Oklahoma institutionalizes most pre-K

Discussion in 'Homeschooling in the News' started by HomeschoolG'ma, Mar 24, 2006.

  1. HomeschoolG'ma

    HomeschoolG'ma New Member

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    This is not about homeschooling, but it is very disturbing to me. The front page of the Tulsa World, today, says that "Oklahoma Tops Nation in Pre-K." They are proud of the fact that more 4 year olds are institutionalized in Oklahoma than anywhere else. 32,000 Oklahoma 4 year olds are getting on a bus at 7:30 in the morning and getting off between 3:30 and 4:00. To be fair, some of them may be 1/2 day, but most of the public schools are full day. They are less proud that the state is ranked only 29th in spending for them, only a mere S2,517. per child in 2005. (New Jersey spends $9,305 per child.)

    While looking up some more information on Oklahoma, my home state, I also found that 39,279 grandparents are responsible for their grandchildren in this state.

    Why are so many parents giving their children away? :cry:
     
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  3. OKmom

    OKmom New Member

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    Been there, tried that....now I homeschool.

    I'm also from Oklahoma and while we were deciding if we wanted to homeschool or not, we enrolled our then-4 year old son into PreK at the local public school (thinking we'd give it a try and see what happened).

    I was appalled!!

    He actually started to regress! His vocabulary was suddently peppered with "ain't" and poor grammar. They spent more time playing, watching videos and going on field trips than actual study. He was kicked in the face (on the playground--200 kids with 2 teachers watching), poked in the eye with a corn dog stick (in the cafeteria)....it was obvious that there wasn't a lot of supervision.

    (Could go on about the safety issues around the school, but then this post would get really long!)

    But what finally cliched the idea to homeschool was when the teacher sent home a note in his backpack about an upcoming field trip. She couldn't write a proper sentence or spell, either....and she was going to teach MY son?! I don't think so!

    We pulled him out of the program and have homeschooled ever since. Now if someone asks me about why I homeschool I can say I've tried the public school system, and made an informed decision NOT to use their services.
     
  4. ABall

    ABall Super Moderator

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    I can't say I've tried the public schools here, but I've seen and heard enough about them to think I am making the right choice.

    By the way, they are still considering having English as the official language here, but its not official yet. I don't mind my kids learning Spanish, but I hope they will learn English first.
     
  5. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    We haven't "tried" the public schools. But I taught in them for over ten years, and DH has 18 years teaching in them. We didn't need to try them out to know all the problems with them!
     
  6. Marylyn_TX

    Marylyn_TX New Member

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    On a more upbeat side, we put our daughter into Public school Pre-K this year. She is mildly autistic and really needed both the speech therapy and the social immersion. Our school district only has all-day-every-day Pre-K, so a half day program wasn't an option (which I really hated at the beginning!). She's in a co-teach class - there is one "regular" teacher, one special-ed teacher, and an aide in the room at all times (the class is half special-ed and half "regular" kids). It has been a WONDERFUL experience for her!! The teachers have been great and the rest of the staff has been fantastic, too. So all Pre-K programs aren't horrible. :) That said, we are going to homeschool her starting next year as she has completely caught up socially and is almost caught up speech-wise.
     
  7. becky

    becky New Member

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    Plus, people have to work. How I WISH I could have afforded preschool for Kevin when he was small. People who are truly working to make ends meet need a place to leave their kids.
     
  8. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    But how many of the kids in preschool are ones like that? So many are ones where both parents CHOSE to work, or where the mom is staying at home and sending the kid to preschool anyway, simply because they think it's the "right" thing to do. And even those who have to work could find someone as caring as our Jen! A good
    in-home person would be so much better than getting them institutionalized so early!
     
  9. becky

    becky New Member

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    Either way, in home or a center. I myself wish I had sent Kevin, and I'm even sorry I didn't send Jeannie just for the socialization.
     
  10. Mom2ampm

    Mom2ampm New Member

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    Preschool is like kindergarten nowadays. I know my mom told me she put me in K because of the pressure from her friends. All the kids I knew went to K. Now, all the kids around go to PreK (even if it's just part-time). My mom thinks it's the working parents that have made this the norm and the stay-at-home parents are feeling pressured to keep up and put them in prek. I also think there is a pretty big group of people that just put them there for the break. :(
     
  11. cowpokemary

    cowpokemary New Member

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    My 2 cents on Ok's 4 yo program! 95% of the parents in my community send their kids to the 4 yo prog. to avoid daycare expenses, let the state baby sit them!! Their is a tremendous amount of social pressure to send, I didn't and mine they are fine.....imagine that! I am curious as to when toddlers will be required to attend school here? Ugh!!!!
     
  12. Maureen

    Maureen New Member

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    My opinion. 4 year olds are too young to be in school setting. My daughter went to Kindergarten when she was 4 and while it was fine for her I still think I'd have been better off getting socialization elsewhere. I will say that she has more socialization now then she did iin PS at any age.
     
  13. JenniferErix

    JenniferErix New Member

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    (Please do not think I am starting a fight. I swear I am stating facts germaine to the comment.)

    In my state, Texas, my children were not ALLOWED to go to PreK. Why? Because they were not illeagal aliens (Undocumented children CANNOT be denied public education), they did not have English as the Second language at home, they did not qualify for the Free or Reduced lunch program (By their father's income of $1k a year over the limit) and they did not have a "Significant learning disability". This was the reasoning given to me, when I tried to register the twins for PreK when they were 4 yo.

    They were not allowed to go to public school until they were at least 5 and had to go to kindergarten. Meanwhile, my neighbors' kids were spouting out things they had "Gotten" to do in class, making me and my kids a bit jelous. (This is before we decided to HS.)

    I felt cheated. I spent that year trying to keep my kids "Caught up" with the other kids who "Got" to go to school. I felt like a non-citizen in my oun country, because of having to make room for others. Quite bitter.

    But, on the brught side..... I learned that I like homeschooling my kids and they went to public kindergarten for 110 days. Once my son had the desire to learn beat out of him, and he said he felt "Stupid for trying"... OUT they came...

    I come from poor people. We do not have many options and we are not taught to think out of the box. Not many entreprenuers, in my liniage. But I am different and chose a different route.

    Oh, and how rich do you have to be, in Texas to NOT qualify for any aid, or PreK admission? We lived in a trailer, family of five, three in diapers at one time, one income, heavy (Preemies) medical debt and no assets. I have never known anyone, other than my Aunt, who was "Rich" enough to live in a brick house. (Just workin' stiffs)

    Not that I am still bitter about it or anything.
    (Nervous laughter)

    My point to posting this is that our public school systems are so strained for having to pay for those who bring nothing (Money) into the system, that our OWN children cannot go to school because the resources are strained. And people like me, who do not know any better are letting the school system drag their kids down, or making them THINK they are unworthy of an education... it just makes me mad.

    I know there is a current event going on right now, and I am not interested in fighting about that issue. I just wanted to post this because I was facinated that in your state everyone gets to go to PreK, just south of you, we coudn't.
     
  14. Ava Rose

    Ava Rose New Member

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    Wow, Jennifer! That is terrible. That makes me mad. I can see why you felt like a non-citizen. That is not right.
     
  15. HomeschoolG'ma

    HomeschoolG'ma New Member

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    This is off topic, but along the lines of Jennifer's post. Colleges are the same. You make just enough NOT to get federal aid, you homeschool so it is hard to get scholarships unless you make it a full-time job, you find out that most of your college son's friend's are going to school free because they are a minority, have a disability, or they are from another country and the school gives them an education as long as they go back to their home country afterward. I say, "WHAT ABOUT NORMAL AMERICAN KIDS?"
     
  16. Ava Rose

    Ava Rose New Member

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    What do you consider a "normal american kid"? I am appalled that non-americans go to school here free. I think we should support those who are citizens and who will use the education in this country. I am not in favor of being awarded a scholarship based solely on race, religion or disability. However, we give scholarships or athletics and music and so forth. If a private company or organization supports a scholarship for a miniority or one with a disablity, this is fine. That doesn't take away money for "normal" kids. So, what is normal? Miniorities and those with disabilities can be american kids, right?
     
  17. JenniferErix

    JenniferErix New Member

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    I think her message was muddied...
    I think that what she was comparing "Normal" to, was the Foreigners. At least, when I re-read it and slowly place commas in different places, it seems to be.

    The fact that she also talked about disabled or poor, was the forethought, then she mentions foreigners and only then does she say "Normal American Students".

    At least, that's my take.
     
  18. Ava Rose

    Ava Rose New Member

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    Normal has nothing to do with foreigners. I reread and I still think it sounds off. poor choice of words, I agree, poor wording, I agree....I am still getting the same feeling on that post. But who knows.
     
  19. Ava Rose

    Ava Rose New Member

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    No matter how you slice the commas, it sounds like normal american kids refers to white, abled body, citizens. Not buying the commas are misplaced. So I still ask, What is normal?
     
  20. Syele

    Syele New Member

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    well I read it to mean "what about the american kids that don't fit in some special label/category/racial minority?"

    Normal as in not catagorized as "disadvantaged" in one way or another. american as in not the previously mentioned forigeners.

    Just how I took it...
     
  21. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    You know, how many of us would have fits with a family who always put the needs of the neighboring family first and allowed their own children to go without? It just shouldn't be done!!! There's nothing wrong with helping, but we also need to provide for "our own"! A person who is NOT a citizen does NOT have the same rights, PERIOD! I mean, the last presidential election, they were trying to allow illegal aliens to VOTE!!!
     

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