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| Mt. Rainier |
I'm including the letter I wrote to request a change of school for our first kindergartner. As I already mentioned to some of you (via text), I feel really good about trying to make this change. Writing the letter itself felt really empowering. If the change doesn't work out, I'll happily home-school her for this year. Your reading the letter will shed light on the why and fill you in on an aspect of our life lately.
Anyway, I hope all is well! Congrats to my my big bro, Dave and Jamee and their new little baby. Welcome to the world of parenting three! The world of slumber-urgency.
I first had to turn the request in to the school district. I called their office called today and it sounds like I'll hear tomorrow if our preferred school will let Isabelle transfer there or not. I've changed school names in the letter for privacy.
~
October 25, 2012
To Whom It May Concern:
Thank you
for your interest in the educational success of the students in the Lipson School District. My daughter, Isabelle Lastname, is presently assigned to Current Elementary. In this letter I have included the major
reasons for our request to transfer her to Preferred Elementary. (For the sake of brevity, I have not included
reasons of preference to Preferred, but would gladly address our reasoning at
request.)
Isabelle’s reactions to her class/teacher
Isabelle is bright and loves to
learn new things. She is attentive and
usually thrives in formal instructional settings. Unfortunately, since her kindergarten
experience has begun, though she performs well academically in the classroom, she
has had a dramatic increase in temper tantrums and incompliance in the home
(especially right when she returns home from school). She has even started to have trouble sleeping
through the night. She frequently
expresses how much she dislikes school and stated that she never wants to go
back. Recently, she has started crying to
me saying she doesn't want to go back to school because her teacher yells.
A few weeks into school, I felt the
teacher’s discipline strategies and the classroom atmosphere were negative and
destructive. I tried to change Isabelle
to the other half-day kindergarten teacher, but my request was denied. As the weeks have progressed, the situation has
worsened.
Omitted recess for half-day kindergarten
With a
degree in elementary education, a minor in early childhood development and over
ten years experience working with children, I was surprised when the principal told
me that she has omitted recess from half-day kindergarten. Ironically, her reason was to leave more
instructional time. What better place to
enhance language skills, social studies, cooperation, citizenship, physical
coordination, and even science and math than during free time at recess—a time
to interact with peers and experience the world? Especially for young children, play is
work! Contrary to the notion that more
time in the classroom will lead to better test scores, there exists no research
that supports this idea.1 On
the other hand, there is much evidence that supports the importance of recess; resulting
in development of physical, cognitive and social aspects.1
In the
article “Give Kids a Break: The Importance of Recess in Childhood Education,”2
Megan Donohue notes the following:
Recess continues to have
many supporters. The American Academy of
Pediatrics reports that play is essential to children’s development. Eight out
of ten principals polled in 2009 said recess has a positive impact on learning.
Finally, according to a survey conducted by the National Parent Teacher
Association, three out of four parents believe recess should be mandatory.
After calling every elementary school
in the Lipson school district, I learned that Current Elementary is the only
half-day kindergarten that has a no-recess policy. (See attached table.)
Unwillingness to encourage healthy snack options
In addition, I am very concerned
with the disregard that is given to nutrition in my daughter’s kindergarten class. Parents are asked to bring the snack for the
entire class on a rotating basis. The
majority of the snacks have been unhealthy in nature (such as a bag of
Oreos). More disturbing than this was
the teacher’s response to my concern. I e-mailed to ask if there was a way I
could possibly network with the parents and encourage healthier snack options,
or if she would be willing to kindly remind guardians of the guidelines put out
by our school district. Her response not
only reflected an unwillingness to help address the issue, but was simply
unkind. She responded, “…As I tell my students, you get what you get and you
don't throw a fit. With that said, if
you would like Isabelle to have a healthy snack each day, she may bring a
snack.”
Occasionally, snack has been
withheld as punishment. My daughter has
returned from school on these instances and has had a complete melt-down before
she could even wash her hands for lunch.
Candy is also given as a reward or
bribery in class. The administration uses
candy to get the results they want from children; the principal referring to
candy as “magic!”
Nationally recognized expert on
pediatric obesity, Joanne P. Ikeda, MA, RD strikes a chord, “Research on child
eating habits has shown that foods used as ‘rewards’ become more desirable to
children than if they had not been used as rewards. Giving children candy as a reward is like
saying, ‘Here is something that is not very healthy for you as a reward for
being good.’ Does this make sense?”3
Department of Health and Human
Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that “obesity now
affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States - triple the
rate from just one generation ago.”4
Two of the main factors compounding
the childhood obesity epidemic in our country, as acknowledged by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention are “less healthy foods on school campuses”
and “lack of daily quality physical activity in all schools.”4
Conclusion
As the foundation to formal education,
kindergarten is crucial in a child’s development. Effective and positive life skills are among
the most basic fundamentals that any moral parent should be able to expect in
the classroom. A teacher that nurtures
not yells, an administration that encourages daily physical activity, a teacher
that values health and nutrition and who is willing to address parental
concerns with respect, are indispensable components to an acceptable
educational experience. After multiple
attempts to work with the teacher and principal to resolve concerns and
problems, I have only come up against disregard and disrespect. For the well-being of my daughter, I submit this
request for transfer to Preferred Elementary School.
My husband and I appreciate the
time and energy you dedicate on behalf of children. Also, thank you for your consideration and
attention to our concerns regarding our daughter’s educational situation.
Sincerely,
Amy Lastname
1. .Adams, Caralee,
“Recess Makes Kids Smarter,” Instructor
Magazine, available at
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3755758.
2. Donohue, Megan, “Give Kids a Break: The
Importance of Recess in Childhood Education,” available at http://www.luc.edu/law/academics/special/center/child/childed_forum/pdfs/2011_student_papers/donohue_kids_break.pdf
3. Ikeda, Joanne P., MA,RD, “Using Candy as a
Reward Leaves a Very Bad Taste,” available at http://www.superkidsnutrition.com/nutrition_answers/pr_candy-as-reward.php
4. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, “Overweight and Obesity: A Growing Problem,” available at http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html
