My son gets 20 minutes of recess each day.
He gets gym class twice a week.
He’s working on sight words, phonics, addition, and subtraction.
He’s 5, and he’s about one month into kindergarten.
During the last few years, I kept hearing about the push to offer universal pre-K and wondered at the phenomenon. I have nothing against Pre-K and think it is a good fit for some families, but I also know many parents who want to keep their children home before they start elementary school.
But now I get it.
If I’m looking for a gentle introduction to school….a place to play, to read stories, to learn a bit about numbers and letters and a lot about sharing and friends, pre-K is the place to be.
Kindergarten now plunges students straight into the academic world, complete with homework, grades, and desk time. Kindergarten is the new first grade.
I don’t consider myself an educational expert (although I do have a music education degree, so there’s that). Is this what we need to fix our system? More desk time?
I love my son’s school. His teachers and his principal are remarkable people who have built a strong academic culture. They have to keep up with the current educational currents.
But I wonder if those currents are taking us a bit off course.
What do you think? Is the new educational culture what we need to keep up with the rest of the world, or is it counterproductive? Perhaps somewhere in between?
Currently, there is not a set standard for pre-K (or last I heard). But if it does become universal, I hope there will be flexibility still. Some school districts in the state have part-time options for pre-K, some half days, and some full-time all week. Keiran would have had a nervous breakdown if he had not been able to get his long naps for 5/7 days when he was 4.
Kindergarten does seem like a lot for Rylan, but just today his teacher was encouraging me that she can see progress, so she’s not worried. Her patience and appreciation for the process of learning helps me resist the temptation to freak out that he always forgets about 13 and 15 when counting to 20
Ugh! I think it’s all too much: Universal PreK, and todays standards for Kindergarden. They aren’t ready! They need to be 6 really 7, at least, before they are brow beaten into memorization! I have a 3 day a week PreK’er and it’s still a struggle for me. I chose what I was most comfortable with. They have a lot of time out of the class room, doing fun activities like art and music and library, although it’s not nearly enough outside time!
Love reading your thoughts ab school…such a “scary” topic for us right now. In my opinion (bc you asked right!) kids need more time to play and explore and less time in a desk. I’ve decided to try homeschooling for a couple of years and see how my kids respond. I know it will be tough and I will need to be disciplined BUT I’ve heard so many great homeschooling stories about their adventurous schedules that make up their school day! Luckily I’ve got a couple of years before I need to formally begin so for now I’m just dreaming up my field trip ideas 🙂
Have to say that I agree with Gail and Rebekah. Learning at 5, should still look a lot like guided play, exploration, and adventure. I think we are missing a lot –
One of the things we push for in higher grades and beyond is the ability to work together to problem solve, dream, “what – if”, plan, and create. We find ourselves having to teach kids how to do that, because we have taken away free playtime where those skills were developed naturally. Long blocks of time spent in unguided play led kids to imagine, invent, negotiate, create, and learn about how to work with others to reach and together to reach beyond what they could do alone.
It makes me sad to see the trend toward controlling every thought and action at earlier and earlier ages – especially when the control is often by others who never actually know or see our children.
I am thankful for young moms who are not just saying, “oh, well, it will work out”. I am thankful that you ask questions and get involved. I am thankful that you do not just surrender your children to a system. I pray for parents of students every day that they might have wisdom and courage as they guide and advocate for their children.
Waldorf…
Thank you for your thoughtful reflection on Ian’s school experience. I think you hit the nail on the head with your overall assessment on the pressures the teachers and leaders at his school face which ends up trickling down to the youngest students. Ever since I began my teaching career in 2003, witnessing early childhood first hand, I always viewed Kindergarten as the new first grade given the shear academic focus that continued to grow over the years on that level.
I think if a school is part of a larger public school system (whether traditional or charter) you’re faced with an onslaught of standards and higher accountability because of where we stand on a state and federal level in education which overall is not very inspiring though gains of course have been made. I totally get it though. We want to move children where they need to be, grow global citizens that can compete with the rest of the world, but at what cost? It’s complicated, and yet as a parent, I have found that over time my personal philosophy of education has evolved and now leans toward more alternative educational models because of my firm belief in early childhood being where it’s at in terms of setting our children up for future happiness and success. Yes, more of a middle ground is needed for sure, Christy, with lots of play time and physical outlets provided daily as well as following the child and having the child lead his/her own educational experiences and interests without fatigue and pressure.
I don’t believe in homework. Especially not in early childhood. I understand the perspective, though, that our most at risk students need “more” in general and have a lot of catching up to do. But homework cuts into family time and that is sacred, not to mention just plain down time for kids, and if you can’t accomplish in a 7 or 8 hour school day what you’re supposed to accomplish as an educator or student, then maybe we need to reassess the sheer number of standards that have been set per school year. I understand the pressure first hand and my husband does too as a current school administrator. It is virtually impossible to keep up with a complete grade level scope and sequence on a very tight school year schedule AND be able to fit in extra time for children just to linger on a given topic because they dig it so much, or, because you really need to take the time to re-teach. I’m not saying lower standards, but make them more realistic and manageable for everyone involved since what we REALLY want is to grow life long learners who are compassionate and full of joy and respect and confidence and that doesn’t happen on a set time table no matter how hard you try. And I know there are tons of educators, including at Ian’s school, who are doing just that despite the overall pressures.
What a blessing for Ian to have you on his side and for his school as well! Keep asking the tough questions!