Comments on: An Argument Against Academics in Preschool

By: Neil Crowe

Neil Crowe — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 20:10:09 +0000

I am an early childhood educator in New Zealand. I frequently share research such as this rigorously researched article. The response is ego wounded defensiveness, gaslighting and deflection from fixed mindset positions, to the detriment of children. Thank you for highlighting.

By: Linda

Linda — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 20:59:15 +0000

AWESOMEEEEE!!!!!

By: Jennie

Jennie — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 20:51:26 +0000

This is excellent!! Thank you for writing about this important issue in such a rational way.

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 16:33:12 +0000

Impressive good reasoning. Shame that we don’t have people with your knowledge and insight in charge of our children education. My respect.

By: Amber Nizza

Amber Nizza — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 01:31:32 +0000

Excellent- well written and very informative! As a middle school teacher I still don’t expect my kids to sit the entire period. We have couches, paint boards, standing desks and they move based on their own reflection! Love these ideas!

By: Karen Cowell

Karen Cowell — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 17:53:05 +0000

In reply to Christina GR.

You’re doing great mama! That parenting anxiety is like a monster under the bed. Always just waiting for us to let our guards down.

Kids crack that reading code when they crack it. I had one read well at 4 and one who started to read in later 1st grade and slowly plodded from there. They’re both fine.

Many other developed countries don’t even start to teach reading until 6 or 7 years old. As for your son, if there is a play-based aftercare with space available that won’t be inconvenient to get to, go for it! If not, try not to stress too much, he’ll be okay either way.

By: Christina GR

Christina GR — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 17:50:12 +0000

This was so well-written. I admit that I questioned if my kids would’ve done better or gotten “more” educationally had they been enrolled (meaning if we could afford) in a Challenger, Stratford or Montessori school early on.

My little one is now in Kinder and he isn’t quite reading yet at almost 6 and omg, the Catholic guilt and parental anxiety are making me feel like this is NOT good, since as a point of reference, both my other kiddos were reading by the age of 4. But as you’ve pointed out, he thrives when he’s at a park, running around and just being a typical 5yo boy.

He’s currently at an after school program (after being in school from 830am-12pm) where they actually do have him seated doing some school work as well as play time (from 12-6pm) which I was like, omg…this is great, this is what he needs as opposed to what he was used to last year at his former daycare which was mostly play time (from 3-6pm). His first remarks were he doesn’t like his current after school program, called it “boring” because they made him sit down and do work and wishes he could go back to his old one.

Before even reading your article, I was considering possibly changing after school programs but now, I’m even thinking maybe he does know what he’s talking about regarding his feelings and preference when it comes to play time vs work time the last 6 hours of his day. It’s definitely a lot to think about for a parent when you hope you’re not failing your kids or stunting their academic growth by merely letting kids just be kids so thank you for the reassurance!

By: Kelly PL

Kelly PL — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 17:47:39 +0000

Wow! That was brilliantly written. I love things that challenge the pressure we are under to overdo everything with our kids. Now I want a study on sports because that is out of control with the expensive weight training and club teams and I wonder how much of a difference it really makes!! Every day of the week is spent in tournaments and in practice and there’s no time to be a kid or teenager… all of which comes to a screeching halt after HS or College if you’re lucky. Parents are guilted into spending their retirements on all of these “advantages”.

By: Jason Walsh

Jason Walsh — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 17:24:27 +0000

Karen, came across this article. VERY timely. Our 4 year old started a new day care/VPK in August. And I was getting somewhat anxious that the new school seemed to be less academic focused than what I assumed would be at the previous day care/VPK. I was like the other parents mentioned here, that our little one may get “left behind, academically” and be behind other children once she got to Kindergarten. You’re so right about their attention span being 2-3 minutes when adults try to give her instructions vs other children or maybe even themselves to other children. She’s always saying “Ok, how about this……..” and starts to give instructions or directions that make more than a few minutes.

I needed to read this as I started to google Montessori and Best Charter schools, etc… I can rest assured, she is getting “Care” and that is good for now.

Feeling much better,
Jason

By: Kristine

Kristine — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 12:42:35 +0000

I’m a Pre-K teacher at a private preschool in TN. My children, both juniors at UT Knoxville, were early participants in public Pre-K in one of the first four counties that offered it. While it was intended for Title 1 districts and was geared toward low-income families, many children of higher income families (like mine) ended up in the program because transportation was not provided which made it difficult for lower income kids to attend. My kids had no behavioral problems, and were accepted to UTK with substantial academic scholarships. What teaching taught me (that parenthood did not) is that a child’s home environment informs much of their academic successes and failures. Particularly with the pandemic children I have in the classroom now, I see a lot of emotional neediness and a staggering lack of ability when it comes to almost every activity. This is a home issue – higher income parents who did not have access to daycare and worked full-time jobs while parenting at home, which included too much screen time and caving to child demands without any meaningful instruction. I think your article raises some good points, but lacks nuance regarding the impact of the home environment on outcomes.