It has been said the behaviors of preschoolers have become more "significant." Let me just throw out my thoughts about the causes behind what I think could be causing some of these behaviors.
First of all, let's take a look at developmentally appropriate practices. Developmentally appropriate practices look at three core considerations: 1) knowledge of early learning and child development, 2) recognizing children as individuals, and 3) multicultural competence. " In a developmentally appropriate classroom, you would see the following:
- open-ended art projects.
- hands-on experiences with real objects.
- emphasis on children doing tasks for themselves.
- small group activities focused around children's interests.
- children offered choices.
- scaffolding for children at different skill levels.
Here in Kansas, our amazing State Commissioner of Education of Education has said, and I quote, "I believe that every child under the age of eight should have a play-based education. He says that, but districts don't necessarily follow that. Furthermore, our classroom are definitely not developmentally appropriate. Art has been removed from the elementary classrooms, unless classroom teacher try to squeak it in somehow.
When I first began teaching, preschool was a half-day program. Our "progress reports" looked like this:
1.1- Responds appropriately to positive and negative feedback from adults most of the time
1.2- Recognized effect of own behavior on others most of the time
1.3- Demonstrates an understanding of what it means to be a friend (i.e. someone who cares, listens, shares)
2.1- Follows predictable classroom routines, manages transitions positively most of the time with minimal adult support
2.2- Works with others as part of a team, make decisions with other children, with adults assistance
2.3- Manages (i.e. expresses, inhibits or redirects emotions impulses and behaviors with minimal guidance from adults
3.1- Develops strategies to express strong emotions and calms self down in a socially acceptable way
3.2- States more complex personal information (eg. Names of family members, names of neighbors)
3.3- Demonstrates age appropriate independence in decision-making regarding activities and materials
4.1- Recognizes and respects similarities and differences between self and others (e.g. gender, race, special needs, cultures, language, family structures)
4.2- Displays socially competent behavior with peers (e.g. helping, sharing and taking turns
4.3- Resolves conflicts with peers, seeking adult assistance when necessary
1.1- Recognizes the difference between helpful and harmful actions toward the natural environment and demonstrates ways that individuals are responsible for protecting our planet (e.g., recycling, mending broken things instead of throwing them away, etc.)
1.2- Explores the effects of common forces (e.g., pushes and pulls) on objects and the impact of gravity, magnetism and mechanical forces (e.g., ramps, gears, pendulums, and other simple machines)
1.1- Describes some of the holidays, foods, and special events related to his/her own culture or acts them out in dramatic play
1.2- Identifies the four seasons and relates each season to basic clothing choices (e.g., shorts verses mittens, swimsuit verses heavy coat)
1.3- Names city and state where he/she lives
1.1- Counts in sequence to 30
1.2- Represent 0-12 with objects when prompted
1.3- Identifies numbers 0-12
1.4- Counts to answer 'how many' questions
1.5- Compares quantities
2.1- Child understands addition as adding to (up to 5)
2.2- Child understands subtraction is taking away from (from 5)
3.1- Describes measurable attributes of objects
3.2- Compares two objects
3.3- Sorts objects into given categories
4.1- Uses position words when describing objects location
4.2- Names shapes: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, ellipse, rhombus, heart, star
4.3- Creates shapes during play by building, drawing, etc.
1.1- Demonstrates understanding of basic features of print
2.1- Recognizes rhyming words
2.2- Produces rhyming words
2.3- Demonstrates spoken words, syllables and sounds
2.4- Understands spoken words, syllables and sounds
3.1- Identifies and names upper and/or lower case letters
3.2- Identifies own name in print
3.3- Child produces letter sounds
4.1- Asks and answers questions about information presented orally
4.2- Participates in class conversations
4.3- Utilizes most question words
4.4- Speaks in complete sentences
4.5- Speaks understandably to express ideas, feelings and needs
4.6- Uses correct grammar when speaking
5.1- Chooses an idea to write about using pictures, letters, and/or some words
5.2- Forms letters in name correctly
6.1- Asks and answers questions about text
6.2- Retells familiar stories, including the main idea, in literature
6.3- Identifies the topic and key details in informational texts
6.4- Uses illustrations to comprehend texts
6.5- Identify/compare and contrast main characters, setting and major events in familiar stories6
6.6- Determines meaning of unknown words
6.7- Interacts with a variety of common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems, songs)
6.8- Identifies a similarity and difference between two texts on the same topic
Does this look developmentally appropriate to anyone? Does it look play-based? Friends!! On top of this, we also have MONTHLY reading and math assessments and standardized assessments that we are required to do three times a year. There is not time for play-based. There is not time for developmentally appropriate. Teachers have turned in to data collectors. We aren't teaching. We're collecting data.
And our poor students? They are not being allowed to play! I'm not talking about playing video games on Mom or Dad's phone. I'm talking about physical playing outside, riding bikes, playing with balls, getting dirty, digging in sand, climbing, swinging, etc. Or playing with blocks, magna-tiles and other manipulatives that help them create and problem-solve, work cooperatively with peers, constructively come up with ideas and solutions.
Why are our kids showing signs of mental health issues, anxiety, lack of coping skills, inability to regulate? They don't get the opportunity to practice! We are constantly asking them to perform at levels above what is developmentally appropriate for them! They are showing us that we are asking too much of them and what do we do to them? We just continue to push them harder.
In my humble opinion, we are doing a HUGE disservice to our children. They are telling us, showing us, that we are asking too much of them and we're not listening. We just keep pushing. We're going to end up with a whole generation of people with mental health concerns and we've got no one to blame but ourselves. It's so sad. I wish I knew where to go and who to go to in order to advocate for change. Our children are speaking, but who's speaking for them?
