Kindergarten corner: Not what it used to be
Recently, my cousin mused on her 20 years as a kindergarten teacher: “It has changed. It’s much more academic now than it was in 1989.” She loves her job but feels pressure to teach certain skills sooner, even if some children aren’t developmentally ready. This year, she opted for her son to repeat pre-Kindergarten and grow a bit, knowing firsthand the demands today’s kindergarten places on children.
The play-based kindergarten I remember is starkly different from even my daughter’s pre-K experience. Last year, “homework” began appearing in Night Owl’s mailbox some time around Thanksgiving. There were flash cards bearing her classmates’ names, so we could practice word recognition at home. Her teacher balanced the day with play and rest time, but I wondered if all this work was appropriate for four-year-olds (some still three).
Most any parent who attended kindergarten in this country will note an overall shift toward earlier reading, writing, and math instruction. Time and The New York Times have reported on this trend. Several moms tell me that their kindergartners complain of “too much work,” and teacher friends lament that kids just don’t get to be kids for as long anymore. My daughter’s school does a great job of making learning fun and creative, but the modern kindergarten day is long and expectations are high. City schools are under pressure to perform well on standardized tests and keep reading levels on target, and this translates to earlier preparation.
Certainly there are positives to this model.Without any standards, some school districts would inevitably fall way behind. And, as I learned through my daughter last year, constant exposure to ABC’s and 123’s really does lay down a strong foundation. Many children at this age thrive on intellectual challenges and some even need more than a typical kindergarten has to offer.
Earlier academics, it seems, are here to stay, but how they are presented can make a huge difference. Last month, the New York Times described one kindergarten’s use of extensive dramatic play as a primary tool for learning. Evidence suggests that this approach promotes greater self-regulation, which in turn makes kids better learners; the children described were well on their way with their writing skills, as well.
Mary Poppins was also onto something with her “spoonful of sugar” tactic. If schools make work joyful through experiential, multi-sensory activities, perhaps five- and six-year-olds can learn better and not see it as drudgery. The Harlem kindergartners who this fall visited a local farm may have been preparing for future tests, but they were also having fun; surely the lessons they learned that day stuck with them more vividly than flash card drills would have.
Last Friday, my daughter’s school celebrated harvest day. To the students, it felt like an in-school festival, but I know they absorbed more. Night Owl, never too keen on numbers, came home and reported: “There were three chickens. And six eggs…so, two eggs each.” I can’t imagine a better way to make math fun.
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In some ways, it does seem over the top. My December-born pre-K child (one of those that is still 3) had a recent homework assignment that involved having to listen to a reading and discuss a storybook that seemed more appropriate for a 6-7 year old child. The vocabulary, theme, and length (way too long for a bedtime story, which it had to be for working parents who had to make dinner before homework time) bored him stiff, and lost him completely. The idea, which required us to write down his comments about the book or let him draw about it, would’ve been fine with a more age-appropriate book. If this is a preview of what kindy will be like, I’m worried.
Comment by Gwen Leifer — November 2, 2009 @ 12:32 pm
Does this cousin, the K teacher, live in NYC? I know a few parents who would have loved the option of having their child repeat pre-K or K, or delay pre-K for a year, but were not allowed to. If you opt not to put your chid in Pre-K when s/he is “of age,” then the following year s/he will be placed in kindergarten. The only way to have the child learn with kids who are developmentally equivalent is to let them fail first grade — then they will be held back, to repeat first grade. All of the parents were dismayed that their child would have to struggle for a few years and then fail, rather than wait and experience success. Any official information on this policy?
Comment by Lauren T — November 4, 2009 @ 9:31 am
Lauren: my cousin lives in MD, which has the same guidelines regarding repeating Pre-K, so her only choice for holding her son back was to (reluctantly) send him to private school. I inquired last year at my daughter’s school (since she is young), and was told she could not repeat Pre-K but could possibly repeat K. I’m not sure what it takes to hold a child back for another year of K, but I’m looking into it this year and will post a link if I find some official information.
Comment by Claiborne Williams Milde — November 10, 2009 @ 12:46 pm