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Not only are children starting full-time school at a young age, I feel there is not enough lightness and play in Kindergarten, and too much pressure on academic results.
Finland, a global superstar in education terms, is consistently among the top performers. But it is also at the very bottom of the league in terms of the hours spent in the classroom. Finnish pupils start formal education at seven and then enjoy 11-week summer holidays - and they end up with the highest educational standards in Europe.
What do you think?
Can we help our young ones have more fun at school and take some of the stress off?
I thought this part of the article was most interesting.
Quote:
When pupils start school at five, the children of more affluent families are already ahead. But this "attainment gap", instead of closing gets wider at each stage up to the age of 16. As every year passes in school, the results of the richest and poorest grow further apart.
I agree that kids start school too early here. We homeschool, and I do very little by way of "formal" lessons with my 7 year old. I just don't think it's needed at this point. There is no way I could sit down and drill my 4 year old and teach her to read, the way that some schools teach preschoolers to read! She is not ready for that at all yet. I feel that children need to play and learn naturally at least until the age of 7 or 8, maybe closer to 10. I know I'm not the norm, though... I also feel that kids up to age 5 or so should be home with mom for the majority of their time.
You wouldn't stop her from learning to read though if she seemed interested? I only ask because 4 seems a little long in the tooth not to have an interest in reading.
Of course I would not stop her from learning to read, but she's not ready to sit down and learn. My 7 year old started reading at 6 1/2, so I"m not concerned.
Radek, I think you hit the nail on the head. School moves too slowly! If they started school at 7 or 8, and moved at a quick pace, they could accomplish so much more than starting school at 4 or 5 and sauntering through 13 years of lessons. Good point!
I think that 5 is a good age, but I think there needs to be emphasis on play and building social skills in the very early grades, as opposed to a strict academic focus.
And there are things that have been thrown by the wayside that need to be focused on. For example, at least in NYC, kids aren't taught handwriting anymore. And at the middle level, there is an overemphasis on academics. The kids no longer get shop, or home ec, and not all kids get art or music and there are no clubs or sports after school because many kids are in academic programs till 5:30. Phys ed is also very important- my kids get it once a week. My students are not well rounded (unless you are talking about some of their waistlines, hence the need for athletics)
I think that 5 is a good age, but I think there needs to be emphasis on play and building social skills in the very early grades, as opposed to a strict academic focus.
And there are things that have been thrown by the wayside that need to be focused on. For example, at least in NYC, kids aren't taught handwriting anymore. And at the middle level, there is an overemphasis on academics. The kids no longer get shop, or home ec, and not all kids get art or music and there are no clubs or sports after school because many kids are in academic programs till 5:30. Phys ed is also very important- my kids get it once a week. My students are not well rounded (unless you are talking about some of their waistlines, hence the need for athletics)
In my HS, you had to have a year and a half of some form of art. Music, Drama, pottery, whatever.
Year and a half of PE, Tech Ed, (no shop offered though), etc.
And in Elementary school, you HAD to choose Band, Orchestra, or General music. And Choir was a recess elective.
Middle school also had requirements, but I try to block those two years from my mind.
When they leave highschool, most of them are proficient in 2-3 languages. Where as only those who go to college have even take 2 years, let alone 6-7 years of another language.
Not only are children starting full-time school at a young age, I feel there is not enough lightness and play in Kindergarten, and too much pressure on academic results.
Finland, a global superstar in education terms, is consistently among the top performers. But it is also at the very bottom of the league in terms of the hours spent in the classroom. Finnish pupils start formal education at seven and then enjoy 11-week summer holidays - and they end up with the highest educational standards in Europe.
What do you think?
Can we help our young ones have more fun at school and take some of the stress off?
I feel like statistics or quotes aside the assertions of this article and your post aren't reasonable.
As a parent I can tell you I love the acceleration of learning happening with my two preschoolers... they comprehend so much and are like sponges for information. I encourage it and of course try to stimulate their minds as much as possible. I recognize that they need to play and learn, so my spouse and I ensure to make learning fun. It really isn't difficult nor arduous to teach my kids, and they love it and even demand it sometimes so I do it.
Regarding school stress... I just don't see it. I guess I could understand the fear once they hit elementary school, or middle school (we've all heard stories of children committing suicide due to the stress of school)... but I'm thinking it is inapplicable to my children. Why? Because my wife and I know that school is a means to an end. Getting perfect grades, being valedictorian, attending a prestigious university aren't things which we feel are terribly important. We're not going to stress our kids out about those things. Most important is that our children learn how to learn, identify talents and hone applicable skills, stretch their minds, and are well onto their way to being prepared for independence and the challenges of adulthood. If they become doctors or lawyers that's fine... if they become painters or sculptors that's fine as well. If they find their passion I'll be satisfied.
If I didn't currently do what I could to teach my children everything I could then I feel like I would be doing them a great disservice. They're far too smart for that. Waiting until age 4 or 5 or 7 to teach something is a ridiculous idea. Better is that you teach children what they can be taught building upon prior knowledge. It happens my children are ahead of the curve by most academic benchmarks... are they stressed about it or not having fun?... heck no.
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