I Wish...

I Wish…

(When I say “students” or “parents,” I am speaking from 30+ years in education, not necessarily just the present)

I wish that the politicians making decisions about education understood the magnitude of the damage they are doing to the youngest and most vulnerable of our population.

I wish that those who make decisions about curriculum would understand developmentally appropriate practices.

I wish that my students could remain young and innocent.

I wish people would understand the importance of outdoor play and that my students didn’t spend so much time on a screen and more time playing cards and board games with their families.

I wish some of my students hadn’t had the experiences that make them act out and become so angry.

I wish my students could experience family mealtime with no background noise and all family members sitting at the table, talking about their day.

I wish my students were read to every day.

I wish parents didn’t think, or say, “It’s only preschool.” Or “It’s only kindergarten.”

I wish people didn’t think “all you do is play all day.”  There is very important learning of social skills that can only be experienced through play, as well as brain growth through using their imaginations.

I wish none of my students ever had to experience Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

I wish none of my students had to live in poverty.

I wish my “littles” would never see inappropriate-for-their-age movies or video games.

I wish my students had chores.

I wish my students weren’t “bubble-wrapped.”  Failure is always a learning experience.  Children who are not allowed to fail will never know what it’s like to experience success after working hard to accomplish a task.

I wish my students didn’t have TVs in their bedrooms and were able to calm themselves to sleep.  Reading to a child and talking about their day is very calming.  So is soothing, instrumental music.

I wish my four and five year-olds didn’t know what “the middle finger” was.

I wish parents understood that sometimes the things they see and hear at home sometimes scare their children.

I wish people believed that I know what I’m talking about, and listen to what I have to say.  I do have a double major in Elementary and Early Childhood Education and a masters in Education, plus 31+ years of experience.

I wish that others understood that while I have, and have had, two classes, that I have the largest number of students to impact on a daily basis. At one point in my career, two classes of 21.  That’s 42 students…every day.

I wish the families understood that I welcome the opportunity to see each of them, even after they are no longer in my class.  It is not in my DNA to turn my love for them off at the end of the school year.

I wish my students could know how very much I love them, each for their own unique qualities.