Comparing Frisco Schools to Montessori Schools

I worked very hard with my DD as well. She was reading well before kindergarten. The big question is what are you going to do after K? If you are eventually going to put her into public then transition the start now so she can start off on the same foot making friends. Even though the curriculum says letters, number, shapes, etc. You need to remember they are always learning other basics as well as weather, calendar, saesons, etc. Just make sure you talk to her teacher at the beggining of school asking her to give your DD harder books to read and extra work. My DD is going into the second greade and is in the Gifted and Talented and I always just push the teachers for more. I also take it into my own hands and take her to the Dallas Museum of Arts, Arboretum, Science place, Nasher, etc. Hope this helps. Emial me privately if you have more questions. Frisco is a great school district. L.

I feel the same way, my son is going to Spears on Monday (Frisco ISD) and I say at least try it. Spears was rated exemplary and they told me kinder is not only about learning. They teach other great skills. For what we are already paying in city taxes for the ISD it better be good. We are going to try it out before we do private. Besides, ISD will MAKE them learn with structure unlike Montessori where they can kind of learn what ever they are good at, at their own pace. It is your dicision though. You know what is best for your child.

Your child has already mastered it, I'm sure. I faced this with my DD. What I should have done is (and am doing this year is) putting her in extra math classes outside of school. I don't want a genius but I want her interested and challenged.

There is very little the ISD can do for you. Also, you may want to have her try our for the G&T program. They have an orientation before school starts or something. Just call the school and find out.

Any child that has gone to preschool will most likely have been exposed to what kindergarten offers. Our parents generation didn't have Mother's Day Out or preschool as readily as we do, so our kids are exposed to a lot more at a younger age. Now that most districts offer full-day kindergarten as opposed to half-day, they're finding out that in 1st grade they are more advanced and flying through the curriculum months ahead of what 1st graders learned 5 years ago. There are many children that attend kindergarten with no prior schooling, so the curriculum has to be one that is age-appropriate, not child-specific.

My son attended K already knowing letters, etc., but as one other post stated, there is much more to kindergarten than just ABC's and shapes and colors. It's a transition year, and those wonderful teachers nurture the kids and get them ready for 1st grade. They teach them class rules, how to order their lunch in the cafeteria, how to go to the school nurse, how to tie their shoes, how to use a locker, how to use the library, how to find their classroom by themselves - really it's about learning independence, not academic skills. They get involved in school-wide functions such as parades, Spirit Day, pep rallies, Field Day, etc. which encourage school pride, a value I don't think is present in private K. Kindergarten is about having FUN and learning to love school, so that when they enter 1st grade they're ready for "school".

They learn to spell and read in kindergarten, so if your child is ahead of the curve, he/she will be place in a reading group specific to her capabilities, not the rest of the class. There is plenty of opportunity for the teacher to assign more challenging work to your child if necessary. Most people I know put their children in private K if they need extra time and attention, not the other way around. I say, if they're ready, send them to Kindergarten at the ISD!