ABC's

So we've done it--we've committed. I can't say that it's without reservations on my part, but we're doing it. Aiden could've started American Kindergarten this fall, but we've chosen to keep him in the German school system, so he remains at his German kindergarten until grundschule, or 1st grade, starts next year. We attended our first parent's night at the kindergarten two nights ago. We took our places within the circle of tiny chairs set up in a circle formation inside the little gym and worked our brains into overdrive trying to follow the teachers' spiels (which, ironically, is not a German word as is. I just looked it up.) on their learning philosophies. But the main thing I wanted to clarify is do they teach any beginning reading and writing skills. I knew the answer was no, but I was hoping for a little...change, I guess? Yeah...The kids are expected to know how to count to 10 and write their names by the time they leave. Now, keep in mind, these kids start first grade the same time ours do (but they go to school 13 years instead of 12--so they just start later, really). At the elementary school I work at, Kindergarteners are reading books and writing quasi-sentences if not all-out stories by the time they finish. And being the anxious person I am, that comparison sends me into a quiet panic. I know I should relax and let it go because really, many of our American Kindergarteners are just not ready at the tender age of 5 for all that's thrown at them, so they either repeat kindergarten or they go on and struggle...I see it all the time. The thing is...Aiden is ready! He so wants to learn to write words. He is right now writing random strings of letters to see if he can happen upon one. He brings me his writing and demands, "What does that say?"
"Uh...MFOAGBI."
"What's that?"
"Not a real word, sorry, man."
"Awwww...But why?!?!"
"Because you have to put the letters in the right order to make a word. Like 'cat' is always spelled C first, A next, T last." (He can write that one)

Anyway, I'm working with him to teach him to read and write against the teacher's recommendations :P I can't NOT teach him. It sooooooooooooooo goes against everything "American Educator" in me. What, I'll be teaching other peoples' kids to read and write but not mine? No. Besides, how they learn to read and write will be in German and that's different from the English way, so I'm just doing my job in teaching him his English. And Rad's a math teacher by training, so that's his area. So his teachers are just going to have to deal with the over-achiever American kid who, yes, may be a touch bored at times in 1st grade, but somehow I doubt it.

Now for how to spell I-N-S-U-B-O-R-D-I-N-A-T-E.