This is a subject that I feel like I’m becoming intimate with. It happens to be one of those subjects that I keep writing about because I keep reading about it—hence I think it qualifies as a trend. In this month’s “Parents” magazine there is an article called, “Preschool Pressure–Child-development experts worry that early academics may be taking the place of more important lessons that young kids need to learn.” When I last posted about this subject in October “Maybe Preschool is the Problem” I was shocked to learn that in a study published by the Yale Child Study Center they reported that 6 out of every 1000 preschoolers are asked to “pack up their goldfish and hit the road.” Yes, that’s over 5000 preschoolers expelled from school at the tender age of 3 or 4. Imagine that, a failure before they’ve even really begun to learn.
In this new article it talks about the struggle parents face with both wanting their child to be happy but also wanting to ensure that they can compete and have a leg up on the other students entering school. One parent is quoted as feeling like the academics in her daughter’s preschool is really paying off. Her measurement? In just three half days a week, her child can write her alphabet and all of her numbers and can read words like ‘cat,’ ‘dog,’ and ‘tree.’ Of course, there is a price for all that academic hard work–that is time spent on the playground with their peers in the great outdoors is reduced to 15 precious minutes—barely enough time for one round on the monkey bars when you have to wait in line (one of those precious lessons to be learned.)
Study after study shows that in this early phase of life, the best learning is truly “incidental.” William Crain Ph.D. author of the book, “Reclaiming Childhood: Letting Children Be Children in Our Achievement Oriented Society” and a psychology professor at City College in New York is quoted as saying, “At this age, children should be learning through their senses, playing with others and exploring everything around them. Too often, early academics are crowding out those natural forms of learning.” This rigorous focus on pure academics at such a young age is simply not well suited to so many children. But with many of those same children entering the public school system and having to contend with standardized tests via the “No Child Left Behind” act how does a parent make sure their child is prepared? The question comes down to something so fundamental in my mind. Do we want children who can spit back facts and do well on the test or do we want children who are creative problem-solvers? It’s up to us as parents to help redefine for our children what success is and what it means no to us but for them.
I was a bright child (or so they said)—I was an early reader, ready to learn, eager to please. When my parents promised me a dollar for every “A,” I performed (after all, there were 4 more flavors of Bonnie Bell smackers I didn’t have yet.) But I don’t believe I was ever raised to be a creative problem solver. So when I decided to go to Film School instead of Law School, I know my parents must have wondered what they did wrong. Instead, they did everything right. I went to a liberal arts college in which one of my first classes was a philosophy class. It was the first time I was introduced to “logic” in any sort of formal way. As my old professor used to drill me, “Are breadcrumbs bread?” Examining the process of thinking rather than the result was new and different for me. That same year I took a film class and fell in love with moving images—from then on my passion rather than right answer has been my guide in life.
It’s true we all want our children to be successful. I hope as a parent I have the fortitude to continue to coach my kids to color outside the lines and choose a path that is not of least resistance but rather one that gives them true joy.
Posted on November 16th, 2005 by Sam
Filed under: School Time, Guilt and Getting Over It, Research
Sam, I also wish our society could embrace childhood instead of rushing our kids towards “success” at an ever earlier age. Isn’t preschool for socialization and learning through experimentation? Isn’t it supposed to be fun?
What happened to the mentality behind phrases like “let kids be kids” or the “age of innocence” or “lazy, hazy crazy summer days?”
Is everyone from the Gap to the White House on a mission to get our kids to grow up and act like little adults sooner? why? What is the rush? So…they can make money and consume more, at an ever younger age? It makes me want to homeschool my kids… well, ALMOST
I’m happy that you’re still writing about this… some people on my blog started calling me judgemental when I was writing a lot about preschool… I blogged about your earlier post “Maybe preschool is the problem” a couple of weeks ago.
Sam, I’m sure you’ve read Vivian Gussin Paley on the importance of fantasy play in her book A Child’s Work because the very name of this site suggests it. But I remember reading a study that linked a child’s capacity to retell stories to their subsequent success with math. It seems that the processes needed for remembering stories have to do with sequencing and patterns.
So again, I echo M.C. Richards “…what are we educating ourselves for…?” and she goes on to say, “It seems to me that on the contrary we are ruled by fear of authority and social pressure, masquerading as majority rule.” I would certainly agree with that given the national penchant for opinion polling and seeming fears about the foundation of democracy which supports separation of church and state.