Our neighbor sent me this article she had read. We've been discussing preschools and the public school options for our children (since public schools are our only real option. Private schools run around $12,000 - $20,000 a year/child and public schools are completely free). I'm pasting the article she sent and then my mom's reaction to it. My mom started her professional career as a public school teacher, so she was a natural starting point for me to get good solid advice from.
http://www.bethesdamagazine.
Here's my mom's reaction:
Kindergarten should be fun, learning through play--as should much of 1st grade.
...no homework unless it's having the parents read to them--which is already done in my grandbaby-girls' home.
Much of kindergarten & first grade, besides the learning through play is learning how to stand in line, engage in multi-individual activities, learning social norms like not hitting or biting and eating "fun" nutritional foods on a schedule and in groups, showing & developing "group table manners," and dressing felt girls & boys in appropriate clothing for the weather, learning the calander day of the week & month...
Exposure to poetry, music and all other wonderful leisures in life should be just that, leisurely activities (or play), like for instance, "acting out a poem," and maybe learning some lines because they're catchy and it makes their mouth feel good when they say the words, or given long streaming nylon or silk scarves and instructed to fly their scarves to the music (then listening becomes a whole body/sensory experience).
Intellectual learning does take place in both kindergarten & first grade, but k & 1st grade are really years of solidifying all their learning to date, plus the social memes. K & 1st demonstrate a child's learning in their first few years of life and expose them to the learning of their peers and the beginnings of reading.
Learning letter sounds, initial sounds, ending sounds, middle sounds is as academic I would require of kindergarteners.
Kindergarten is a time when kids get to "show" how much they know!!! 'so 'they'll hopefully become comfortable in a classroom setting so that when, in latter 1st grand & 2nd grades when something is hard for them, they'll be comfortable enough to raise their hand and ask for help, knowing they'll figure it out with help of a good teacher.
2nd grade is when children really begin to tackle new skills, reading, math, penmanship, big things like the world, art, etc. (even though these skills are started in k & 1st). These are big skills to learn and the brain has to be ready.
So, in my opinion Kindergarten & the 1st 1/2 of 1st grade are Prep for reading, writing, math and the performance thereof.
Stressing a little person out when so you and still in need of a lot of nurture is taking it a little far in my mind.
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It's probably that I'm my mother's daughter, but I tend to have a similar philosophy on academics. Our girls are incredibly bright. They both are. We can already see strengths that each one of them have and we'll encourage each one of our girls in the way they need to be encouraged. And, we will cherish these things in our hearts our whole lives.
I was recently reading a book on parenting that talked about brain development in children at 18 months, 5 years and then the age of a third grader. And, it was also talking about how some children have the abilities to learn to read at three or four years old, but that is not necessarily ideal thing for their overall growth and development. The book, I'm referencing is titled: "Nurture Shock". It's a great read for anyone interested.
I also realize that there are likely significant cultural differences involved when talking about education in India and America and Europe and China, etc. Nevertheless, I would be interested to hear any thoughts or insights you may have as you too have a stake in our girls!
Love,
juliana
2 comments:
I completely agree with you and your mom, and think that what she has written is very sensible.
In India, especially, I think, we tend to push our children so much, because we, as parents, often get our sense of self-worth by our vicarious achievements through them.
I know kids in the kindergarten who return from a full day at school, and then have tuition at home, and then spend the rest of the night completing homework and preparing for the exams.
Would you consider home-schooling?
We would absolutely consider home-schooling. And, we would offer our children that option. Safina is incredibly social. Serena is too. But, Safina desperately wants to go to school. We've enrolled her in a small private preschool which emphasizes learning through play for their students.
So, we will see how that goes. We live in a highly competitive area in the U.S. So, it sounds a lot like the culture in India. Parents are competitive about everything from sleep to appetite for food to athletics to verbal ability to length of hair (for girls) to....the list goes on and on and on...
I'm excited to hear your perspective on this topic though! I'm sure we will have loads of fun conversations when we are all together. I'm eager to learn from you and Arpita.
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