Several weeks ago, I went to pick Lea up at school and noticed a piece of paper tacked up on the door that said, "Look what I can do - I can write my name!" It was Lea's, and she had written her name on the paper and decorated it. Apparently, Ms. Kisha had been writing down the kids' names for something, and Lea wanted a piece of paper and pen so that she could "write" too. Kisha gave her supplies, and was surprised when Lea actually wrote her name legibly.
Now, Kisha has been doing special activities with Lea. During naptime, when pretty much everyone except Lea actually sleeps, Ms. Kisha gives her a dry erase board that has letters pre-printed on it. Lea spends time writing and wiping off her letters, and she loves it. Yesterday, when I was putting her to bed, she said it was her favorite part of the day. Kisha also has been making "sound cards" with her. She'll write a letter on a card, and then have Lea look for things in magazines, etc. that start with that letter so they can cut them out and paste them on the card.
It's funny, because this has brought back a lot of memories for me. Kisha spoke to me a bit this morning about how fun it was for her to have Lea in her class, because she's used to working with older kids and doing this kind of stuff. This morning, she told me that she realized Lea was bored with the things she was having the other kids do, and was ready to do things that were a step beyond. I really like the way Kisha is handling things - she's not making a big deal of it, but is giving Lea things to do that are interesting and fun for her. She's not singling her out or making her feel different, but is recognizing her potential. That's kind of how I feel things went with me when I was younger. When I was in kindergarten, I knew that I got to go have special reading time, but didn't feel different because of it. I don't remember the teachers making a huge deal about it either. I think it enabled me to feel confident and smart, but I didn't really feel different from the other kids.
Too often these days, I feel like parents push their kids way too much. I read an article recently about parents enrolling pre-kindergarteners in tutoring programs to make sure that kids enter kindergarten with a "leg up." I just don't agree with that, and if it means I have a child who's behind classmates in kindergarten, so be it. Learning should be fun, and what I want Lea to realize right now is that school is fun. Lea doesn't view the things she does now as "learning"...she just thinks she's having a good time. We read to her and play letter games with her, but not for the purpose of drilling things into her head. If you can't have fun when you're a kid, then you're screwed. You only get one chance to be a kid, so you might as well enjoy it.
I also feel like tutoring programs are a bit of a cop-out. Are they really doing anything that parents couldn't do with their kids themselves? Reading to your child takes time. Playing games with them takes time. Doing arts and crafts takes time. It's not just plopping your child in front of the TV (which isn't to say that Lea doesn't watch TV, because she does...and I get the benefits of getting 1/2 hour of quiet time so that I can actually fix dinner). In some ways, I feel like tutoring programs are just ways to pay people to do things that you could be doing with your child. Because, let's face it, there are times when I'd rather not be playing Memory for the thousandth time, or reading Dora for the millionth time (or reading the complete works of "George and Martha" in one sitting...all 300+ pages, which we did this weekend). But when you become a parent, that's part of the territory.
At the core, parenting is the ultimate teaching (and learning) experience. You teach your children to be good people. You teach them to behave. You teach them how to do things for themselves. You teach them how to navigate the world. You teach them the skills they need to succeed in school, jobs, relationships, life. I feel like somewhere along the way, we've forgotten that parenting is an important job, and this is what parents are supposed to do. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but that's my viewpoint, and I'm sticking to it.
Now, Kisha has been doing special activities with Lea. During naptime, when pretty much everyone except Lea actually sleeps, Ms. Kisha gives her a dry erase board that has letters pre-printed on it. Lea spends time writing and wiping off her letters, and she loves it. Yesterday, when I was putting her to bed, she said it was her favorite part of the day. Kisha also has been making "sound cards" with her. She'll write a letter on a card, and then have Lea look for things in magazines, etc. that start with that letter so they can cut them out and paste them on the card.
It's funny, because this has brought back a lot of memories for me. Kisha spoke to me a bit this morning about how fun it was for her to have Lea in her class, because she's used to working with older kids and doing this kind of stuff. This morning, she told me that she realized Lea was bored with the things she was having the other kids do, and was ready to do things that were a step beyond. I really like the way Kisha is handling things - she's not making a big deal of it, but is giving Lea things to do that are interesting and fun for her. She's not singling her out or making her feel different, but is recognizing her potential. That's kind of how I feel things went with me when I was younger. When I was in kindergarten, I knew that I got to go have special reading time, but didn't feel different because of it. I don't remember the teachers making a huge deal about it either. I think it enabled me to feel confident and smart, but I didn't really feel different from the other kids.
Too often these days, I feel like parents push their kids way too much. I read an article recently about parents enrolling pre-kindergarteners in tutoring programs to make sure that kids enter kindergarten with a "leg up." I just don't agree with that, and if it means I have a child who's behind classmates in kindergarten, so be it. Learning should be fun, and what I want Lea to realize right now is that school is fun. Lea doesn't view the things she does now as "learning"...she just thinks she's having a good time. We read to her and play letter games with her, but not for the purpose of drilling things into her head. If you can't have fun when you're a kid, then you're screwed. You only get one chance to be a kid, so you might as well enjoy it.
I also feel like tutoring programs are a bit of a cop-out. Are they really doing anything that parents couldn't do with their kids themselves? Reading to your child takes time. Playing games with them takes time. Doing arts and crafts takes time. It's not just plopping your child in front of the TV (which isn't to say that Lea doesn't watch TV, because she does...and I get the benefits of getting 1/2 hour of quiet time so that I can actually fix dinner). In some ways, I feel like tutoring programs are just ways to pay people to do things that you could be doing with your child. Because, let's face it, there are times when I'd rather not be playing Memory for the thousandth time, or reading Dora for the millionth time (or reading the complete works of "George and Martha" in one sitting...all 300+ pages, which we did this weekend). But when you become a parent, that's part of the territory.
At the core, parenting is the ultimate teaching (and learning) experience. You teach your children to be good people. You teach them to behave. You teach them how to do things for themselves. You teach them how to navigate the world. You teach them the skills they need to succeed in school, jobs, relationships, life. I feel like somewhere along the way, we've forgotten that parenting is an important job, and this is what parents are supposed to do. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but that's my viewpoint, and I'm sticking to it.
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