SLICE 2013 - 19 of 31 Kindergarten is 3/6, 1/2, 50% and not a double decker!

I am trying to work a little bit on progress reports this week so I can send student writing home and start the fourth quarter with a fresh start.  I was looking at our progress report and thought there are 6 areas here; reading, writing, math, science, social studies and health.  Health is not that big of an area but it makes the rest of my thinking sound really good.

Right now, I'm doing my best as we all do each day.  Right now, I'm feeling  I'm doing the best with 3/6 of the progress report; reading, writing, and math.  Then my math mind got thinking further.  3/6 equals 1/2.  My students attend 1/2 of the school year.  My students attend 50% of the time.  Then maybe it's okay and I should accept teaching 3/6 or 1/2 or 50% of the curriculum.  However, I'm not a really good person at being 3/6 or 1/2 or 50% at anything and it gets compounded because I get to feel this way with each class, double the trouble or twice as nice are phrases that come to my mind.  I'm also pondering, thinking and tweaking.  I don't think it's fair that state of Ohio counts kindergarten students as 1/2 or 50% of a student for funding.  I'm sure the census bureau counts them as full, living individuals.  Their parents count them as 1 whole child and their teachers and anyone who loves them counts them as 1 whole child.  Our new curriculum standards did not count these children as 1/2 a child either.  Yet, kindergarten teachers throughout our country are faced with a teaching situation that needs to be presented as a double decker or double feature format to meet expectations and grow children.  Some days we have to accept 3/6, 1/2, or 50% because pacing at a double feature or double decker pace isn't what is best for children.