Kindergarten Is The New Second Grade
by Jenners • 09/20/2009 • BB/The Little One • 33 Comments
So the Little One started kindergarten this year, and I went to the Back To School Night last week to hear about all the fun he’s going to have. I was astounded at the amount of stuff they are going to learn this year. Let me tell you, this is not your mother’s kindergarten … or your kindergarten for that matter. To help illustrate the difference, I thought I’d compare my kindergarten experience with the Little One’s upcoming school year.
The Little One will learn to count to 100 by 2s, 5s and 10s.
I learned to count to 10.
The Little One will learn the official names of shapes — like hexagon, pentagon and octagon.
I learned that a cookie is shaped like a circle.
The Little One will learn to count out money to express the date (e.g., if it is the 17th of September, they’ll count out one dime, one nickel and two pennies).
I learned not to shove a penny up my nose.
The Little One will learn to count to 30 in Spanish.
I once saw a globe.
The Little One has a choice of white, chocolate or strawberry milk.
I got white milk — and ate my carton afterwards. (I had a thing about paper.)
The Little One goes to gym once a week and has no recess.
I had recess every day and once pushed a kid off the top of the jungle gym — onto concrete.
The Little One is learning procedures to avoid the swine flu.
I threw up at least once a week– along with all the other kids in the class. (Remember that sawdust stuff they used to put on vomit back in the day?)
Needless to say, I think the Little One will be much smarter than me by January. Heaven help us all.
Oh, and isn't "that sawdust stuff" called "vermiculite"? Or is that something else?
I didn't do kindergarten. I think my mom regarded it as a kind of creeping fascism, like the Boy Scouts or team sports. Mom's never been a big "joiner."
I can definitely see you hurling a peer off of a great height onto the cold merciless concrete below. I'm curious as to whether you feel any remorse about the incident today?
And yeah, they really push kids today a lot harder than they pushed us. I probably wouldn't be able to graduate from high school today, just because I'd be too shy to carry out the community service requirements.
….can't write….laughing too hard!!!
I colored one of my front teeth with a pencil and told my mom a boy knocked it out. That is what I remember from kindergarden. Oh, and I was bored out of my mind. It doesn't sound like he will be very bored, does it? Good luck. Emjoy your free days.
Princess Nagger is definitely in the wrong school district. I think we need to move to yours.
Well, except Princess Nagger would absolutely take issue with no recess – she has gym once a cycle (they do a 6-day cycle), but she gets recess every day…in Kindergarten and now in first grade, too. That would probably be a deal-breaker.
Just think about all the stuff the Little One is going to teach you! Just be sure to not tell him about all the fun you had in Kindergarten – he might stage a revolt.
You once saw a globe?!?! All I did was eat paint. Oh, and push other kids off jungle gyms onto concrete. But of course.
I can't believe all the stuff that they are going to learn! I don't actually think that I know all of that. And no recess? What in the world?! I'm pretty sure that half of the day at Kindergarten was recess. Weird!
Wow. No recess? How do you feel about that?
Other than that, it sounds like he'll be signing with Nasa next year.
M
no recess??? that's nuts!!!! Boo to that!
My MIL has been giving me crap about preschool (why I would possibility want to give my son away for 6 whole hours a week….etc).
I've been trying to tell her that full day kindergarden in this area is a little different than what it was 30 years ago.
Good luck to you and the little one with the transiton to "real" school.
I hope the Little One can teach me the official names of some shapes! He's going to have a great year. Just wait until you see how much they learn over the next few years. The question is: Will they retain it? I check on my 7th grader's memory often
Tell me about it…you see see what my 5th grader is bringing home. Some kind of math that has alphabectic symbols in it. Thankfully, the "family letter" has all the answers in it. LOL
It is amazing what they try to cram in them nowadays I think our big thing was learning not to eat the crayons
Ate the carton? Jenners, that explains a lot… Just as long as you didn't eat the saw dust, too.
And remember, you only have to be two days ahead of the Little One – EVER. Maybe the kindergarten teacher tutors on the side.
You once saw a globe!!!!!!! Hysterical!!!!!!!
Messy is in grade 2 and will soon be ahead of me in all of his knowledge. I will be no help with homework….
Preschool is now the new kindergarten. And no recess is wrong on so many levels. What happened to the importance of socialization?
No recess? NO Recess?!?! That to me is ridiculous! Where is all the energy going to go? Those teachers must have nerves of steel. Steel I tell ya!
btw – I can't count to 30 in spanish. Glad to know I can "count" on your little one for help. heh-heh.
Agh!
Very funny! It is crazy isn't it? I didn't even have to go to Kindergarten back in the olden days. It wasn't required, so my mom didn't send me.
I needed a laugh today! No Recess? That is wrong I tell you! Those babies need to play! Seriously though, my 3rd grader (public school) has keyboarding every day and will know how to do PowerPoint presentations by the end of the year. He does get recess every day for 30 minutes and P.E. twice per week too. Times are a changin'
Jackie
the little one is in kindergarten?
So, you had me rolling on the floor laughing from "I learned a cookie is shaped like a circle." Too funny for words! If this is what they are learning now, I can only imagine what my daughter (now 21 months) will be learning… Kind of scary, she'll be smarter than me by middle school at that rate!
Wow…i can't believe how much they learn in Kindergarten!
I once saw a globe.
HOOT!
You know eating paper will give you worms right? (snicker)
I so know what you mean. I had that same shock last week too. The thing that amazed me most about Hayden's class is that they will reading and writing by January. Scary but exciting.
OH my goodness — I am truly laughing out loud!
I think I will end my blog reading for the morning on this humorous note. I need to go prepare to teach all my little darlings
OMG LMAO that saw dust stuff! I do remember that!
Well at least you ate paper and NOT paste!
And to think I considered homeschooling…I was going to start with the paste!
Its amazing what they are learning! My now first grader can already read short chapter books. The ones I read in third grade. And forget fourth grade math! Big's going to need a tutor soon. It's "new math" for sure!
Good luck! And enjoy!
Sounds like Z is in the mellow Kindergarten. Every day he comes home and I ask what the best part of his day was and it's always one of two things … recess or snack. I have to remind him that he did some work.
You didn't go to kindergarten on a short bus did you?
I'm TOTALLY KIDDING! (please still be my friend)
On a serious note, I, too, have noticed that kids these days are learning much more advance things at a younger age than even when I was in school. Heck, even college has changed since I was there! (like uh, they all have laptops now)
Wow! That kindergarten does sound tough! Good luck, Little One.
You once saw a globe! LOL This is too much fun. I told my daughter after her freshman year of college that she was officially smarter than me at that point. (But, truthfully, I'm pretty sure it was more like 9th grade.)
Wow, no recess? Seriously? Even here we still get recess each day and gym twice a week. Isn't that a law they have to have so much physical activity to help them stay healthy?
This is too funny!! I actually do remember that sawdust stuff!!