NYT article on the perfect white person pre-school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm also Asian and think that preschool sounds dumb. kids around the world can read, be potty trained and do math much earlier. Let your child cart around rocks... which they can do after school or on weekends, too.

You sound dumb.

Thanks! I'm enjoying this! And I wish you and your children well. I'm a good mom and went to great schools. have a prestigious job.. but everyone's drinking the KoolAid on play-based everything... you have to wonder when that bubble will burst. A sane approach is balance! A friend was a private preschool teacher in NYC and told me that while her school was strictly all play, most of the kids could read or were well on their way. Why? Well their well to do parents hired tutors or nannies or did academics evenings and wkds so you better believe they were learning to read before K.

You must have very small kids. My DS and DD both went to a play-based preschool (not outdoor classroom, just heavily Reggio) and were both reading fluently before K, with no academic nights or tutors or whatever else you think people do. We did read tons of books together at home but that was strictly for enjoyment, with no instruction. Many kids learn to read holistically just by exposure, whether it is at age 4 or 5 or 6 or older. Direct instruction in phonics and sight words and similar strategies are important for kids who are struggling to read at a developmentally appropriate age. But that age is NOT preschool, even if some kids do pick it up at that time. My kids are such curious, enthusiastic learners and I think their wonderful preschool experience was no small part of making that happen. And as far as the stuff that matters to people like you who don't get it, you will be happy to know they both are well ahead of grade level. Older one is in AAP and little one may well end up there as well.

Signed,

Someone who taught 1st grade for 11 years

+1

My children also went to a Reggio preschool and both of my children learned to read without direct instruction. We just read for enjoyment on our own. Most of the children were reading or at least learned their letters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This school sounds great. I have an EdD and this is exactly the sort of program I'd love for my children.

My DH is Asian and unfortunately has some of the same misconceptions of Asian PP: mistaking prestige for success, mistaking strict academic focus for learning, assuming competitiveness is the same as growth. Interestingly, many of the Japanese preschools(/kindergartens) I've visited are heavily play- and outdoors-based, so I know this isn't a monolithic belief system amongst Asian people/cultures.

Human beings are meant to learn via play.

Another Asian-American here. My kids play plenty! There are so many hours in a day. Kids play during weekends and breaks. In our house, we don't watch much tv.

[Anonymous]

The great outdoors is the best classroom for little children, but you must dress them appropriately for the elements. They love it!
-Teacher

[Anonymous]

I teach preschool. I have worked in a worksheet heavy classroom, and I have worked in a play based learning classroom. I can say that there's a completely different tone in the latter. Kids in the worksheet heavy classroom lacked a joy, a spark for learning. Some liked the worksheets, but many dreaded it and developed anxiety about those papers. Why set kids up to already dislike school at such a young age? Play based learning doesn't mean just play--it means exploration, curiosity, discovery. We teachers want children to love school and see themselves as life long learners.