There is some legislation being tossed around in Lansing that would force school districts to offer all-day kindergarten. For those of you without a 4-5 year old in your home let’s think about this.
Paul is a typical 4 year old. He can’t do anything for longer than about 15-20 minutes without it losing his attention. And he doesn’t do great in social situations. He loves sports and he loves karate. He lives in an imaginary world where Scooby Doo is just as real, to him, as his cat. Paul’s blanket and WebKinz each have personalities. He is a good kid and he is very interested in learning math, reading, etc. But he is 4.
I think all-day kindergarten is a dumb idea. I have yet to hear, read, or be given access to a single supporting document that is based on research telling me that all-day kindergarten is good for my child’s long-term education. What I have heard is that it would be good for districts as they’d get some more money. I’ve heard that districts may be able to extract money from parents in the form of paying for a public school education out-of-pocket and in violation of the spirit of our state tax code. I’ve heard that it’s good for parents who have to hire child care. Those are all “good things” for adults, unions, and school districts.
But I’ve never heard, seen, or read a single study that says it’s good for my son. How will it help him cognitively? How will it help him socially? How will it help his creative mind get more creative? How will it be structured in a way that makes him love education and help my family achieve its goal of developing life long learners?
My child is not entering a laboratory. He is not to be experimented on. He should not be subjected to educational fads. He deserves proven educational methods and the highest quality, motivated, trained, and accountable teaching staff the district can afford.
If you have a study, link it. If you like all-day kindergarten, tell me why. If you are against it, join me in sharing your displeasure.
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Andrea added these words on Apr 27 08 at 11:57 amMy mom (a teacher) and I just talked about this yesterday. She said that putting kids in school before they are 7 (the age at which they are developmentally able to sit in a classroom and be taught) is at best, useless, and at worst, harmful. It interferes with their development, since young kids (especially boys) need the freedom to run around and explore and hang out with Mom before they can sit in a classroom and do structured activities. And, it makes them dislike school early on.
Also a problem is teaching kids too much, too early. They’re teaching reading in kindergarten! And 1st grade used to be creative and fun, but now it’s math worksheets and reading groups. They sit in a chair all day listening to lessons - hardly the best environment to encourage an energetic, creative young child.
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