I have been meeting with teachers with Mike Matthews and what I have learned, there are no more play times for our children during their day. Yes, every grade in elementary school has recess but kindergarten students are being pushed and pushed and pushed. They do not have extra recess. They do not dress up or play house. They do not allow for make believe. Our kindergarten children are in school all day without a nap or any down time.
Both of my children (both had an IEP entering kindergarten) went to kindergarten for 2 1/2 hours a day and learned their letters and numbers, even mastered a little bit of reading but most of all they learned to love school. They learned to use their minds to pretend and to have dreams and they made friends. We made cupcakes, we had class parties, and we had fun all in 2 1/2 hours. We have taken all that away from them. We are creating a generation of children who will grow up being stressed or disliking school.
I thought kindergarten was suppose to be fun, letting children explore. I am so thankful that my children did not have to go to school for the entire day, they are five years old and have nine to ten hour days, think about it. They are sitting behind tables working all day long with no fun. Children learn at that age by exploring, creating and watching other children. When is this craziness going to stop?
DelawareFirstState 
To stop this, you have to go ALL the way to the top. I know this is an unpopular word, but the only way to solve this is to get rid of the problem. Impeach Markell.
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Reblogged this on Exceptional Delaware.
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Yes, this is a huge problem that I have been talking about for years. Kindergarten is now what first grade used to be. But worse- PRE K is now, not what kindergarten used to be, but what first grade is. They are pushing this academia on 4 year olds. Babies sitting at tables doing worksheets and being tested. Especially low income children, because, as we keep being told ad nauseum- they have poorer vocabularies than middle class kids so we have to force this knowledge into them. This is what “high quality” early childhood programs are supposed to be doing. Children don’t get free play anymore. It’s sickening.
And legislators are voting for this in bipartisan numbers. Because they don’t know anything about children or how children learn and develop, so they listen to the Rodels and the Gates and governors like ours and buy into it that this has to happen in order for them to be “college ready.”
And they’re 4 years old.
The Common Core kindergarten requirements need to be revised. The STARS program needs to be reconsidered.
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