Left Behind at Age 3
Aug. 19, 2005 at 8:24 AM
Politics
This would be laughable if it weren't so sad.
Falling 'Behind' at Age 3: The Hazards of Pushing For Accountability in Pre-K by Sue Shellenbarger of the Wall Street Journal. Susan Ohanian has the reprint. Here's a peek,
When Kerry Liberman enrolled her 3-year-old son at a Virginia preschool, she got something she hadn't bargained for: some heavy academic pressure.
Teachers right away asked if he could write his name yet. He had been developing well and Ms. Liberman hadn't had any concerns - until then. "You do realize he's only three, don't you?" she asked.
But when the teachers implied her son was behind other children and suggested she "start drilling him immediately" with flash cards, she says, she did so. "I thought I had to jump on the bandwagon."
As millions of parents sign up their kids for child care and preschool this fall, they will unwittingly be taking sides in a growing debate over what educational philosophy is best for very small children. A mounting government push for accountability in prekindergarten programs is driving many toward more skill-building and testing.
Will someone please stop the insanity! He's only 3. And the best educational philosphy is called MOM.
2 Comments and Trackbacks
posted by crewchief on Aug. 19, 2005 at 9:33 AM
Unbelievable. :( I wish they would just let kids be kids! 3 years old?? Good gracious!
posted by eclecticchaos on Aug. 22, 2005 at 11:46 AM
They just had a segment on the Today show last week about all these parents hiring tutors for their preschoolers!!! They had Sylvan learning Center on, and they said that 20% of their clients are 4-6 year olds. Unbelievable. That is so sad that there are that many parents out there who feel so inadequate.