What Happened to Developing Readiness Skills?

Back in the Dark Ages of my life, I attended half-day kindergarten.
We played.

We sang.

We drew or painted. We had "nap time" (so the teacher had a break, I'm sure).

We listened as our teacher read books to us and discussed vocabulary and the pictures. We had Show and Tell.

We learned to count to 100 and used blocks or toys to practice counting. We learned the alphabet song and letter identification.
We learned to read and write our names and numbers. We learned the weather.

We learned how to use a calendar.

We learned the words for different colors, shapes and sizes.
We learned about sounds and what letters made those sounds.

We learned to listen, both to directions and to words in sequences, so we could identify the beginning, middle and endings of oral words. By the end of the year, we were ready to learn to read and were reading simple stories and books.

We could write our names and accurately spell words in families (an, can, Dan, fan, man, pan, ran, tan).
We enjoyed school and wanted to learn.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act And then there was NCLB that changed education for teachers and students alike. Gone was play that now happens only with recess, if there is one in the day.
Gone was art.
Gone was music unless there is full day kindergarten and the teacher gets a prep period with the music teacher taking the students.

Gone was Show and Tell.

Gone was "nap time". Weather, calendars, and counting remained, but the time dedicated is shorter because reading and writing are now more important.
The alphabet song disappeared, but learning to write the alphabet in order replaced it.

Learning the letter sounds remains, but the beginning, middle and ending sound practice is short and has merged with beginning reading in September instead of April.
What Is Really Different? It may not seem to be that big a deal to adults, but it is a big deal to children.
Those months of repetitious practice allowed for our bodies to develop the neurological skills and intactness required by academic instruction.

Because more instruction is required earlier, many children simply don't have the physical maturation and skills to master skills.
They count pictures (abstractions) rather than objects (concretes). They copy letters (abstractions) rather than identifying the correct letter or sounds.
You may think that kindergarten is only one year and they will catch up quickly. The problem is that first grade instruction piles more on top of that shaky or incomplete foundation.

The pattern continues, so that what had been first grade is now taught in kindergarten; what had been second grade is now taught in first grade; what had been taught in third grade is now taught in second grade.

Decoding skills are not taught after second grade now. Not a Big Deal? Unfortunately, it is a big deal, because those are the years of neurological development that greatly impacts a child's reasoning skills and readiness for abstract learning. Think about it: a child who hasn't mastered the concrete learning skills (physical maturation) cannot master representational, symbolic or abstractions.
To keep their jobs, teachers must follow the requirements of law and policies of federal and state departments of education. Teachers know what children need to learn and achieve at or above grade level.

Unfortunately, those making the laws and policies don't know, but make the laws and policies anyway.
What Has Been Lost? Children no longer enjoy the discovery process of learning. They are pushed to learn and achieve beyond what they are ready for.
The stress of instruction impacts their social relationships and behavior in class. There is little joy in primary grades.

Yes, there are some, as always, who will be ready for the instruction, but many are not.
Is this what you want for your child?