And I am OK with that.
My three-year-old knows some of his letters, but not all of them. He can trace them, but not write them by himself. He can count, but doesn’t care much about which number is which.
I have a different position on early childhood education. Is it important? Absolutely. Is it more important than moral development? Not to me.
Personally, I feel that the growing pressure for our kids to be the brightest, smartest and best is pretty harsh. And I have to wonder:
If a child is trained to think they have to be the best and the smartest from a young age, what are the down-the-road character implications?
If we are focusing on beating the next kid, where is the value of acceptance, of friendship, of helping others? …of the heart?
Don’t get me wrong: We scribble sidewalk chalk with a few letters thrown casually into the mix, watch fun learning DVDs and go to children’s museums. But the way I see the grand scheme of things is like this:
Kids have their whole life to be pushed and compared in school and work. Home is a safe place: where they are accepted ‘as is’, where they have FUN, and where they learn character and love.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
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Just doing some late night blog reading. I love this post. Even though I am a “certified elementary teacher,” I tossed out the rules when I became a mom & homeschooler. Kids develop at their own pace. I thought my first child was a genius b/c she knew letters & numbers before she was 2. Then we tried putting them together to read and actually count. Nothing. Nada. Nil. She eventually caught on, and her sister was an even later reader. I tell people we’ve spent so many years teaching “life” that “school work” is behind. I’d so much rather get a report that my child is doing God-honoring things than that she is the smartest in the class. Of course, both would be nice and with homeschool, my girls are ALWAYS at the top of their class! LOL!
I was just talking with a friend, who is struggling with this issue, cause she has a mom friend who is constantly pushing her TWO YEAR OLD to learn his letters, numbers, colors…etc. She is focused on teaching her son how to PLAY — and I think her son is the “smarter” child, due to his kindness and social skills that he’s learning through his PLAYING time!!
Great philosophy. Kids are under such pressure to perform. What happened to the good old days of kindness and generosity before algebra?
Amen! Let kids be kids!! =)
I see the mix of kids who come into Kindergarten with all this PRESSURE on them…and their parents wonder why they start to hate school. Then I see kids who have never seen a letter, never held a pencil, never been made to sit still for more than 5 seconds, and they wonder why they aren’t getting it after a month of K!
love this!! when my boys were little i always told their teachers i care more about their character then their grades.. you are such a great momma! and great example to the young mommy’s around you!!
Thank you so much for reading the blog and for the kind words, Tracy!
Very interesting perspective! I teach middle and high schoolers at my home church and I know that love and acceptance at home is the No. 1 predictor for success in children. You and Chris are helping your son to be happy and healthy in his emotional development. Great job and proud of you.
Very nice! And as a former teacher, I agree too!
I’ve got a Masters in Education and I totally agree! You can have every degree in the book behind your name but when you stand before God the only thing with any pull is Jesus as your advocate and Saviour!
Amen!
You know how much I love this
Keep up the encouraging words! I love Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” This reminded me of that verse.
I thought of you while writing this, Kristin! What a great verse!
Bre’anna, I think you are a shining example to all of us young mothers. I just recently started reading your blog and could “like” every single post. Thank you for sharing your heart…for your kids, your husband, and (most importantly) the Lord. As the mother of 3 beautiful young girls and a wife in a struggling (to put it lightly) marriage, I look forward to reading your encouraging words. Thank you
Jaymi. Thank you so much for reading!
My heart really goes out to you and your marriage. One site I would really recommend checking out is http://nationalmarriage.com/
It’s the web site for an intensive “retreat” style therapy for struggling marriages. Their success rate is unreal. It’s not cheap, but certainly less expensive than a divorce. And you cannot put a price on a healthy, loving marriage. Just prayed for you and your husband. Be encouraged, sister!
As a mother of 4 this really hit home. Thank you for making my day!
Love this!
Means a lot coming from an education professional like yourself!!