Talk of the Town

By Kate

March 26, 2006 08:37 PM | Link to this

While education is critical, everyone seems to be forgetting that genetics account for the larger part of intelligence and success.

By not a hover-mother

March 26, 2006 08:45 PM | Link to this

You parents need to lighten up. Children need to be allowed to be children. The most important thing for them to be learning in pre-school is socialization - play. Many who are academically pushed at an early age burn out. By 4th grade, the big academic advantage these kids have has been mostly erased as the other children catch up. My daughter was the youngest in her kindergarten class and the farthest behind - she was just admitted to an excellent science/math magnet program for high school - many of the students who were in the “gifted” programs since elementary school didn’t make it in.

By Katie

March 26, 2006 09:02 PM | Link to this

Call me crazy or old-fashioned, but my 17 month old and my 2 month old are going to enjoy their early childhood. My husband and I read with our kids each day. We take them to the museums. We let them enjoy life. There is plenty of time for accademics down the road. Right now, they are going to learn about the world around them by enjoying it. We don’t care if they are in a gifted program or not. We care that they become happy, well adjusted, functioning people who are a benefit to society and enjoy their lives….

By Ron Robinson

March 27, 2006 04:02 AM | Link to this

No, I do not agree. I come from a family with low income, had a public education, my three brothers went on to college and are doing great. What the parents need to teach their children, do your best,when you get knocked down in life, get back up. You cannot get everything out of a book.

By JohnnyT

March 27, 2006 06:37 AM | Link to this

This is just another status arms race - and is very damaging, both to the kids concerned and to the society that will one day have to accommodate those with an overinflated sense of their own entitlement. I happen to be an Atlanta native who started Kindergarten in 1969 having learned how to read two years earlier. I wasn’t pushed; I was naturally hungry for it and it just happened. And I certainly didn’t have outrageously expensive tutoring to get me to that point. My kindergarten teachers were shocked by my advanced reading and music skills but treated me just like everybody else, and that, not any hothousing, is what made me the good student I became. My sister and brother began reading at the average age and were neither advanced nor slow students. We all had a normal school experience; the only difference is my teachers were responsive and creative enough to give me books to read while the other students were just getting started learning. My IQ was assessed in the high 160s but I wasn’t told the score until I was grown. There is a lot to be said for letting kids be kids, no matter what their academic level starting out. I am grateful for the wise teachers I had in kindergarten and the early grades at Venetian Hills Elementary who helped a smart kid be both smart and normal. The frenzied competition I read about in this article is just the start of a pressure-cooker educational life that so often sends kids off the rails. Why is it that no children took ritalin orantidepressants when I was a kid? Pushy parents should ask themselves: for whom am I really doing this?

By JohnnyT

March 27, 2006 06:54 AM | Link to this

This type of hothousing is just another arms race – bigger house, more intimidating car, fancier job title etc. Kids should not be treated in this way. The Scandinavian model emphasises imaginative play over reading and writing well past an age when US parents would expect their child to be literate – and competitively so. My own personal experience shows that a so-called gifted child isn’t created by expensive hothousing. I am an Atlanta native who entered kindergarten in 1969, having learned to read fully two years earlier. There was no particular reason for this; I wasn’t pushed or given tutoring. I was just hungry to read and taught myself. My kindergarten teachers were shocked at my ability but didn’t make a big thing out of it. I was also found to have an IQ of 168, which wasn’t revealed to me until I was grown up. I was treated pretty much like my brother and sister, both “average” students. I am grateful to my teachers, at kindergarten level and at Venetian Hills Elementary, who let a smart kid be both smart and normal. And I am grateful to my parents for treating me like a kid, not like an Einstein or a trophy. I do think it’s interesting that no kids of my generation were on ritalin or antidepressants but that the adults we are now are all too ready to use them on the next wave …

By chris

March 27, 2006 07:06 AM | Link to this

This is crazy. While it is commendable to want to give a child the best education possible, parents tend to forget one of the most important things to teach a child, common sense. I worked at a bank near emory univ. and saw “book smart” kids. but could they write a check, no!, balance a checkbook, no. no how to read the classified ads, forget it.!!

By Blue

March 27, 2006 07:56 AM | Link to this

More learning can be achieved through play and exposure to nature and cultural activities than from any accelerated reading program. I have a child in the gifted program and he was accepted in 3rd grade—not kindergarten. I never pushed him. He just wanted to learn. I have two other children that are at an average reading level. But the most important thing is they all love school and are happy to be there. Parents that push their kids into learning so early are going to wonder why their kids are getting bored of school by 5th grade. You need to let your kids be kids. Not all kids that get into Harvard could read by age 3…and not all people that go to Harvard end up happy in life. our goal as parents should be for our children to have happiness in life and be a productive member of society.
Go to the library often and read to them every day…save your money for their college education.

By Lisa

March 27, 2006 07:57 AM | Link to this

I do not agree with tutoring preschoolers, especially 2 and 3 year olds. At that age, they should be learning by having fun singing songs, playing, developing social skills. The most important thing is for parents to read to their children and use everyday experiences to teach - “Let’s play with the red ball.”

I teach preschool and we provide a foundation for learning but we don’t push or pressure the children. We let them learn at their own pace but provide the opportunity. We teach with a variety of mediums: finger plays, songs, art, puzzles, manipulatives, creative movement, etc. The children end up learning a lot but at the same time they enjoy it.

Instead of paying all this money to have your child tutored why not spend the money to introduce them to museums, art, flowers, etc. and less money on video games, etc.

My niece didn’t have any tutoring yet she scored in the high 1500’s on her SAT and is now in graduate school at an Ivy League school.

There are too many parents who are pushing their children into programs just so they can brag about it to their friends.

By dg

March 27, 2006 07:58 AM | Link to this

There is a difference between being “gifted” and being “well-coached”. The well-coached children will eventually be outdone by the truly gifted children. Let’s hope that the parents of the well-coached children have more maturity than money and will take it well.

By Robert

March 27, 2006 07:58 AM | Link to this

If parents do not want to do their job, then fine, they can pay someone else to do it. In my day, parents would read to their children, play learning games with their children, and actaully spend quality time with their children.

If pitiful parents do not want to (or cannot) do these things then I guess paying someone else would be the next best thing. But boy, I can only imagine the resentment that these wealthy, spoiled, and learned children will be when they grow up.

I wonder… did these same parents pay someone else to change their children’s diapers, did they pay someone else to cook all of their meals, did they pay someone else to …. you get the picture. Why did they have children to start with?

By New Dad

March 27, 2006 07:59 AM | Link to this

There is a belief in this country that an alchemical formula exists of the right toys and games will convert any child into a genius. Hogwash, apples don’t fall far from trees.

By dg

March 27, 2006 08:04 AM | Link to this

Yesterday I was playing tennis at an upscale, suburban subdivision and was shocked to see the children of successful, educated parents playing barefoot in the cold. The children were there with their parents! I can only hope that these future Einsteins will have better sense than their parents.

By Susan

March 27, 2006 08:13 AM | Link to this

It is just completely wrong. Why did these people have children to begin with? They had babies, not little adults. The world has become far too competitive. Let the kids be kids, they only have a few years to be a child to begin with.

By Nicole

March 27, 2006 08:21 AM | Link to this

I do not agree with pushing children at an early age. As a former middle grades teacher, I saw children in the 6th grade who were already burned out from having too much academic pressure at a young age. As for getting into the gifted program, in my opinion, you are academically gifted or you arent, that isn’t something for which you can receive tutoring. I believe that tutoring centers are great for older kids to help them maintain skills or work through subjects that are giving them trouble. I just don’t think it is necessary for preschoolers.

By Dick

March 27, 2006 08:22 AM | Link to this

Had a teacher one time tell me of conversation with two 16 year ole’s in 7th grade, they told him their plans were to quit school as soon as they could. He started talking about need of education, etc but they got his attention when they told him “we have been going to school since we were 4 years old”. Guys may have had a point.

By I_Teach

March 27, 2006 08:29 AM | Link to this

Are you kidding me?????

“The new first grade is kindergarten;” and now this?!?!?!?

Amazing…I remember going to kindergarten..half day. We had art, music, nap time, snack time, recess, and went home by 12. By the end of first grade, every single one of us could read!!

Kids are being pushed harder and harder..and the results are abysmal! Look to other states and their K and Pre-K programs. These critical years should be used to help children acclamate socially. Developmentally, they are not ready for most of the things that are being foisted upon them!

Any parent who is tutoring their Preschooler should be ashamed. Any person who is taking their money should be even MORE ashamed!

By Mom of Two

March 27, 2006 08:35 AM | Link to this

What a huge waste of money!!! Last I checked, the role of the PARENTS was to guide their children. Do these people honestly believe that they should be paying total strangers to teach their pre-school age children something that they, themselves, should be perfectly capable of “teaching” in a non-acacemic setting? We’re not talking about rocket-science here. We’re talking about exposing a child to the basics.

There is more to life than academics. Children need to be able to figure out how they fit into the world around them. They have plenty of time for classroom learning once they actually achieve school age. In the meantime, it is the responsibility of the parents to read to their children, to expose them to math in their everyday world, to walk through the woods with them so they can explore, and to take them to the park so they can play and interact with others.

Another key thing is to keep the TV turned off. That includes those Baby Einstein and Baby Mozart movies. Listening and dancing to music is great. Creating their own music (using pots and pans and lots of plastic bottles filled with a variety of things) teaches them even more. Spoon feeding music in the form of a movie that requires the child to NOT use their imagination is useless.

My 7 year old only attended Pre-K 3 days per week, but started Kindergarten already reading well; able to easily add, subtract and multiply as well as understanding other math concepts; understanding many of the basics of science; and with well developed socialization skills. He skipped 1st grade, currently reads at just shy of a 6th grade level and qualified for the advanced math class and the gifted program. Those results came with investing lots of fun together time and very little money.

One last thing. Setting an example is a wonderful way to teach. For example, a non-reader who sits in front of the TV all the time isn’t likely to raise a good reader.

By Sam

March 27, 2006 08:49 AM | Link to this

Many topics today swirl around the question of self worth. How do we get it? Americans easily fall into the trap of earned self worth. Why not start it at the age of three or four. Get a head start on your value as a human being. Sad.

By SCV

March 27, 2006 09:00 AM | Link to this

One couple mentions, “We didn’t force it on her. We wanted to give her the leg up we didn’t get.” Yet, “She’s an electrical engineer. He’s got his own computer support and repair company.” So unsuccessful.

By Diane Shearer

March 27, 2006 09:07 AM | Link to this

Children will learn and if they are smart enough, they’ll be put in the “gifted program”. If there not, then they’ll be part of the regular population. Nothing wrong with that. They just need to know they’re loved and they’re wonderful people that will make good contribution as they grow older. That is if the parents haven’t ruined their self-esteem by trying to make them into what they’re not. Let them be carefree kids while they’re young. These egotistical, stupid parents will have there children stress out before they are 4 years old!!!! Pitiful I say, just pitiful!

By marianne

March 27, 2006 09:11 AM | Link to this

A CHILD SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENJOY CHILDHOOD. MY SON IS ENROLLED IN A PRIVATE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IN 4K. HIS TEACHER TOLD ME FROM DAY ONE THAT KINDERGARDEN SHOULD BE A FUN AND THAT TO REMEMBER THAT HE WAS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD. SHE ALSO SAID THAT HE HAD 12 YEARS AHEAD OF HIM FOR STUDYING AND DOING HOMEWORK. WITH THAT IN MIND I DIDN’T PUSH HIM AND I AM PROUND TO SAY THAT HE IS NOW READING AND SPEAKING SPANISH, ALL LEARNED IN A KINDERGARDEN CLASS WHERE ALL THE CHILDREN ARE TREATED PREKINDERGARDER THAT THEY ARE AND NOT AS WALKING AND TALKING BOOKS. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO MY SON ENTERING GRADE SCHOOL AS THE FOUNDATION HAS ALREADY BEEN SET FOR HIM TO KNOW THAT SCHOOL IS SUPPOSE TO BE FUN.

By oldteacher

March 27, 2006 09:13 AM | Link to this

If I remember correctly (and I am old), this kind of pressure on children in Japan, caused the suicide rate among preteens to rise.

By John

March 27, 2006 09:25 AM | Link to this

This is all very disturbing but not uncommon - parents seeeking admission to the elite in-town private schools have been doing this for years. For instance, as Atlanta has grown over the years and spots have become more prozed, parents have been purchasing the authentic Wechsler IQ tests to “coach” their kids on the JATP IQ test. Tales of parents pushing their way into the “right” psychologist for the JATP raw intelligence testing are also the norm - all in the name of parental status!

Sadly, tweleve years of intense pressure and keeping up appearances can take its toll. While no school will admit it, a quick look at where a good number of these private school children matriculate strongly suggests that after tweleve years of intense pressure, they are ready to take at easy for four years in a no so competitive collegiate environement.

By Craig

March 27, 2006 09:29 AM | Link to this

I do not believe there should be gifted programs, nor do I believe there should be a status difference depending only on what school you, or your child, attended. We must not forget the promise echoed in the Declaration of Independence that all humans are created equal. How we as a citizenship have worked so hard to destroy those certain unalienable Rights, and in the process have made our, and our childrens’ lives miserable.

By AsianParent

March 27, 2006 09:30 AM | Link to this

I think that we need to find a middle path between pushing kindergarteners to read and write and asking middle schoolers to cut up magazines to do a project.. There seems to be a gap between high school and college, so that our kids are dropping out of college because they find it so tough while students from other countries are getting ahead!

As an Asian parent, I did not follow my peers by pushing my kids into hundreds of afterschool activities and enrolling them in Montessori or private schools. They went to public schools and had only as many extra curricular activities as they could handle at the same time learning how to relax and enjoy downtime. Thankfully, they are now quite well adjusted, appreciate life and have learnt to enjoy it.

Most Asian parents do have this parent “competition” going on which damages the children even more.

I believe that in elementary school, children should learn relationship skills, anger management, time management, etc, at their own pace. Middle schools here need to increase the children’s awareness of the outside world, the various issues that are affecting the world such as culture, weather, diseases and war. They need to get a global view of the world, and not just focus on wars and history of one country.

Also, study skills, test taking etc should be emphasized so that in high school, our children are ready to compete with the rest of the world!

My 2 cents..

By Taxpayer

March 27, 2006 10:18 AM | Link to this

We were determined to give our child the very best we could. So we enrolled her in MMOs and preschool, but more important, we played with her, read to her, took her places, got her together with other kids, took her to visit family, answered every question she ever asked, and helped her learn anything in which she seemed interested. She could read and write when she entered kindergarten, easily made it into the gifted program, and now takes gifted/advanced classes in high school. Kids need parents’ time and attention, not tutoring from a stranger. Parents can and should be their kids’ first and best teachers.

By Brigitte

March 27, 2006 10:36 AM | Link to this

Thank goodness for specialized programs like Kumon and Sylvan so that those of us who are not already charting our children’s course to Harvard can find space in traditional preschool programs - the kind that we went to where learning was fun and stress-free. I don’t buy those parents’ assertion that their 3-year olds WANT to read for a second. They get to be young for so little time as it is - why would you shorten it up even more?

By Nikole

March 27, 2006 10:37 AM | Link to this

How sad!

By Paula Caldarella

March 27, 2006 10:42 AM | Link to this

I can’t help but chuckle at some of these parents and their spending huge amounts of money on these programs to enhance their children’s abilities. Quit spending money and having other people do your jobs.

I read to my kids almost since the day they were born. We took trips to the library and checked out books together - they both had their own library cards at age 4. Both of my children attended Georgia Lottery Pre-K program at their local school. They were both accepted into the Gifted Programs at their schools in Kindergarten.

And guess what? The library card is free, it costs you no money to check out books from the public library and the Pre-K program was free.

Got the picture????????

By TES

March 27, 2006 10:43 AM | Link to this

This is just utter shame. Who are the parents doing this for? If you really don’t have anything else to spend your dollars on…Here’s a thought. Donate the money to an underprivaledge child…one that may actually need the extra tutoring…past the 3rd grade.

By shirley

March 27, 2006 10:46 AM | Link to this

I am a great grandmother and I have seen this “early education” go from bad to worse. get off the backs of children about “learning” . they no longer have the opportunity to just PLAY and live a normal life where they can learn the Right Way , rules of life and common sense and getting along with everyone , they are constantly monitored in one ” program or another” from Daycare to Headstart to preK and monitored games( little league,Soccor etc.) on… WHY DO PEOPLE HAVE CHILDREN ANYMORE TO PUT INTO THIS KIND OF LIFE.????? Quality Time just don’t get it.., kids need hometime with a mom or dad to watch them play and interact with others at home, neighbor kids to scrap with, and learn how to associate with, they need to make up their own games and play outside with others , without the adult coaches ,just someone to keep watch for safty. this is how they actually learn to live with others and be social.. this generation is losing touch.. stop before it is to late , a childs mind can only hold so much…

By Amazed

March 27, 2006 11:29 AM | Link to this

I agree with Craig. I do not believe there should be a gifted program. This seems to put another social class within the life of a child. In addition, those that may fit within a gifted program in one stage of their childhood, may struggle to maintain that level later in another school year. It seems also that even after they spend the hours in the classroom, a minimum of 2 hours every day needs to be spent on homework just to be able to keep up. These are children…how many of the adult parents would want to be willing to put such quality time into their job every day?

By momof3

March 27, 2006 11:31 AM | Link to this

This tutoring of preschoolers and toddlers is nuts. You can’t coach giftedness. My oldest is in third grade. She didn’t even know half of her letters when she started K. She had spent too much time playing and creating to be bothered with such nonsense.

However, by December of her K year, she was ahead of most of her class in reading and now reads about two grades above level. She is in gifted classes (without having been coached). She made one of the highest scores ever on her gifted math pretest. Her her creativity index puts her in the 99th percentile.

Drilling children on schoolwork at such a young age is at best a demonstration of a complete misunderstanding of how children learn and at worst child abuse.

I know one of these coached kids. Maybe he is the exception but… most kids in his class (my daughter’s class) don’t like to play with him because he is no fun. The poor little guy has had the personality drilled right out of him. He still goes to one of those Kumon places a couple of times a week even though he is a high achiever.

These parents should take all that Kumon money and put it in their kids’ college funds and spend a little time playing with them instead of scheduling them for classes.

Drilling preschoolers creates dull drones …not the creative leaders that we need in this day and age.

By Granny

March 27, 2006 11:31 AM | Link to this

I am paying for tutoring for my 7 year old grand. She is so far behind her class already and I decided we had to do something! I can’t say I’ve seen much improvement yet but we continue to go because we don’t know what else to do. From my perspective though, as old as my perspective is, I think if her home-life was what it should be, I would have more money in my retirement account and she would be doing just fine!

By Dell

March 27, 2006 11:37 AM | Link to this

“what ever” Parents listen up here, if you got so much money to waste give that to our teachers and let them do their jobs that they spend thousands of dollars on college to learn how to teach your kids while they use the peanuts to pay back student loans with. Duh what is wrong with this picture here.

By Amazed (Independent Woman)

March 27, 2006 12:01 PM | Link to this

I find it very interesting that many of you criticize parents, who pay tutuors for pre-school. I have never paid anyone to tutor my daughter, but I spent many hours teaching her how to read, write and do math before she entered elementary school. There are lots of fun activities that can be used to learn and have play time, all at the same time.

There are too many kids who can barely count to 10 or say their ABC’s upon entering kindergarten. Then the teachers complain, that “THESE” kids do not have involved parents. The parents of kids, who are performing at grade level - then complain that the teachers are spending too much time with the kids of uninvolved parents.

Parents, spend your money to do what is best for your child.

That’s my two cents.

By I_Teach

March 27, 2006 12:15 PM | Link to this

Craig,

Of course there should be Gifted Education programs….just as there is Resource for struggling students. Gifted children often get the short end of the deal in a regular classroom. Just as special ed. students should get an appropriate education, so should the gifted children.

However, this tutoring of preschoolers will NOT turn an average or above average child into a gifted child. It may (or may NOT) make them be a better student, but not gifted. Not all A students are gifted..most are just really good students, or above average.

We’ve become so competitive..so our 5 year olds can read, but they have NO concept on how to get along, how to problem solve, and deal with conflict resolution.

Brain based research has shown repeatedly that children are ready to learn different skills at different ages. The notion of putting preschoolers into tutoring flies in the face of reason!

By Jeannie

March 27, 2006 12:16 PM | Link to this

Why can’t some parents let their kids be kids? Whatever happened to having a fun childhood? Chill out pushy parents and let your kids enjoy their lives before they grow up and have to be responsible adults with stress and pressure.

By MMM

March 27, 2006 12:18 PM | Link to this

An “Educated Adult” is one who displays knowledge, reason, and wisdom. It is much easier to measure knowledge than the other two, so our whole system has gravitated toward valuing only knowledge and neglecting the kinds of expierences that help children learn to reason and make wise choices.

If it truely were the case that children grew up with the richness of exposure to many expierences with different situations and people, than I would certainly say that this coaching of knowledge into babies is silly and sad. But it could be the case that some of this is delivered in an engaging way—with someone making a killing on the lack of reason and wisdom that the parents display. If it calms the parents and doesn’t transfer that pressure to the child than it is no worse than the kind of ego trip that makes people buy $100,000 cars. Still sad, but not necessarily harmful.

By Zoe

March 27, 2006 12:19 PM | Link to this

For those of you that believe that gifted students should be educated on the same level as everyone else, please read “A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students.” How would you feel if your child could read in kindergarten and was forced to use the exact same reader in 1st grade? This was because your child was “gifted” and no one else on that level yet so your child was forced to repeat previously learned material. Gifted classes allow students to be challenged to the best of their ability. If we shouldn’t have gifted classes, then we shouldn’t have special ed classes. Then everyone would receive the exact same education and those who couldn’t would be let loose on society. I’ve found most parents against gifted education do not have a gifted child and do not understand the purpose of gifted services. I do not support the coaching this article is written about. There is a difference between a high achiever and a truly gifted child and unfortunately, the high achiever will be left in the dust in a class with truly gifted children.

By Blue

March 27, 2006 12:20 PM | Link to this

More learning can be achieved through play and exposure to nature and cultural activities than from any accelerated reading program. I have a child in the gifted program and he was accepted in 3rd grade—not kindergarten. I never pushed him. He just wanted to learn. I have two other children that are at an average reading level. But the most important thing is they all love school and are happy to be there. Parents that push their kids into learning so early are going to wonder why their kids are getting bored of school by 5th grade. You need to let your kids be kids. Not all kids that get into Harvard could read by age 3…and not all people that go to Harvard end up happy in life. our goal as parents should be for our children to have happiness in life and be a productive member of society.
Go to the library often and read to them every day…save your money for their college education.

By momof3

March 27, 2006 12:23 PM | Link to this

No, we should not get rid of gifted programs for several reasons…

First, gifted children think differently than their peers. Many are divergent thinkers, and school is designed for convergent thinkers for the most part. There are many high achievers who are not gifted and many gifted children who are not high achievers. Einstein and Edison had terrible problems with school because they did not think “right.” Yet, no one would argue that they were not gifted.

Many gifted children would become a huge behavior problem if they were not challenged to their potential and taught in a way that accomodates the way that they think. Gifted children also tend to have difficulty socially because their intellect far exceeds their emotional age. Giving them a chance to interact with “wierd kids like them” enhances their self esteem greatly… especially in this day and age where being dumb is the hip thing to do.

Many of the gifted kids in our district come from public housing. Giftedness occurs at all socioeconomic levels, and it is even more important to identify it in children who live in poverty.

With NCLB, gifted classes are more important than ever because teachers are forced to teach to the bottom quarter of the class. My children consider lunch, recess and gifted classes to be the three highlights of their day. They are bored to tears for the rest of their time at school and it takes every bit of self control that they have to sit there quietly while their teacher goes over the same concept again and again.

If you didn’t have gifted classes in public school, those schools would lose the majority of their gifted populations and their precious test scores would drop dramatically as a result.

By Kathleen

March 27, 2006 12:37 PM | Link to this

As a member of MENSA and having participated in the gifted education programs in elementary and high school while growing up in DeKalb County in the 1970s-1980s, I am a firm believer that there should be gifted education. No, not all children are created equally and some children are more intelligent than others. I am very grateful for the opportunities that were offered in the classes and how the classes pushed me to excel (yes I was a nerd and am proud of it!). If children who are gifted are not given the opportunity to excel, they quickly become bored and discouraged. This feeds mediocrity!

Having said that, I do not believe that 3 year old children should receive tutoring that is equivalent to the jutu (cram school) that is offered in Japan, where the suicide rate for teens is exponentially higher than in the US. Parents need to save their money and re-evaluate their priorities. Children do not need to be wearing the latest designer duds or be driven around in a luxury SUV. Children learn to read faster when their parent reads to them. Children become facinated with the world around them when they are taken to museums, foreign restaruants, theater, and music performances by their parents instead of being fed a steady diet of only “kid-friendly” entertainment such as Disney DVDs, PlayStation and Barney. Bottom line: parents, bank the money for their college education and spend time with your kids enjoying life while they’re still young and want to spend time with you.

PS. Before anyone asks, my mom was a single mom in the 1970s before a lot of the modern conveniences we take for granted today were available and she not only worked a full-time job AND another part-time job, but also earned a masters degree at Georgia State and made darn sure that both my brother and I learned to play a musical instrument, went to and graduated from college (and for me, graduate school), and also went to the symphony, the theater, and museums, and ate more than chicken nuggets and french fries.

By Stacy

March 27, 2006 12:53 PM | Link to this

Children are born ready to learn, but the learning process is just that…a learning process. You can try to make an infant walk, but no matter what you do, that baby will not walk until the connection between the mind and the body has been made and the muscles respond to the brain’s command. Reading and recognizing letters and numbers is the same…the mind opens to reading, etc when it is ready to open. As so many have said in this post…forget the tutoring! Instead, read to your children, talk to your children, use your day to day life as tutoring…as you fold the clothes tell your toddler you are folding a red shirt, point to other red objects.Point out whatever you can…objects, colors, numbers. If you’re off during the week, take your kids to the High Museum or to the Botanical Gardens on the “free” day. If you work during the week, take them on short day trips on the weekend. If money is a problem, look for activites that aren’t expensive. As one parent pointed out, the library is free. Take a ride on a MARTA train, go a neighborhood park and talk about aniamls and trees. Go outside, don’t spend your quality time watching TV. Snuggle your baby, look in your baby’s eyes and try to really pay attention when they talk to you. Feed them healthy food, have fruit and yogurt for snacks instead cookies and potato chips. Be generous with your time and love and your toddler won’t need tutoring in anything.

By Marietta Mom

March 27, 2006 12:58 PM | Link to this

I agree with Johnny T. This is just plain silly. These kids are definitely headed for burnout before high school. The gifted program is not an automatic ticket to an Ivy League school.

I have three children and I taught all of them to read prior to kindergarten. When they are about 4 years old, go to School Box and get workbooks that focus on consonant blends and phonics. Keep the sessions short, 2-3 times a week, for no more than 15 mins. Buy a package of stickers to reward their efforts and give them lots of praise.

Just raise your children to be balanced human beings who care about something other than themselves. Kids will have to work for the rest of their lives, let them enjoy childhood.

My oldest son was NEVER in the gifted program and had an SAT score over 1200 and a 3.9 GPA. So the gifted program is not the final arbiter of your child’s capabilities. My son developed good organizational and study skills and consistently applied himself and the results paid off. My youngest son, who is now a senior in high school, began the gifted program in the 2nd grade and he felt that the gifted program focused on developing analytical thinking skills, not drilling you on a particular subject. My youngest son had an opportunity to test into a math/science magnet program for high school. He said the test was really challenging and he really didn’t want to leave his peer group and attend a different high school. We told him to give it his best effort. And we certainly didn’t make him feel like a failure when he did not get in. Life is about learning how to accept disappointment and keep moving on. He thoroughly enjoyed his high school experience, and will be attending William and Mary in the fall.

However, my daughter attends Kumon for math tutoring because her math achievement scores are in the 96th percentile and I want to maintain her interest in math. Not to make her some sort of math wizard.

Lighten up parents, you can enjoy a second childhood with your kids. Why pass that up?

By Oodijay

March 27, 2006 01:03 PM | Link to this

Having graduated from the same school system in ‘64 that my son’s graduated from in ‘94 and ‘04, my experiences dictate a real need for back-to-basics in education, starting with smaller classrooms and monitoring of teachers and their classrooms. Perhaps us “boomers” who are beginning to retire can take on the dual responsibilities of monitoring/tutoring. After all, we KNOW all about how it WORKED when WE were being educated by a system (parents and taxpayers included) who knew the value of the proper tools and support network.

By Nel

March 27, 2006 01:55 PM | Link to this

I must say that I really dont’ understand teh gifted program concepts. I have one child who has been there since 2nd grade, and my other child failed the test because of a supposed lack of motivation. This seems to be one of the common “failings” on the test. My child is extremely bright, and way too competitive and I had to explain the there was nothing wrong with not being in “gifted” because as long as they are getting great grades and making Principals list it was fine by me. I know a family of 5 kids who are so smart they are scary, but none passed the “motivation” test.

Maybe they should just elevate the quality of education overall instead of segregating kids this way.

By NotMyProblem

March 27, 2006 02:59 PM | Link to this

Drilling preschoolers on this stuff is crazy.

Suggesting there be no Gifted Programs in school is also crazy. Some kids are more advanced than others, and it is hardly fair to expect them to sit in class, bored to tears, because Little Johnny just can’t seem to grasp the information. My 22 month old daughter knows her entire alphabet (by sight and by sound), counts to 15 and knows about 10 different colors. She’s in a Montessori Daycare and has thrived in that environment. We don’t drill her on anything - she’s just excited to learn and takes the initiative herself. We read to her, talk to her like a normal person (not baby talk) and take her to a lot of different places. Children will automatically thrive if given the right environment. I used to be skeptical of Montessori, but I see the living proof of how good it is every day in my daughter.

By Kat

March 27, 2006 03:08 PM | Link to this

It’s always interesting to hear comments from parents who seem so adament about these tutoring programs and what they stand for. “I don’t send my children to any of these sorts of classes, but look how amazingly gifted little Jack or little Jill is - isn’t my child so perfect even though he or she didn’t do what your kids did?” It’s not very nice to comment about someone else’s methods of parenting, and then turn right around and spout off about your own little Einstein. It’s called modesty; but I suppose many of us don’t have that socialization skill figured out yet. I don’t have my children in these tutorial classes either; but if I did, I wouldn’t feel bad about it.

By Metoo

March 27, 2006 03:47 PM | Link to this

Crazy! Crazy! Crazy! Parents who send their children to these programs must be nuts — as if academics is the only thing that matters! Guess what? Not every kid is “gifted”, just like not every kids is artistic, or athletic, or charismatic or anything else.

Please let the children enjoy being children!

By Suzanne T

March 27, 2006 03:57 PM | Link to this

Man alive, let children be children. They’ll have to study hard enough in High School and College. If parents were to start off by reading to their children at a young age they will enjoy it for a long time. Don’t make it such a big deal that they burn out before they even reach High School.

Of course there are those instances where due to homelife and other circumstances that Tutoring might be good for the child, if that’s the case put them in a reputable pre-school.

Just my $.02.

By Gena

March 27, 2006 04:32 PM | Link to this

I feel that all children should be exposed to a structured environment prior to age three. At 2 1/2 they should be around peers for socialization skills and educational activities. I work with children and if a child begins kindergarden with the appropriate skill, socialization and educational skills they are more likely to catch on and learn to without problems. Some kids start school being behind. I will not place my child in that situation.

By Greg from Marietta

March 27, 2006 04:41 PM | Link to this

I feel so sorry for the poor children whose egotistical self-centered parents are robbing them of a normal childhood and forcing them into a world of unrealistic expectations at such a tender age. What these often well intentioned parents fail to realize is that by submitting a child to the pressure to “Excel” academically at such a formative time in their lives will more times than not lead to a child in their teens that will reach academic “Burnout”. Trust me , I speak from experience, it is definitely not worth it. They are only children once, don’t ruin it for them. Accept them for who they are not what you want them to be.

By Ruth Conner

March 27, 2006 05:53 PM | Link to this

The competitive ego knows no bounds.

By Heather

March 27, 2006 09:08 PM | Link to this

I hope the parents of these “tutored” preschoolers are also focusing on the social development of their children—oops I forgot—their kids are too busy doing homework instead of “playing” with their peer group. As a preschool teacher for 5 years and a parent for 10—I have to say that this trend is alarming. I wonder do these children make homemade playdough, create masterpieces from what most of us consider “recyclables”, move and groove to Greg and Steve, or just run around on the playground until their cheeks are pink and they are winded? Can they listen and share at circle time—or do they constantly interrupt and feel the need to always answer b/c they know all the answers? I read an article a year or so ago about what “big school” expects from its beginning students. The teachers over- whelmingly answered—the ability to listen, follow directions, sit with an activity/book for 15 minutes, polite manners, etc.—funny that ABC’s/123’s/IQ scores etc. didn’t make the top ten!!