|
New kindergarten: less play,
more work
by Dorren Klausnitzer, The Tennessean, November 4, 2002
For more articles on disabilities and special ed visit
www.bridges4kids.org.
Kindergarten today has changed.
It has evolved into an academic environment geared toward
teaching students how to read, write, do simple math and, of
course, get along.
Five-year-olds work on computers and create their own books.
Three times a year they're even tested in Metro to make sure
they're on track.
The days of kindergarten being primarily a time of
socialization and play are long gone, as are nap time and
recess. Now, instead of snack time, many kindergartners bake
their own treats and get a lesson in fractions at the same
time.
''They need to know how to read, they have sight words, they
need to know every letter and the sounds it makes. And they
need to know it right off the bat,'' said Leslie McClanahan,
whose daughter is a kindergartner at Glencliff Elementary.
Required reading.
Her daughter still gets some of the old-fashioned
socialization and exposure to the structure that Leslie
received when she was in the same school years ago, but now
''there's a whole lot more to it than that.''
In Middle Tennessee and across the nation, kindergarten has
become more like formal school and less like its preschool
beginnings.
Some question whether the 5-year-olds are up for the academic
challenges, or whether it's even developmentally appropriate
to push them so hard. Others wonder if the children will later
on lack social skills while they gain academic prowess.
Many simply want their children to succeed.
Blame the changes on day care and national education
initiatives. Blame it on the economy forcing mothers back to
work. Blame it on parents who want their children challenged
and on school systems held to higher standards.
''Nationally, the push is on to help students, all students,
learn,'' said Debbie Smith, a kindergarten teacher at
Glencliff.
In Metro, the school board adopted standards for
kindergartners in reading. By the end of the year, they should
be able to read at least 40 words including ''down,''
''little,'' ''and,'' ''there,'' ''the,'' ''you'' and ''said.''
The state has its readiness curriculum for every subject in
kindergarten. And the national No Child Left Behind initiative
is all about starting early and making sure every child is a
proficient reader by third grade.
''To do that, you have to start laying the foundation in
kindergarten,'' said Smith, whose kindergarten class is an
assault on the eyes.
There are labels everywhere — from the chair she sits in to
the clock on the wall. There are brightly decorated letters
stuck to the walls, plastered on desks, hung on displays.
''We want to make the environment as enriching as possible,''
said Smith, who was last year's Teacher of the Year in both
Metro and the state.
The students start the day in her class counting and going
over the date, day of the week and month.
Last week, the letter for the day was N, and students
practiced writing it in the air, on the carpet and on the
white board.
When it's book time, Smith doesn't just read aloud. She has
students point out the title, author, illustrator, the title
page and the book's spine.
When she finally begins reading, the students raise their
hands when they hear words that rhyme.
Later on, Smith has the students put pictures in order to
create their own wordless book.
The idea of kindergarten, which means children's garden, came
from German educator Friedrich Froebel in the 1830s as a way
to expose children to the notion of working and playing
together.
He envisioned lots of games, songs, stories and simple
material to help young children make the transition from home
to school.
But today more mothers go back to work after having children,
meaning more children are in day care getting an early taste
of socialization and structured play.
''Children come to kindergarten now with more experiences than
in the past,'' said Rosemary Mosier, director of elementary
and middle grade education for the state Department of
Education.
Because of that, kindergarten has evolved.
''It's definitely different,'' said Faye Goodman, Metro's
assistant superintendent for elementary schools and a former
kindergarten teacher.
In Metro, every kindergartner is tested three times a year to
make sure they are learning at the appropriate level. They are
required to get structured learning in letter sounds, phonics
and sight words. By the end of kindergarten, all of the
youngsters should be able to do simple math and many will be
able to read.
Florence Kidd, now Metro's director of K-12, also taught
kindergarten more than a decade ago.
She remembers teaching the youngsters colors and wearing red
for a week.
''Now, parents expect more. It's not just blocks, housekeeping
and centers around the room.''
But are children ready?
''I think that we still don't know yet if it's good for kids.
That's a very important question. There are a number of
studies looking at that now,'' said Lynette Aytch, who
researches early childhood issues at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.
''There is no data on how children do from more of the
emotional and psychological perspectives,'' she said.
But she has seen some disturbing evidence. Because of
increased accountability and assessment, some children are
being retained in kindergarten.
''Kids are flunking kindergarten. What does that say when the
beginning school experience says they are not quite ready to
move forward?''
Aytch said among child development experts, the questions are
common.
''Are kids developmentally ready to be in an environment where
there is such a strong emphasis on academic cognitive
outcomes? Are we sacrificing the importance of socialization
and placing more of our priorities on academic outcomes? Those
are question that I know we are having in the field.''
Until those questions are answered, teachers are left to
follow the standards set out by their school systems and meet
the expectations of parents.
One of the basic expectations is cracking the code of reading.
Three months into the school year, some of Smith's students
have already made inroads.
''I like to read,'' Simona Hyatt, 5, says slowly as she points
to each word in a picture book about reading.
''I read to my cat. I read to my dolls.''
Next to her, Mariah Mensah, also 5, finishes the simple
paperback.
''I read to my mom. I read to my dog. I like to read.''
Smith also starts early trying to prepare her children for
college and getting a job. She purposefully scatters her
lessons with references to jobs such as teachers,
firefighters, doctors and nurses.
''I want them to think about it.''
Five-year-old Austin Majors does. He likes to think about his
dream job a lot.
''I want to be a Power Ranger and fight bad guys,'' he said.
Smith smiles.
She knows not all lessons stick right away.
Her students are, after all, only in kindergarten.
Dorren Klausnitzer covers education for The Tennessean.
Contact her at 259-8066 or at
dklausnitzer@tennessean.com.
Original URL:
http://www.tennessean.com/education/archives/02/11/24791407.shtml?Element_ID
|
