G.B.
S.,
I think you are RIGHT to question these expectations. Part of growing up is reaching certain milestones as we mature. Mature being a key word here. They can't expect a 4 yr old to have the maturity of an 8 yr old. God designed 4 yr olds to learn through FREE EXPLORATION not constraint and structure. They say he has problems "staying on task"...Just what is that suppose to mean with a 4 yr old? It sounds like something you would see in an adult employee work review!!!! That is not child driven learning- I dont care what they say. and "attention span problems" ..what the heck.... no HEALTHY 4 yr old boy is going to appreciate being cajoled and pushed into a little conformity box. It is unnatural, sad and cruel. It's the extremely rare boy indeed that can handle sitting without fidgeting in a circle on the floor. It's like taking a baby bird, and instead of teaching them to fly out of the nest, teaching them to hunt like a bear.
There is a reason school age attendance traditionally started at 6 years old. It was because, after many decades of PROVEN SUCCESS, they found that age to be mature enough and mentally READY for the 'three R's'- reading, writing, and arithmatic. That was at the core of schooling a child. Not green recycling, sight reading, fuzzy math, immoral sexualization and all the other garbage they have since thrown in to water down academics.
The progressive movement does not pursuede compulsory school attendance to a younger age for accademic reasons. It's so they can push conformity to certain beliefs, values and morals,to squelch independant thinking and free thought.
I have home schooled three children, including a boy, and I would never expect a child that young (4.5) to write. They might be able to write their name in manuscript letters, and that is one thing. Maybe trace letters with thier fingers in a salt box.Formal writing lessons is another.
To start formal writing lessons, I have consistently found that 5 and a half to six is more the target range, with some kids having to wait even another 6 months after that. Just 6 months can make the difference between success and failure/fustration.