Overheard, in a moms’ conversation about kindergarten screening: “We’re breaking children.”
Sadly, it’s true. Stories about no-pressure screenings that allow children to play are rare, and stories about developmentally appropriate kindergarten classrooms are even more rare.
When “k-readiness” requires mastery of X# of sight words, and writing your first and last name, and a reminder that “by the time they are 4, they really need to buckle down and get serious” — we’re breaking children.
When parents are comparing preschoolers’ test scores and are panicking that their play-based curriculum isn’t preparing them for kindergarten — we’re breaking children.
When we focus on math fluency or literacy but ignore that childhood anxiety and mental health concerns are at an all-time high — we’re breaking children.
Speak up, please. Love them, deeply and genuinely. Play with them, every day. Celebrate and advocate for play, for childhood, and for joyful learning.
This post first appeared at www.facebook.com/WNYBehaviorToolbox
