Preschool being the new Kindergarten

Kindergarten is supposed to be a young child’s introduction into the new school environment and the new system. I know with my kindergarten experience it was difficult adjusting to the new environment and so many different children. The teacher would have fun and playful activities for us to interact with each other. These activities weren’t just fun they were also educational. The teacher encouraged us to work harder but never pushed us to have thing done by due dates.

In “The New Preschool Is Crushing Kid”, Erika Christakis states that kindergarten teachers want their students to be able to read by the end of the year, so some teacher’s end up pushing academic goals in preschool. The worksheet and poster class rooms filled with charts, grafts, word walls, rules, schedules, and instructional posters. All of which preschoolers cannot fully understand. Most of these preschooler’s day is spent sitting at a desk with paperwork with strict instructions on how to do them, which parents see are more except-able for older grades. They spend more time with workbooks and worksheets than spending time in art and music.

Kindergarten used to be a way for kids to transition into the school regimen and being ready to get into the hard workload. Now some are being held back before they have a chance to prove their potential. The teachers have argued that if they want their students to be able to read by the end of the year, then they should begin the academic goals in preschools. The expectations on these preschoolers are those of a 5-6-year-old. Teachers are under so much pressure to prove they can teach well so that the kids can understand them. Some teachers won’t let their kids go and play unless their work is completely done.

Kids who went to a private preschool had more “school-readiness”(Christakis) than the ones who went to a daycare. Since they were pushed at such a young age their motivation for school deteriorates once they hit first grade. By second grade they’re doing bad on exams that determine their English and math skills. They lose the eagerness to learn since they are “subjected to the same insipid tasks year after year after year”(Christakis). Preschool is fairly a new addition to the American Education System. Private preschools were mainly used as a controlled comfortable environment for children to learn to get along with each other.

Parents are on board with these new changes because they fear that the unhurried learning style has no place in today’s competitive world, or because they can’t afford a better option. The best preschool programs provide multiple opportunities for children to use and hear interactive language, plus gives them school-readiness and meaningful family interactions. Teachers who spend quality time with their students can pay close attention to their thought process and their communication. They can also find a way to help children think out loud. “The real focus in the preschool years should be not just on vocabulary and reading, but on talking and listening”(Christakis). By talking to one another they can pick up on information.

The conversations teachers have with their preschool students are more “one-directional and simplistic”(Christakis). While using structured schedules and pushing than from one activity to another with the only sort of approval being a simple, “good job!”(Christakis). Teachers should be using more open-ended questions and discussions to give the children a chance to be a part of the conversation. If they use closed statements, they have labeled what the child was doing even if it wasn’t even close to what the child had in mind. This causes problems with the child’s imagination, they think that once they hear what their drawing could be that’s what they think it is. Using open-ended questions and statements helps children think out loud and explore their imagination.

Switching between play and hard work, or joy and achievement is difficult for preschoolers, especially if they have an inexperienced teacher who teaches with a scripted scheduled lesson plan. Only 15% of preschool classrooms have shown “effective interactions between teacher and child”(Christakis). Even though pushing academic achievement into lower ages is a way to close the achievement gap between poor and rich children, the quality of the preschool really does matter.

Christakis visited Finland and noticed that the teachers are open to focus on what really matters in a teacher’s career: their relationship with the children. She mentions a quote from the Finns about what they have to say about preparing preschoolers to read: “The basis for the beginnings of literacy is that children have heard and listened … They have spoken and been spoken to, people have discussed [things] with them … They have asked questions and received answers”(Christakis). This quote is important because children can pick up on the things we say and the things we tell them, and they can learn things quickly. Since it’s hard for teachers to push children to do well in school without losing their interest in education, there are things teachers can do to help their young open-minded students have a better relationship with learning.

In another article I found mentions six reason as to why she thinks preschool in important with helping your child to develop social and academic skills. These are some ways teachers can get the students more involved in learning and help keep their interest in learning. Some teachers can use games and fun activities to give children a chance to interact with each other and learn how to share and cooperate with one another. Being in preschool can give your child a chance to be in a structural environment with rules, instructions, raising his/her hand if they have a question, take turns, and sharing the teacher’s attention with the other students.

Using more academic activities helps your child prepare for elementary school which is more academic based. Preschool can also develop your child socially and emotionally with being respectful to others, compromising, solving problems on their own, performing small tasks at home on their own, and build confidence. Preschool can also help your child find their answers to the numerous questions they have about everything through exploration, experimentation, and conversation.

When reading these two articles they both make good points about preschools. While Christakis’ article talks about the changes in preschools and how they are pushing teachers to do more academic things with their students then fun and games. While Ristic’s articles says that teachers can still push academic curriculum but through fun and games. I agree with both articles that the new preschool system is putting a lot of pressure on a 4-year-old and that the curriculum can be shown through games and activities. I also agree with Christakis when she says that teachers should have a bond with their students, in my personal experience the teachers at my old school were very close with all of the students and always knew when something was bothering us or if we were struggling, they would help us one by one to make sure we all understood the question. I never really thought about the differences between structured learning and interaction learning.

I feel as though the new preschools are crushing the children’s ability to ease their way into a structural classroom setting. Preschool should be a way for children to get to know other students, interact with them, solve their own problems, and share attention from the teacher with the other students. Instead the school system is making preschool more academic based with using workbooks, worksheets, and strict instructions on “fun” activities. Both of these authors were very successful in making their main point known and showing their strong opinions about this topic.

I mean really, is strict instructions more important than teaching a 4-year-old how to communicate with others, share, be respectful, solve their own problems, and helping them be more confident in themself. They should be interacting with other children and making friends and relationships with their teachers. “For our littlest learners, what could be more important than that? (Christakis)”

Works Cited

Christakis, Erika. “How the New Preschool Is Crushing Kids.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 28 Dec. 2015, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/01/the-new-preschool-is-crushing-kids/419139/

Ristic, Marija. “6 Reasons Why Preschool Is Good for Your Child.” Novak Djokovic Foundation, 13 Mar. 2017, novakdjokovicfoundation.org/6-reasons-why-preschool-is-good-for-your-child/.