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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 11:19 am
by GORDON
Damn.
My kid's first day of school EVER is next week.
Damn.
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 11:31 am
by Leisher
He didn't do preschool?
Jillian starts in September. Although, she's done 2 years of preschool already.
We also got lucky and won the lottery so she's in all day kindergarten instead of half days.
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 11:36 am
by GORDON
Nah, not counting preschool. Talking about getting on the bus, GONE, and meet the bus at 3:30.
Just damn. He seems too small to be doing all that.
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 12:54 pm
by Leisher
Before you know it, he'll be driving to school.
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 1:03 pm
by GORDON
Probably not high school because he'll be skipping a couple grades.
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 2:20 pm
by Leisher
In all seriousness, if you get offered that option, you might want to research the effects that has on a kid before you do it.
My parents didn't let the schools advance me, and it turned me into a bored and unmotivated student. On the other hand, all of my wife's teacher friends say that a lot of kids who get advanced like that suffer socially. So it's sort of a coin toss based on which you think your kid will handle better.
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 3:08 pm
by TPRJones
It becomes a choice between have your kid hate school and learning because it's boring and the teachers are stupid, or hate other kids because they are jerks.
Personally I'd rather they hate the other kids. They'll grow up to learn those other kids weren't worth knowing in the first place. But growing up thinking that learning is boring is just a tragedy.
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:01 pm
by Malcolm
Skipping ahead grades means you need to shove them into other mass social situations to make up for it.
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 5:25 pm
by Troy
You guys must have had some really shitty Junior/Senior years of High School.
From what I remember: A's were easy to come by, even in the AP classes. Even a little talent and you could start and star on any of the sports teams. You were just getting to the age where you could actually do something about the girls growing up and out everywhere... a few grades skipped and I would have missed all that.
That would have been a REAL shame.
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 8:52 pm
by TheCatt
I went to a tiny, private high school. 45 people in the graduating class. So... I dated 2 girls, but the pool just wasn't that deep. I was a four sport athlete. Grades were easy, but I was bored most of the time. I did teach myself things like how to program a computer to calculate and graph derivatives and integrals for my take home calculus tests.
It was generally fun. But college was still >> high school.
Middle school was boring/suck.
Elementary school was fun mostly, but the school part was soooo boring and repetitive.
I'm generally of the opinion that schools are crap for most smart people... you know, education-wise.
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 9:17 pm
by TPRJones
I went to a tiny rural high school. My class had 35 students, two of which were girls. The other grades weren't any better.
Not great odds.
Getting to college quicker would have been much better.
Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:38 am
by Malcolm
College > high school > middle/grade school/junior high, easily.
Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:18 pm
by DoctorChaos
I skipped a grade and it wasn't a big deal. It sucked bumping rides and sneaking into bars (in college) but other than that... If your kid gets bored let them skip a grade. It's better for everyone. I was a huge behavioral problem before they figured out I should be in the advanced program.
Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 7:44 pm
by unkbill
I have a question for Gordo. Do you remember the first day terror. I don't. I have vauge memories of kidergarden. I was in the first kindergarden at the same school. You were a smart kid. I remember being told told smart kids need to advance and smart kids either advance or end up in prison. Might be an urban myth.
I also know someone that was held back a year and may have been the best thing that ever happened to him.
I blame the schools.
Edited By unkbill on 1282261476
Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 7:50 pm
by GORDON
All I remember about the first day of kindergarten was not knowing which bus to get on at the end of the day.
There was an open house tonight, and I met the same gym teacher that I had in high school. I asked him why there was only one gym class a week now, and he put it squarely on the school board superintendent not wanting to hire another gym teacher, so he has to travel between grade schools different days for gym classes.
Sounds like I need to attend a school board meeting.
Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:10 am
by GORDON
Welp, my son is 4 years old and in the hands of the American public school system.
Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:06 am
by TheCatt
GORDON wrote:Welp, my son is 4 years old and in the hands of the American public school system.
I'm waiting for outraged posts every April 22nd.
Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:45 pm
by TPRJones
Let the brainwashing begin!
Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 1:36 pm
by GORDON
TheCatt wrote:GORDON wrote:Welp, my son is 4 years old and in the hands of the American public school system.
I'm waiting for outraged posts every April 22nd.
What is that day?
Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 1:37 pm
by GORDON
Was reading about how some parents keep their kids who are close to the cutoff birthday back an extra year, so they are bigger. This sometimes puts 6 year olds in the same kindergarten class as 4 year olds.
Sigh.