Preschool is Not First Grade!

Recently, I’ve been hearing feedback from parents whose children are now in kindergarten and the amount of worksheets the children get.  The lack of recess. Losing physical education class to work on handwriting. Children denied recess as a punishment for acting like a 5 year old.  Centers with only technology and worksheets.  Sitting all day. Perhaps the most heartbreaking of all, when a preschooler was asked if her teacher laughed when she read her book to the class.Child: “Oh no, teachers don’t laugh.  They have to be mean to get us ready for kindergarten, because when we’re bad in kindergarten we’ll be sent to the principal’s office.”

I this makes me so sad and ANGRY! How DARE they treat children like that? 

Are the districts worried about tests scores and ratings, and putting so much pressure on their teachers that they afraid to teach appropriately?  Preschoolers are now being treated like first graders of the past, with worksheets to “prepare” them for MORE worksheets!

Do teachers not understand how children learn?  I hope not. Most likely the administration is under pressure to “improve” test scores from those that think earlier is better. 

What if it was determined that in order to improve the physical fitness scores of high school seniors, all babies must crawl by 5 months?   You must start working with them at 3 months so that they’re ready by 5 months.  If they’re not crawling at 5 months, you are told that your child is lagging behind, and must do extra crawling work.  And by the way, all children should walk by 10 months, and you’d better start working on that now. 

Sound crazy? Of course it is!  It’s just as crazy as insisting that all children read by the end of kindergarten.  Reading is a developmental skill, just like crawling and walking. Some children just aren’t ready to read until they’re 7 years old.  They’re not dumb.They’re not lacking.  They’re just not ready for the inappropriate timelines adults have imposed upon them.

I REFUSE to teach in anyway other than what’s appropriate for a child’s development! I teach preschool, a time for play, a time for joy, a time for children to discover themselves, their independence, and how to interact with their peers.

We  were observing our “just threes” playing and having fun. It was a  magical day.  Children who’d never interacted were talking and agreeing on their theme of play.  Children reaching out to the shy child.  The shy child actually interacting for the first time.  The children who were SO proud of their paintings they made for their parents.  Discovering on their own what’s in a seed pod, and putting them one by one in sections of a container.  Using large tweezers/forceps to pick up pretend insects.  Encouraging each other. 

Before a child can do a worksheet, their hands need to be strong and their muscles developed.  How do they do that?   Squeezing play dough. Using large tweezers. Lacing.  Picking seeds out of a pumpkin. Since the “Back to Sleep” movement, children have lost a lot of upper body strength compared to preschoolers in years past.  They can no longer roll a play dough “snake” while sitting down.  They need to be encouraged to stand up and TAUGHT to apply enough pressure to roll it. 

If a child is expected to sit for long periods of time, they need good core strength. Balance. They need to be aware of where their body is in space, which means that they need time to MOVE so that they can settle and focus. 

Before they can read, they need to  have learned how to take risks.  Not crazy, jump from the roof risks, but “I can climb over a log! I can climb up the slide, it took me a long time but I finally did it!  I can pump in the swing! 

At RHCNS We have an unofficial tradition that children created years ago that  has been passed down from class to class.  Since the children need to be able to use the playground equipment on their own (we don’t pick them up to reach high areas) they need to persevere to reach their goal.  There is a “ring” that children can jump up from a platform and grab and swing around.  The platform is about a foot off of the ground.  Some children start by being afraid to even jump.  When they finally “stick” their landing, their smiles are huge!  They line up behind each other (they need to assess their safety first, by looking around to make sure no one is in front) and jump, trying to reach the ring.  When they finally tap it, it’s cause for celebration!  The pride when they can actually grab it is contagious!  I send a video home to their parents. 

Each small step is celebrated. They learn that with perseverance and many, many misses, they can accomplish their goal. 

Beginning readers must take risks.  They must trust themselves to identify a letter, and not get discouraged when they make a mistake. They must be willing to risk making a mistake when giving answers out loud in a group. 

Often with young children, reading just “clicks.”  They might be four, they might be 7.  Drilling your baby on crawling skills will not make them crawl any earlier.  Drilling a child on reading skills they’re not ready for will discourage them and make them feel inadequate.  No five year old should come home from kindergarten and announce, “I’m stupid.”  

No, my dear, you are not.  Somewhere along the line the adults in charge of teaching you don’t have a grasp of early childhood development. Is it your teacher? The administrators that are afraid of having bad test scores?  The politician that think your are little machines? 

You deserve to learn at your own pace.  You deserve to move, explore, create, and learn your strengths.  You deserve to be respected for who your are and your current abilities.  

You deserve teachers that understand you and how you learn, and remember that if you’re in preschool, you’ve only been on this planet for 36, 48, 60 months. You’re not in first grade. 

Because my darling, teachers should laugh, sing and dance with you because preschool should be fun. They should enjoy their job. Your joy of learning should not be crushed when you’re in kindergarten, and especially not in preschool! You are not, and never will be “bad.”  You are learning. You may not conform to “rules” adults have decided you must follow, even though you’re acting your age or expressing your brain’s need for you to move, because you are learning. 

To my students, my goal is to bring you joy, a chance to explore, a chance to learn about yourself and others, and to help you learn to think on your own.  Life is not about having one right answer.   Learn to look at the world from different angles.  Imagine the possibilities. Run. Fly. Climb. Explore. Be confident.   Be a kid. You deserve it!