementary as well). It's both sort of hippy-dippy—in that kids are self-directed, encouraged to be as independent as possible, and advance at their own rate—and regimented—in that the time is divided into 15 minute structured increments throughout the day. It has an emphasis on learning multiple languages and things like instruments and dancing, but also on well-developed social skills, like eating independently with a fork and knife. They have their own sets of toys that are meant to be teaching implements as well as playthings, C often comes home talking about how she played with the binomial cube or something like that, and she doesn't have "regular" toys in the classroom and can't bring them. Different Montessori schools seem to differ in their rigorousness. In our case, it was the only preschool option that was semi-conveniently located to our home and didn't seem either sub-par or based in religion. So it was actually a choice we made mostly by process of elimination. But we've been happy with it, and C is definitely happy there.

[Bizarro]

Put that way, it doesn't sound so bad.

I'm all for interesting approaches and letting Simon try his hand at "advanced" stuff. I just don't want to feel like he's being tortured with flash cards and exercises when he should still be doing a fair amount of singing and joking and playing to no particular end.

[Berunda]

I'm totally comfortable with C's Montessori school. She comes home with lots of funny pictures of polar bears and singing songs and suchlike. My fear with a gifted program is that she'd get a bunch of homework and be taught with the sole goal of scoring well on some test and cliched fears like that. 

[Doctor Rock]

Ah, don't worry, it takes more than a shit school to ruin a smart kid. 

I mean, just look at me!  Shit schools all the way, and here I am...   

[Doctor Rock]

My electric H₂O heater is busted.  It doesn't heat, and it leaks.  I have to get it replaced.  It's gonna cost something like 800 bucks.  Shit. 

[Berunda]

I watched most of Captain America last night. I got too sleepy and decided to finish tonight to do it justice. But unless they totally blow it in the last 45 minutes it's going to get a pretty hefty thumbs-up from me. Somehow I thought it was going to take place in the present day and be an explosion-fest and be lame rather than a well-paced period piece with pretty carefully drawn characters. I never really read Captain America when I was a kid, aside from the stray issue or two, and didn't follow any of the trailers or leaks or anything, so I went in blind and was pleasantly surprised. I also have the Blu-Ray of Thor at home waiting for me.

[Doctor Rock]

Put that way, it doesn't sound so bad.

I'm all for interesting approaches and letting Simon try his hand at "advanced" stuff. I just don't want to feel like he's being tortured with flash cards and exercises when he should still be doing a fair amount of singing and joking and playing to no particular end.

Absolutely.  Don't fall for this bullshit performance anxiety so typical of middle class parents.  Let kids be kids.  By the way, I've spent all my life in schools, some bad, some good. They are mostly dedicated to training students.  If education sometimes happens, it is mostly by accident.