Too smart for preschool????

Corynn - posted on 03/18/2010

I would do the church preschool... I went to preschool at a church and myself, my mother, and the two people I went there with and grew up with do not remember the teachers talking about religion at all really. They might discuss the ark and maybe sing songs or something, but at that age, they can't really teach you much about religion because children are still learning the concepts of other things, so I would do what Ashley said and go in and talk to the teachers at the church preschool and find out what they teach about religion there... good luck and congrats on you smart little guy!!

Keisha - posted on 03/18/2010

Yep, I would suggest going ahead and looking into the preschools at the churches or investing in some programs so you can do some schooling at home, since there aren't any other preschools or learning centers that are convenient for you. In our area, entrance into the public school systems Pre-K is based on a minimum age and maximum income level of the parents only, so to hear them actually say that because your child lacks developmental delays they cannot enter is strange.

Ashley - posted on 03/17/2010

I would suggest the church pre-school, my nephew goes to one (cheaper where my sister lives) and they haven't pushed the religion on them. I would consider going into have a talk with the director of the school and see what kind of religion studies they have in place and if they let nonbelievers have special other time. Otherwise I would do the drive. Luckily I live in a city and preschool is only a 5 min bus ride away...

Gwen - posted on 03/17/2010

I know lots of super-smart kids who go to preschool. I've never heard of preschool only being for children with developmental delays...

I would suggest the church pre-school, or other..even if there is a drive. Learning social interaction and structure of school are just as important as the skills themselves. I'd say, at age 4 or 5, having religion "forced upon him" isn't really a big deal. He's not old enough to be studying biblical theology or having philosophical discussions. More like singing some songs and learning about the animals on the ark.

Christy - posted on 03/15/2010

Congrats on such a smart little guy! I too, had some ofthe same concerns for my daughter, who seemed to ace everything presented to her. We were fortunate enough to have a great, school-structured daycare to bring her to.
As I was reading through your posts, ideas were coming to mind, but you hit on almost all of them as far as them not being an option for you.
I would suggest NOT starting kindergarten early. A big part of kindergarden is the social aspect and whether or not they can count to 100 doesn't matter much when kids are trying to master social interactions. And being that he's not coming to kindergarden with a pre-school background, this could be something that takes some time to adjust to. I too considered doing that, and a friend said to me, "why would you want her to have to jump into the world a year earlier?" meaning if she started school sooner, she'd graduate sooner and be off to college sooner. And a lightbulb went on and I thought, "That's so right". Let them be kids as long as possible.
In the mean time. Keep teaching him at home and maybe try find some kids his age to do playdates with and get him more used to social interactions. And when the time comes for him to start school, meet with potential teachers and find one that fits his personality. A good teacher knows how to channel each childs energy and abilities correctly. We have a WONDERFUL teacher and it's amazing how they see our children differently than we do.
Good luck!

Erin - posted on 03/14/2010

That's awesome your son is soo smart! What rinky dink town do you live in? Moving sounds like a good thing to do!!! Maybe you can talk to someone about home schooling...? Teach him yourself! You are already doing a marvelous job @ it! See if there are programs for homeschooled children in your area? Petition the school to start early based on his testing/maturity... being smarter then the majority of the kids starting sounds like a good reason to let someone start early! If public school doesn't bode well see about private school?