Elementary Schools.....
 

Ok.... so we have been here since July and in the School system since August. I am trying to work out whether the schools are kids are in is a) the norm and we should not worry about it, or b) a crap school and we need to change now..... would really like to know what other people's experiences have been.

Our kids are in 3rd and 4th Grade at a well respected local school (rated 10). It was tough to get into and families are nice, facilities good etc. The problem we have is that the school work does not seem challenging and seems to be somewhere stuck in the 1970's. There is a lack of Science (no Chemistry, small amount of Physics, no Biology) and more of a focus on English and Reading. Is this normal? Math(s) is also very, very easy..... It is also important to note that our kids are not hyper intelligent. In the UK, they were very much middle of the road in their class, not at the bottom and not at the top (and I don't think they have suddenly become high flyers overnight....).

In the UK, our kids were starting to get a very well rounded education, whilst also being pushed to do more and more things. My concern is that they are not being challenged and therefore falling behind their UK equivalents.

Any help gratefully received.

Re: Elementary Schools.....
 

I am not sure how much chemistry you expect 8 and 9 year olds to be taught but what you are describing is what we were concerned about, which is why our daughter, now in fifth grade is in a private school. She has science classes in a science lab, Spanish every other day, art in a dedicated art room, as well as maths and English taught by specialists not just her form teacher.

Re: Elementary Schools.....
 

Wasn't expecting much, but was at least expecting something/anything! Only science that seems to be taught is about biomes (?!).

They only have a form teacher, so no specialists which might be half the problem.....

Is Science taught at a later date?

Re: Elementary Schools.....
 

Whereabouts are you in the country?
We are in NJ and our little one has just started 1st Grade having completed 2 years at school in the U.K. We are also new here and so have no more experience then you but there are lots of people on here that are more experienced and have similar age children.
We noticed that the maths and reading were not at the same level of the U.K. and therefore our son is ahead here when he was average at home however the writing and English (American!) is better here and we have noticed a big improvement.
I formerly worked in a school in the U.K. and my headteacher reassured me (as l had similar concerns before coming out) that every country has different focuses and not to worry.
There are a lot of enrichment programs after school run by the district here, might be worth looking in those at your children's school, my son was due to be in an after school science program however left hubby to book and he is now in an engineering program which he equally enjoys!!!

Re: Elementary Schools.....
 

Firstly, welcome to the US.

Re schools, I think you need to remember that the US system starts a year after the UK so you can’t do an age by age comparison.

Math seems slower because of common core. In fact it’ll feel painfully slow but will speed up half way through 4th grade. The theory being that common core math gives kids a more in-depth understanding of math. While I was getting frustrated at the lack of speed, I do think that they’re probably right.

Google 4th grade curriculum and you’ll see if your school is covering what they should be. My kids did social studies (local geography and history) and science (matter/energy/sound etc) in 4th grade. They’re now in 5th and in science, one child is learning about the body - digestive system, circulatory system etc and the other is studying cells and plants (they’ll switch next semester). In social studies they’re learning about the map of the US and the states and capitals and Native American history.

As for homework, one of my twins has always gotten more homework that the other. Luck of the draw in terms of their teachers’ preferences I guess. This year neither of them have had much homework at all aside from reading which they love anyway. I’m ok with that as that gives me time to work with them on math (they’re both strong in math so I want to keep it that way and figure 20 mins of practice a few times a week won’t do them any harm).

I don’t know how long you’re planning on staying but it only really becomes a concern if you’re planning on moving back.

Enjoy the fact that they’re doing well and that they can focus on settling in and making friends without the academic pressure.

Re: Elementary Schools.....
 

While common core exists, the standard and pace of US schooling still varies hugely, both by state, and by school district within that state.

We are in Texas, and our local district is good, with our local schools having some of the best results within the district. They split classes from 3rd grade (age 8 to 9) onwards, I think. This is usually language arts+social science / math+science, but our 5th grader is actually split math / social science+science / language arts, because as a new school they only have three classes for 5th grade this year. 6th grade here is middle school, and teachers are generally fully specialised.

What the normal system and overall standard of teaching is in California, I don't know.

Re: Elementary Schools.....
 

What sort of schools did they go to in the UK where they were doing Chemistry in 3rd/4th grade? That's not going to happen here.
I'm surprised they aren't doing much science though. My boy in 5th grade does lots and has done from the start.
There is a strong emphasis on English/Maths, and teachers are not specialized until middle school.

My kids found it very easy when they got here, with extra years of school under their belt. That doesn't always last though.

My eldest is in 8th grade in all honor grade classes etc. I am still shocked at how narrow the education field is. He does Maths, English, Science, Social Studies, Drama, History and PE. When I was his age in a crap comprehensive I also had French, Geography, History, 3 separate sciences, HomeEC, CDT, RE...

Also be aware that even within one year group, within one school all of the classes might not follow the same lesson plans. Some will give homework, and some wont.
The schools here have no TA's available. It's one teacher and 30 kids. So I think that limits how they could teach sometimes.

And yes the teaching methods are stuck in the dark ages. No phonics for learning to read, and a lot of stuff like tedious rote learning.

Wait till they get to middle school when every single little thing is graded. You can even get bonus grade points for taking extra supplies to the teacher.

Re: Elementary Schools.....
 

You know every single education system around the world teaches different things at different times. It's why it can be tricky moving kids internationally. Even moving them around the country (England to Scotland), or moving from one US State to another there will be differences.

If you moved your 5 yr old to France for example, they'd be a year "behind" the UK, more so in Germany and the Scandinavian countries.

If you are here for more than a few years then I wouldn't worry at all if you are in a good school in a good area. If it was 2 years or less then it might (MIGHT!!) be more of an issue. That's where you'd be looking at an International school.

Re: Elementary Schools.....
 

Even within England - I left Sheffield at age eight and a half. Cursive writing was still in my future. I started at a school in Gloucester a few days later and the teaching of cursive handwriting was already complete. :(

Despite my mother's (who is a teacher) attempts to find writing exercises to help me, my handwriting has always been pretty bad. :o

Re: Elementary Schools.....
 

In England, first chemistry biology or physics that i did was at secondary school aged 11.

Re: Elementary Schools.....
 

I'm left handed and my primary school teachers - back in 1948-52 - spent hours trying to make me write right handed. Even I cannot read my cursive writing - I print in single letters! thank goodness for word processors!!:rofl::rofl: