Anyway, we had Parent/Teacher Conferences a couple of weeks ago - now remember that my son is in a class called "school readiness" for three-year-old (he just turned four). At the conference his teacher told us things like the letters he recognizes and how they'll start teaching him to read and stuff that sort of goes in one ear and out the other. But one thing stuck with me - she said the word "drilling". Like I'm sitting around drilling this kid on his numbers and letters. Not happening. He knows the alphabet and he can count to one hundred. I had very little to do with that. I am not going to drill the kid. Sorry. Some people do, I get that (I got that when his teacher asked me what my "academic goals" were for him at our first conference in September). We play. We color. We paint. We go to the park and slide and swing. In the winter we sled and watch Dora.But lately he's obsessed with reading. "How do you spell this? What does this start with?" etc. The other day I found him in my bed, hunched over with his back to the door like he was hiding something trying to sound out words in one of his SpongeBob books. So when he asked me how to spell bee, this ATC popped into my head. This could help, right? Maybe? A little? OK, maybe not but it's cute.
I think the more you force a child to learn, the more resistant that child can become with learning. Lately my daughters grades have really improved, when I asked her why, apart from the obvious, she said that she felt her achievements were up to her. She no longer had someone pushing her all the time, wanting her best to get even better. I have a much more relaxed approach to her learning, believing that as long as she feels she has worked to the best of her ability then that is good enough for me. Liam will do fine, sounds like he is already in possession of an inquisitive mind and that is half the battle over.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm not a pusher. I want to be involved, know what he's doing, help if he needs it, but I don't want to push.
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