Academic Development All over the Map

That's great that he's reading so well. Kindergarten will significantly improve his handwriting, because they PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE every single day! I would not worry about it, he's entering Kindergarten and that's one of the main things they focus on. Guaranteed if you talk to his teacher, she will give you a handful of suggestions and have you practice at home. She has seen this a bazillion times before :)

It's a valid concern.

Most teachers are GREAT. Awesome professionals who work their butts off, and really get kids, and really understand that some asynchronistic development is common with most kids (and major asynchronistic development will be true with at least 1 or 2 kids in their class every year).

And sometimes you get the ones you have to wave a neon sign in front of them and they STILL don't see the nose on your face.

Most teachers like/respond well to questions. As in; "Is it a concern that his writing is so far behind his reading level?" or "Will his writing hold him back, since his reading level is so far ahead of his writing level?"

Either will both get across the concept that her reading is advanced of her writing... but it also starts a dialogue/conversation between you and the instructor where you can talk about your concerns without it being a "that mom" kind of thing.

A good teacher will run with you, and work with you throughout the year in a friendly/open way. Since most teachers are good, you have a better than even chance that it won't be an issue at all. A bad teacher, well... there are whole BOOKS written on advocating for your child and the best and worst ways to go about doing it... but why put the cart before the horse?

But as for experiences like that? Absolutely. My son is technically either gifted or 2e depending on how you look at it (2e = gifted + either a learning disability or disorder) and asynchronistic development is a common facet of gifted kids. As an example; he was reading at a 4th grade level when he was 3 (btw, he's now in the 4th grade and still reads at a 4th grade level, because he got bored by reading, so didn't take it any further), and doing algebra at 6 or 7 (math is continuing to skyrocket). But to say he has a doctor's handwriting is being kind. His handwriting is atrocious. His 2d spatial awareness is ALMOST NONEXISTANT. (Mechanical writing, puzzles, tangrams), but his 3d spatial awareness is mindblowing (he can't do a 10 piece puzzle in under an hour, but he can do a 30 piece 3d tower in under a minute. He just reaches out almost randomly and stacks them). He does algebra and precalc with ease IF they are equation based, but a simple Susie has 3 apples and Johnny has 4 pears word problem has him staring at the paper blinking for 10 minutes. And then he's nearly always wrong.

For my son some things just come EASY to him, and some things he struggles mightily with. Because his development is so asynchronistic, we actually are spanning 7 grade levels in his work. So that the areas he excels in he can continue to pursue at a level that is fun and challenging for him (aka appropriate), and the areas he struggles in we can move slowly with so he doesn't get so frustrated he just gives up (aka appropriate). It's quite challenging from a teaching perspective.

Which is why students in a classroom setting are (ideally) broken into ability level groups. For elementary, reading groups are the most common breakdown to come across. (Later on in middle school more breakdowns occur; math, english, science, history... in highschool ability level classes are broken down further... and in college they're broken down completely into ability level classes. Not just 100-400 level classes, but 101, 127, 192... 200, 240, 283....304, etc.)

The first several weeks of K are going to be the teacher evaluating where each of her kids is at and trying to group them appropriately. Not just from an academic standpoint, but also an emotional and social one. AKA she won't be able to tell you a lot those first few weeks. Then there will be about a month of "solid" work, and then parent teacher conferences happen. The same is true of every grade, but K requires the most "sift and sort" work for the teacher. Because there will be kids who don't know their alphabet (by sight or verbally) and kids like your daughter reading at the 2nd grade level.

It's going to take a bit for things to get into a groove, but as long as you've got a good teacher (and that most are); you'll be able to start that dialogue/partnership... you'll BOTH be fine.

One suggestion, if you are concerned about it...
Get him some chopsticks to play with over the remainder of the summer. Encourage him to use them to pick up small objects (beads, or grains of rice or anything small). Using the chopsticks to do such particular "work" will strengthen his finger muscles. You can also encourage him to use playdoh to make things. If you do it now, over the summer, his fingers won't be so tired at the end of a school day. That is the complaint I used to hear from my son--- that he didn't want to do homework or whatever b/c his fingers were tired. But once they are involved in daily homework, there isn't any way to "get ahead" as the fingers will already be tired when he gets home. :( If you start now, and go slow, he will develop good motor skills and muscles in his hands/fingers that will support him as he is learning to write. Instead of his hand being tired all the time.
hth

.

My granddaughter's hand writing was nearly illegible until she got to the 5th grade. She wasn't a good reader until the end of 4th grade. No problem. As you said each child has skills that come easily and skills that don't. For my granddaughter, her easy skill was being social. Talk, talk, talk. lol Her teachers helped her with the writing and reading as well as talking less. Her academics improved when she was given an IEP. Individualized education plan.

The fact she was having difficulty learning did not put her at a disadvantage with the teachers. Teachers are professional and look at all aspects of a child. She did not get the special attention she needed until she was in the 4th grade because the teachers thought she was not paying attention and because it's common for students to be slower in some subjects than in others. They worked with her in all areas of academics.

His teacher is not going to overlook his reading skills because he can't write well. In fact it's normal to not write much at all at that age. The teaching time will be divided amongst the various academics appropriate for that kindergarten. There will be specific time for reading and specific time for writing. I suggest that you visit the classroom so that you can see the teacher at work and be reassured.

I noticed that many students did not have legible hand writing in K-3. Hand writing takes small muscle co-ordination that develops at a different rate for different kids. My granddaughter's teachers were not concerned about her hand writing until she was in the 4th grade.

Some people are never able to write in an attractive way and yet they're professional people with successful lives. I wouldn't be concerned especially at this early age. Academics truly don't get started until Kindergarten. He's ahead of the majority. Most of his classmates won't be able to read at all. Many won't be able to read until the latter part of first grade and some not until 3rd and 4th.

Relax and let his skills unfold as they will. You don't have to push him. In fact pushing him and expecting him to do more than he is able is setting him up for a sense of failure.

Boys typically have problems with fine motor skills. Very normal for them to struggle with writing. Any chance you can homeschool him? If so, you can tailor his education to meet his particular needs instead of putting him in the pack. You can accelerate his reading and take time with his writing. Same with the rest of his subjects. No feeling "behind" in some subjects or bored in others as he waits for them to catch up. It is the ideal model for education.

I think the teacher will spend time with each child and get to know them well by the end of the school year. I would see how it goes the first semester. Of course checking in with the teacher about how he's doing is always a good idea too.

My son just finished first grade and is incredible in math and an decedent reader, but his writing is not great either. I have been meaning to, but did not, as the teacher to have to occupational therapist (OT) at the school look at him and help a little. While schools have made cuts, there are still services available and where there is not anything wrong with your child, you might be able to get him some help that way so he is not behind in writing. Good luck.