Thanks to the phenomenal Dr. Shula Chernoff, Professor Emeritus at Southern Connecticut State University, her passionate lectures to us on the importance of developmentally appropriate play and toys have been ingrained in my DNA. To this day, I must. give. sand/water tables to 2 year olds. Look how cute the girls are as they play...um, I mean work, Dr. Chernoff, I mean work.
What I perceive education to be.....
"Play is the work of children." Jean Piaget
Parallel play, science, language skills, math, visual discrimination, hand-eye coordination, fine-motor skills....that's a lotta fun...I mean, work. Work!
Where I fear education is heading...High-stakes testing--which this is, as it will slap labels on five-year-olds--is more than just casually popping in an academic thermometer on a given day to see how a kid is doing. It creates a culture that distorts curriculum, hijacks school resources, and robs young children of their precious days of discovery...Dan Brown
Hey little kids, solve all your family's problems so they don't interfere with The Test! And if you can't, worry about it! And teachers, scrap all the other stuff your kids may need, so they can be prepared for The Test.
