I appreciated Catherine Wright's column "Slow and steady works for my kids" (CHN, May 17). As a parent of an only child, every parenting experience is new one for me, but boy do I wish I had some experience or sage advice when it came to navigating the "fast pace" of the public school system.

From age 2-4, my son Jonah attended Waldorf inspired pre-schools that emphasized outdoor play and creativity. Because of the prohibitive cost of the Waldorf School, the desire to keep Jonah close to home, and an appreciation for the diversity of the public schools, my husband and I chose to send Jonah to Carrboro Elementary when he turned 5. Carrboro Elementary is a great school. The teachers and staff are active and involved, and truly care about the children. I just feel that it's too much. It's too much for kindergarteners, at least my kindergartener, to be reading, writing, and doing math. And homework -- the last thing my son wants to do after being in school all day, is homework, even the small amount that the kindergarteners get.

Jonah doesn't dislike school. He likes it. He likes his teachers, the other children, and many school activities. But I don't see where the push to get him to read, write, and do math, has benefited my son. I don't think he's developmentally ready for so much linear activity, and I am actually starting to think that the pressure he feels in school may lead to his disliking, reading, writing, and math. I've talked with many parents that feel as I do, which leads me to the question, "Where is the push is coming from?"

Of course my experience with kindergarten is not every parent's experience. I'm sure there are a number of kindergarteners who are thriving in the public school environment. I have, however, talked to many moms of children in kindergarten who feel that the cranky, frustrated kid they deal with after school, is a result of the kindergarten pressure cooker. If I had it to do over again? I would have definitely waited until Jonah was 6 to enroll him in kindergarten, and let him enjoy one more year of just being a kid.

Judi Chatowsky

Carrboro