Homeschool World Forum

I am in need of some advice...I am just wanting to know if I am being an over protective mom or if I have a valid reason to be questioning this teachers processes. I have a 4 year old little boy in PreK in our local public school system. He has had 2 years of preschool at a private Lutheran church preschool. When he left there he could write his first and last name "correctly." First letter capitalized and the rest lowercase. Now the new PreK teacher has them all writing their name all capital letters. Doesn't really make sense to me to teach them a way that they will never do again because I know for a fact the Kindergarten teacher he will get next year doesn't allow that. Another issue I have is the writing utensils they are using are crayons that are about 2 inches long with rounded ends. Who can write with that? I know that I couldn't. So I guess my first question is...why would she be teaching him all caps if next year it all changes. And my second is would it be appropriate to take a box of new crayons and a box of No.2 pencils to conferences tonight and tell her that's what I want my child to use from now on?

I know these things seem minor but as a mother you want your child to excel and if hes being held back on his abilities to succeed because of the crayons and will be behind next year because of her ways, thats not fair to him at all.

No, she shouldn't be teaching children to write in all caps.

No, she shouldn't be givng the children big fat crayons to write with.

No, you shouldn't take a box of new crayons and a #2 pencil for him to write with. When children are in classroom settings, teachers have to do the same thing with all of them. That's one of the major downsides of classroom-based, age-segregated classrooms.

Yes, you can tell her that you disapprove, but it's her classroom.

And that would be one of the many reasons that we homeschool.

More power to her, I hope she gets to keep her job. Being a teacher can be a really thankless, frustrating profession today... Im glad my mom got out of it a couple years ago when she did, its only going to get worse.