kiwords

http://truthabouteducation.wordpress.com/2014/03/06/the-disturbing-transformation-of-kindergarten/

Give this a read. A friend of mine posted it on FB, and I shared it.

And you most certainly DID NOT fail at choosing a preschool. Worksheets have been driving us all crazy since the mimeograph was invented. And mean people are just part of life. (((Hugs)))

(The first draft of the previous comment said we should go on a Thelma/Louise roadtrip this summer and blow up All The Schools, because I am SO exasperated about some junior high crud, but I am too peacenik-y to leave that comment.)

I say this in the hope that it validates your concerns: (1) ask for what you want if you haven't already (e.g., cut out the worksheets for a while, take them home instead, limit time spent on them so there's enough time for coloring, etc.), (2) if the teachers still do not address the concerns then go to the director, (3) if the director does not address the concerns then find another school (or discuss it with Sophia with the understanding that if she wants to stay at the school then she will have to accept the worksheets and you will give her some words/examples of how to deal with MonsterChild). It's good for Sophia to see you stand up for her, and there's no reason for her to stick out the end of the year if it's making her miserable (other than that you need her to be in care, and there must be other options for that). Yes she will miss class parties etc. but there can be fun substitutes for those too, or perhaps you can even find another school that's a better fit. We went to a nice half-day program through a local church that had a focus on play rather than learning (because they knew that play IS learning for that age!) and often there were openings at the end of the year due to people moving etc. Good luck! And P.S. Stop beating yourself up. We all make the best decisions we can at the time, and that's what you need to do again now, taking into consideration what you know now. That might be staying, it might be switching. You know best for your child, even if it isn't always clear cut!

I agree with the others, preschool and kindergarten are not what they were even when my children went. No child left behind, now Common Core--Sophia will be the monkey they experiment on before deciding in 15 years to do something else "new." Put it off for as long as possible and get her out of there. The teachers have shown you their true colors and philosophy. I am super cynical, but you aren't going to change their minds. At that age I am surprised the children can even write or hold a pencil properly. And I am sorry you both are dealing with this!

Actually GCM you're right. I'm just lucky enough to have my Sophia in a school that has been around for 30+ years with practically zero turn over in staff, so it remains largely unscathed by all the horrors you mentioned.
I left there yesterday & a mom complained that they had "too many parties". Well, what more engaging way to get four year olds to want to go to school?!?!! lol

One other thing. Sophia is not failing at preschool.
Her preschool is failing at Sophia. They should be getting "A+ 100" at Sophia.

My very first students were always jones isn't for an "A+ 100" for some reason. I guess they learned it in Kindergarten...
Oy.

First things first: you did not fail at picking a preschool. You have succeeded in determining what kind of environment doesn't work for Sophia (and you).

Second - no one knows better than you that there are all kinds of options when it comes to choosing your child's learning experience. Just keep looking; you'll find one that fits. And Sophia will learn that Mama's got her back.

When my younger son was 4, he had worksheet issues in preschool too. He had and still has horrid handwriting, and hated the worksheets and the coloring too. When I found out that they were keeping him in from playing outside to finish worksheets, I had a talk with the teachers. I told them that he needed to be outside with the other kids and to just send home the worksheets. I don't know that the teachers were happy with it, but my son was happier. So, I would try telling them that you want her to have x reasonable amount of coloring time. I've been told coloring is actually important in developing handwriting (maybe why my sons handwriting is so horrid - he always hated coloring). Good luck!

You didn't fail at picking the preschool - Sophia liked it a lot in the beginning.

This happened to me. I pulled my 4 year old out of her preschool at the beginning of March, after two months of trying to talk to the teachers and work with the administration and try to figure out why a 4 year old ACTING like a 4 year old was such a problem. There were personnel issues - the third teacher started in January (one teacher had been there since the beginning of the year, but this was the third secondary teacher in the classroom since August), and oddly enough, starting in January, my kid hated school. Stomach aches from stress. Tears. Begging not to go - but it was only a few months, I figured, and then she'll start at another school for kindergarten.
It deteriorated. She was miserable. I was miserable. The teachers were totally uncooperative. The administration tried to help, but the teachers only got defensive, and finally I pulled her out.
I had nowhere to send her, and spent a week off work with a babysitter watching her while I tried to find her a program that would not make her totally miserable. She just finished her second week there, and she loves it.
Anyway, my two cents: preschool is too young to hate school. I knew my kid, at least, would carry that attitude with her to.kindergarten if I didn't change things.
It was an ENORMOUS pain in the ass, but I am glad every day that I did it.