I haven't talked to the teacher yet, so I don't want to make too big a deal of this, but...
I know have regaled you with stories of the Curly Girl and Her Antics in these pages. She started full-day kindergarten on September 5. Today, she got a Behavior Notice because she has "continuously" had difficulty listening and doing what she is told during rest time-- a thirty-minute period of time during which, according to CG, they are not allowed to do anything. "She said, no books at the mat. No toys at the mat. Nothing at the mat." I think it is supposed to be a chance for a nap-- maybe. Like I said, I haven't talked to the teacher yet.
I'm not sure what to write back on the behavior notice. Can I be bold enough to tell her that she will continue to continuously have difficulty sitting still and doing nothing for 30 minutes? That it will NEVER happen and that she is foolish for trying? CG is not wired for stillness-- perhaps the other 5-year olds and the teacher look forward for that break in their day, but it is thoroughly unrealistic to expect her to sit still and do nothing for 15 minutes, or 5, or even 1.
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3 comments:
If a child is not tired, then they are not tired! They shouldn't be encouraged to become lethargic and break their normal sleep patterns. Unless she really was tired but still... Imagine not allowing books.
I'd have thought it was thoroughly unrealistic to expect any five-year-old to sit still and do absolutely nothing for 30 minutes. Heck, I can't even sit still and do nothing for 30 minutes! And like sis said, if they're not tired, making them sit there and practise boredom isn't going to magically force them to take a nap.
Why aren't they allowed to sit there and quietly read while any kids that want to can take a nap? That makes no sense to me. I'd have thought it would help them learn that you can sit and be quiet and calm without having to be bored and fidgety. Not allowing books indeed... I have trouble grasping this.
Sounds mad to me too - as long as they're not disturbing other kids, I would have thought quiet activities would be allowed. Surely, if kids are tired anyway, then just doing something quietly on their own would usually put them to sleep, or the quietness would be enough to recharge them without needing sleep. And who hands out behaviour notices to 5 yr olds? That doesn't sound reasonable. The first year at school (at least in Australia) is as much about learning to be at school - and being quiet when they need to be - as it is about learning anything else.
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