It has been four years since I started this homeschooling journey, and alhamdulillah this year I graduated my second child from kindergarten. As I was about to write this blog post, I looked back at the one I had written when my first child graduated kindergarten a couple of years ago. (Click HERE to read that post.) It has been so interesting to see the similarities in both of their kindergarten experience. But even more interesting is the variety of ways that their two kindergarten journeys differed.
WHAT STAYED THE SAME:
-We ended the year mid-August, leaving us the last two weeks of August as a “summer break”. Time for Teacher Mama to rest and plan for the next school year!
-We did a graduation event at home: a certificate, a ‘yearbook’ of their work this year, and hand-written report cards. And of course: a pizza party right after!
WHAT CHANGED:
-We did not ‘graduate’ my second child from kindergarten when he completed the kindergarten curriculum material. Rather, we waited till he was age-matched with the other children graduating kindergarten according to provincial standards.
Why did we do that? Ultimately it has no holding on his academic journey and no official recognition in the wider province or country. This decision had more to do with the social issue of understanding what grade he is in. I soon realized with my older son that one of the most common questions a kid will get is ‘what grade are you in?’ This innocent question then sets the precedent for so much, including in a social setting. My kids come from a big family…they each have at least one cousin born in the same year as them.
I realized that by thinking and sharing that they were in Gr.2 when they were age-wise in Gr.1 for example gave rise to a couple of issues. One: when they realize their peers are a grade ‘behind’, it gives them a false sense of being ahead and I am very fearful that this can create a sense of being better. Two: some adults feel the need to begin quizzing them to ‘prove’ their knowledge. I’d rather my kids not attract extra attention…one less reason to get the evil eye! Three: the confusion with their peers as well as in social things that use grade to assign levels, etc is avoided.
So this was our second kindergarten graduation, but our first senior kindergarten student! We cannot wait for Princess H to start her kindergarten journey this year!
note: A senior kindergarten curriculum recap will be posted separately.
