It's not Kindergarten, it's just school with a pretty name.

 

We handed in our resignation from Kindy. I'm sure that the other Mums at Kindy think I'm crazy.... who gives up 5 days a fortnight of 4 year old free time?? But it just wasn't worth it for Will to lose the last few months of his early childhood. In hindsight we should have done it in July when his first teacher left. But I thought it was only fair that we give the new teacher a chance. Tama won't go to Kindy at Wattle Grove unless there is a huge shift in philosophy in between now and then.

So why did we do it?

It comes down to philosophy, and value. 

I will say I am absolutely positive that many parents will be very happy with the Kindy education their child is receiving at Wattle Grove. And that's cool each to their own.  

Disclaimer: The statements below with regards to what WG believes are my own opinion and not, in most cases, explicitly stated by the school. These opinion have been formed based on my observation of what is happening in the classroom and school community. What has been said to me or to others. And what has been written in correspondence from the school to parents.

What WG believes: "Work is children's play".

And here's what I believe: "Play is children's work."

Will summed this up quite succinctly for me one day.

I said: What did you play at Kindy today?

He said: We don't have time to play we have too many activities to do.

He then amended his statement to say that they did play the 'Bertie the Bus' game. I asked him what was involved:

"We all sit really nicely on the mat for a long time. And then if you are good enough Mrs P chooses you and you go up and choose a word to go on the bus. And if you get it right Mrs P is very happy with you."

Do you see what I see? That is not playing. And do the alarm bells ring for you like they did for me?

Twenty four year olds sitting on the mat: "for a long time".

"If we are good enough"- what happens if you aren't- what if you can't sit up nicely? What if you can't manage staying still.? "If you get it right Mrs P is very happy with you." And if you get it wrong? How do you feel then. Why is my four year old using this sort of language in relation to Kindy?

Here's what WG believes: School Uniform is suitable attire for Kindy.

And here's what I believe: If he comes home in the same clothes he went to kindy in that's a lucky day for my washing machine.

Kindy should be about having the opportunities to explore your world and play with materials that your Mum doesn't really want to put up with at home on a regular basis. 

• Sandpits with hoses (maybe not in water short Perth)
• Paint, dye, ink
• Cooking
• Gardening
• Muddy play- sticks and flowers and all sorts of natural goodness.

There is HUGE value in these activities for children. They learn so much about their environment, science, art, the natural world. They have huge opportunities for autonomy, creativity, planning and problem solving.

There is so much more I could say here- but the value of play, especially in early childhood is the topic for many books- and way beyond the scope of this blog post.

Here's what WG believes: Inside is for school time. Outside is for lunch and recess. (Outside is a lame sandpit, grass, concrete paths and a safe plastic playground).

And here's what I believe: Children should be able to follow their passion. Weather allowing if they want to be outside they should be able to. In fact sometimes when the weather is less than desireable is also a great time to be outside. Outside is a grand adventure with a sand in the sandpit that actually allows you to build structures- and can be used for making volcanoes and dinosaur landscapes and all manner of other stuff. It has a playground that allows reasonable risk taking. It has trees, bushes and plants to hide and play around. It has a vege garden. An open space. A tool table. A water table. A place to bathe the dolls and wash their clothes. Maybe it even has doves or chickens or rabbits!

Will was telling me one morning at school how they are not allowed to use the new playground. I suggested to him that it was because it wasn't finished. But his teacher interjected to say that "No, they had to teach the children to use it first." To which I replied "Why, are they idiots?" Which was, yes, quite rude of me. But honestly I kind of felt at that moment that it was a case of the blind leading the sighted. That teachers in a kindergarten would seriously believe that a four year old would need to be 'taught' how to use a play ground just makes me despair! Young children are incredible! They know so much that many childless adults have no idea about. They are capable and able. They are sensible and intelligent. They know how to use a playground.

Here's what WG believes: Parent helpers are welcome between the hours of 9am and 10:30 provided they are signed in and not accompanied by younger (or older) siblings of the child.

And here's what I believe: That parents should be able to come and help all day if they want to. That younger siblings should be welcome both for their own benefit and the benefit of the Kindergarten children- both have a lot to offer each other. That parents should be encouraged and supported to come and share their own skills and passions with the children.That Kindergartens should know that families with Kindy age children are highly likely to have younger children and that members of school community should be supported to be involved in the school not thwarted due to their family make-up.

Here's what WG believes: You must not trust children.

And here's what I believe: That children are totally worthy of our trust. That even at 3 and half they can be afforded a lot of responsibility especially for their own learning. 

Here's what WG believes: Risk is a dirty word.

And here's what I believe: That reasonable risk is essential for children to learn and grow.  

Here's what WG believes: That formal literacy and numeracy learning are more important than a rich and full early childhood education. Start now- achieve better results.

And here's what I believe (and the research supports):  There is very little evidence to suggest that starting children in formal literacy and numeracy early gives any benefit. The research shows that by age nine children are on an even footing whether they started to learn to read at 3.5 or 5 or 7. The country with the best literacy rates in the world (95% of adults as opposed to approx 66% in Australia/NZ/USA) doesn't start formal teaching of literacy till age 7. On top of that some of the research suggests that starting children on formal literacy learning before they are actually ready can be detrimental to their learning and may cause more harm than it does good. And finally if you are spending children's precious early childhood years on formal learning- then they are missing out on a bunch of stuff that is important for building their foundations.

I liken it to building a house it's much better to complete a strong foundation before you start on the walls- it is possible to lay down the slab at the same time as you are working on the walls- but it's still going to take the same amount of time to build the house. And your foundation may be shaky or incomplete because the focus has been divided- foundations are SO important- everything that comes after is built on the foundation!

Here's what WG believes: That the Australian Curriculum is suitable for Kindergarten. That they are using the Early Years Learning Framework (ELYF) in their programme.

And here's what I believe: The Australian Curriculum is NOT written for Kindy. It was never intended to be used with children of that age group. 

The essential spirit of the Early Years Learning  Framework is that children will learn through self-directed play. I can't see where the ELYF as it is intended is being used at WG and believe me I have looked.

Here's what WG believes: That three and half and four year olds should learn to write using a cursive script with letters that they will only ever see in a school environment.

And here's what I believe: That three and half and four year olds should have the opportunity to practice writing when they want to and if they want to, how they want to. That five year olds should learn to print in a basic font that reflects the letters they see being used in their home and the world around them.

Here's what WG believes: That a teacher with many years of experience who has a strong and sound philosophy based on current best practice in early childhood education should not be respected for her professional knowledge and skill. Should not have autonomy over her programme. Unless that teacher is willing to compromise her practice/philosophy so much so that it is not recognisable in her own classroom. That a first year teacher is a better option than a brilliant teacher with years of experience who is willing to fight for what is best for her students.

And here's what I believe: That is a crock of shit. Will's second teacher is lovely and a more than competent teacher. But his first teacher was completely awesome and totally had the best interests of her class at heart. 

Here's what WG believes: That a phonics based story read by a computer with an American accent  via a Smart Board word by pain staking word has value.

And here's what I believe: That children should be read real stories with literary value (not phonic value). Stories that are exciting or enthralling or funny or serious, that draw the reader in or that have plots that they can identify with or encourage their imagination. Not stories about rabbits making soup.  That stories should be read by real people with expression, rhythm, and pace in an accent that the majority of the children identify with (Australian in this case).

Here's what WG believes: That they are providing the best education practice for the children in their care.

And here's what I believe: I believe that WG is deceiving parents when they say that their practice is 'best practice'. I expect the school would say "Oh but this is what parents want!". But Educators are in a position of trust and they have professional knowledge and should be educating parents as to what is the most important for their children to learn and how is the best way for children to learn it at this age.

Here's what WG believes: That tokenism is ok for recognition of our diverse multicultural community.

And here's what I believe: Our school is incredibly rich and diverse in the cultures that are represented within it and minimal effort is made to accommodate these children and assist them to belong at the school especially at Kindy level. That's not ok with me.  

Here's what WG believes: That it is vitally important that children spend time outside of school doing 'essential' revision of letter sounds and writing.

And here's what I believe: You have got to be f'n' joking? Seriously at 4 years old 'it is very important" that letter sounds are revised in the holidays? NO. NO. NO.

Here's what WG believes: My son should be "less of a boy".

And here's what I believe: That a kindergarten programme that is play based and self-directed would afford my son a whole heap of opportunities to build relationships and develop his skills at working with others. Not to be "less of a boy" but to be a better friend and a valuable, sensible member of his community.  

Will's days at Kindy heavy with literacy and numeracy learning with little opportunity for choice and self-direction, days that were spent far too often sitting still or working in whole and small groups with no opportunity for risk taking or using initiative, days of mass produced art work and busy work spat from a photocopier. Days of work that showed little understanding of his ability developmentally- forcing him into tiring and almost impossible fine motor skill work. These days held little or no value for Will at the stage he is in in his life right now- he was wasting his one and only precious life every day that he spent at Kindy. 

Education is not a race. Our fellow learners are not in a competition against us. There is no finish line. It is a life long process- something to be enjoyed, loved and pursued until we take our last breath. It is not about Naplans* or ATARS**. It is not about being first or best. We need our children to embrace learning from an early age. We need them to know that they have control and choice. We need them to develop a passion and not a fear for going to school. They should NOT come home every day exhausted and concerned that they have to go back again tomorrow. Their lives should be enriched by education. And school, Kindy especially should be about them. Not about teachers, not about reputations, not about myschool statistics, not about a WA Principal of the year award, not about slotting into some ill-fitting mould created by bureaucrats and other adults. It should be about children and what children truly need, what they really want and what they utterly deserve: Trust, choice, self-determination, respect and belonging.

A 12 year old said it best: "If I get to be me, I belong. If I have to be like you, it's fitting in."

*NAPLAN testing is a series national standardised tests intended to be administered to all children in years 3,5,7 and 9. The Education department suggests that only those who have English as a second language and have recently entered the country or whom have a severe cognitive disability should be exempt. It is interesting to note that parents of children who don't fit that description but whose children are on the lower side of average have been recommended from time to time to exempt their children from Naplan testing at WG- as the testing may have a detrimental effect on their self-esteem. Of course the results of those children may have also had a detrimental effect on the school's NAPLAN averages.

**ATAR is an aggregate mark given at the end of Year 12 which Tertiary institutes in Australia use to decide whether a student is suitably able to complete a particular course of study.

♥