What is Kindergarten All About?

By Jamaes L. Hymes, Jr.Ed.D

There is a lot of misunderstanding today about kindergartens. I'd like to pass on a few ideas for you to mull over about what a kindergarten looks like, and why; and what it is supposed to do. I hope you find the ideas interesting and perhaps they may set to rest some questions you have.

One of the troubles in understanding kindergartens is that we all remember best what school was like in the years not too far behind us - our high school days, 5th and 6th grades: sitting, themselves answering the teacher's questions, getting a grade, doing homework...

That is school, upper grade school. But kindergarten isn't like that. Kindergarten is a school for five-year-olds -- that is the important point. And I don't need to tell you that your Five is very different from your upper-grade youngsters.

So: Kindergarten looks different. It sounds different. Kindergarten has a whole different style. It is for Fives. It is geared to Fives. It is custom-made to fit children of this particular age.

The key question, then, is: What are Fives like? For one thing, although they talk big and brave, inside of themselves Fives are very soft. They are essentially shy. They put on a show of big, but they know that the world is pretty overwhelming. They are timid, even the toughest of them.

A school for these children - a school for beginners - has to be a gentle school. It has to be a warm and friendly school. Kindergarten can't and must not be a place that overpowers youngsters and pushes them back. This means that the size of a kindergarten is important. A kindergarten shouldn't have the feel of an auditorium or a stadium. It means that children should be able to spend a lot of their time in little groups - two or three children together, or even working alone - so they can be and at ease. And of course, the soft tone and good spirit of the teacher are exceedingly significant.

What else about Fives? A note that always strikes me is that they are doers. They are forever on the go. They are into everything. Their nature will change as they grow older but right now, Fives are not good sitters; they are not youngsters who can keep very quiet for long; and they are not good listeners either. Instead, they have another quite wonderful quality: They want to see and do for themselves.

What does this mean for a kindergarten? It means that the emphasis has to be on reality and on action: on animals, on jobs the children do, on activities they carry out, on trips they take, on workers of all kinds who come into the classroom. The emphasis has to be on chances for children to use their hands and to work tools: magnets, magnifying glasses, saws, hammers...to work even with what look like playthings: clay, blocks, paint, puzzles, sand...

Kindergarten is not a place for teaching children by talking at them, not a place for growups' lectures. It is a place where active children are involved in the goings-on. Fives learn best that way.

(James L. Hymes Jr. is a Past President of the National Association for the Education of young Children and author of many publications for parents and children.)

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The ABCs for Parents

(Source: unknown)

Ask your child about the school day.

Begin your child's day with a nourishing breakfast.

Congratulate you child for doing well.

Discuss homework with your child.

Encourage your child to read.

Find a quiet place for your child to study.

Give your child responsibility.

Hug your child to build self worth.

Include your child in making simple family decisions.

Join a library with your child.

Keep your child on a schedule that includes exercise and sleep.

Limit TV viewing by selecting programs with your child.

Make the time you spend with your child special.

Notice and discuss changes in your child's behaviour.

Offer to help your child organize school papers.

Provide your child with good role models.

Question the activities your child shares with friends.

Respect your child's right to have opinions different from yours.

Share an interest or a hobby with your child.

Take time to listen to your child.

Urge your child to say "NO!" to unwanted touching.

Visit places of interest with your child.

Work with your child to set up rules of behaviour.

Xerox and save records or articles that benefit your child.

Yield results by encouraging your child to do better.

Zoom through these ABCs again and again!

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WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN’T LOOKING

By Mary Rita Schilke Korzan

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting

on the refrigerator,

and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you fed a stray cat,

and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you gave me a sticker,

and I knew that little things were special things.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you put your arm around me,

and I felt loved.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes,

and I learned that sometimes things hurt - - but that it’s all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you smiled,

and it made me want to look that pretty too.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you cared,

and I wanted to be everything I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking - - I looked...and wanted to say...

thanks for all those things you did when you thought I wasn’t looking.

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I Dreamed

(by Ray A. Lingenfelter)

I dreamed I stood

in a studio

And watched two

sculpters there,

The clay they used

was a young child's mind

And they fashioned it with care.

One was a teacher;

the tools she used

were books and

music and art;

One was a parent

with a guiding hand

and a gentle, loving heart.

And when at last

their work was done

They were proud of

what they had wrought

For the things they

had worked into the child

could never be

sold or bought.

And each agreed she

would have failed

if she had worked alone

For behind the parent

stood the school,

and behind the teacher

stood the home.

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10 Reasons to Read Aloud to Children

by Susan Nixon, MA Ed.

Children will:

1. Hear new words;

2. Develop sentence sense and an ear for rhythm;

3. Enjoy and compare diverse writing styles;

4. Create common connections to ideas (as a class);

5. Use reading as a springboard to discussion and writing;

6. Gain new knowledge and understanding;

7. Hear standard forms of English;

8. Learn about a variety of writing genres;

9. Feel things they've never felt before;

10. Share a wonderful time with you and your favourite read-aloud books!

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Top 10 Signs of a Good Kindergarten Classroom

Kindergarten is a time for children to expand their love of learning, their general knowledge, their ability to get along with others, and their interest in reaching out to the world. While kindergarten marks an important transition from preschool to the primary grades, it is important that children still get to be children -- getting kindergarteners ready for elementary school does not mean substituting academics for play time, forcing children to master first grade "skills," or relying on standardized tests to assess children’s success.

Kindergarten "curriculum" actually includes such events as snack time, recess, and individual and group activities in addition to those activities we think of as traditionally educational. Developmentally appropriate kindergarten classrooms encourage the growth of children’s self-esteem, their cultural identities, their independence and their individual strengths. Kindergarten children will continue to develop control of their own behaviour through the guidance and support of warm, caring adults. At this stage, children are already eager to learn and possess an innate curiosity. Teachers with a strong background in early childhood education and child development can best provide for children what they need to grow physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Here are 10 signs of a good kindergarten classroom:

1. Children are playing and working with materials or other children. They are not aimlessly wandering or forced to sit quietly for long periods of time.

2. Children have access to various activities throughout the day, such as block building, pretend play, picture books, paints and other art materials, and table toys such as legos, pegboards, and puzzles. Children are not all doing the same things at the same time.

3. Teachers work with individual children, small groups, and the whole group at different times during the day. They do not spend time only with the entire group.

4. The classroom is decorated with children’s original artwork, their own writing with invented spelling, and dictated stories.

5. Children learn numbers and the alphabet in the context of their everyday experiences. Exploring the natural world of plants and animals, cooking, taking attendance, and serving snack are all meaningful activities to children.

6. Children work on projects and have long periods of time (at least one hour) to play and explore. Filling out worksheets should not be their primary activity.

7. Children have an opportunity to play outside every day that weather permits. This play is never sacrificed for more instructional time.

8. Teachers read books to children throughout the day, not just at group story time.

9. Curriculum is adapted for those who are ahead as well as those who need additional help. Because children differ in experiences and background, they do not learn the same things at the same time in the same way.

10. Children and their parents look forward to school. Parents feel safe sending their child to kindergarten. Children are happy; they are not crying or regularly sick.

Individual kindergarten classrooms will vary, and curriculum will vary according to the interests and backgrounds of the children. But all developmentally appropriate kindergarten classrooms will have one thing in common: the focus will be on the development of the child as a whole.

(National Association for the Education of Young Children. 1996)

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All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

by Robert Fulghum

Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at Sunday school. These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and

draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic,

hold hands and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.

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The Starfish Poem

(Author: Unknown)

Once upon a time there was a wise man

who used to go to the ocean

to do his writing.

He had a habit of walking

on the beach before

he began his work.

One day he was walking along

the shore.

As he looked down the beach,

he saw a human

figure moving like a dancer.

He smiled to himself to think

of someone who would

dance to the day.

So he began to walk faster

to catch up.

As he got closer, he saw

that it was a young man

and the young man wasn't dancing,

but instead he was reaching

down to the shore,

picking up something

and very gently throwing it

into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out,

"Good morning! What are you doing?"

The young man paused,

looked up and replied,

"Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked,

why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out.

And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But, young man, don't you realize that

there are miles and miles of beach

and starfish all along it.

You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely.

Then bent down, picked up another starfish

and threw it into the sea,

past the breaking waves and said-

"It made a difference for that one."

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The Blueberry Story

“If I ran my business the way you people operate your schools, I wouldn’t be in business very long!” I stood before an auditorium filled with outraged teachers who were becoming angrier by the minute. My speech had entirely consumed their precious 90 minutes of in-service. Their initial icy glares had turned to restless agitation. You could cut the hostility with a knife.

I represented a group of business people dedicated to improving public schools. I was an executive at an ice cream company that became famous in the middle 1980’s when People Magazine chose our blueberry as the “Best Ice Cream in America”. I was convinced of two things. First, public schools needed to change; they were archaic selecting and sorting mechanisms designed for the industrial age and out of step with the needs of our emerging “knowledge society”. Second, educators were a major part of the problem: they resisted change, hunkered down in their feathered nests, protected by tenure and shielded by a bureaucratic monopoly. They needed to look to business. We knew how to produce quality. Zero defects! TQM! Continuous improvement! In retrospect, the speech was perfectly balanced….equal parts ignorance and arrogance.

As soon as I finished, a woman’s hand shot up. She appeared polite, pleasant…..she was, in fact, a razor-edged, veteran, high school English teacher who had been waiting to unload. She began quietly, “We are told, sir, that you manage a company that makes good ice cream.” I smugly replied, “Best ice cream in America, Ma’am.” “How nice”, she said. “Is it rich and smooth?” “Sixteen percent butterfat”, I crowed. “Premium ingredients?” she inquired. “Super-premium! Nothing but triple A.” I was on a

roll. I never saw the next line coming. “Mr. Vollmer”, she said, leaning forward with a wicked eyebrow raised to the sky, “when you are standing on your receiving dock and you see an inferior shipment of blueberries arrive, what do you do?” In the silence of that room, I could hear the trap snap. I was dead meat, but I wasn’t going to lie. “I send them back.” “That’s right! She barked, “and we can never send back our blueberries. We take them big, small, rich, poor, gifted, exceptional, abused,

frightened, confident, homeless, rude, and brilliant. We take them with ADHD, junior rheumatoid arthritis, and English as their second language. We take them all! Everyone! And that, Mr. Vollmer, is why it’s not a business. It’s school!”

In an explosion, all 290 teachers, principals, bus drivers, aides, custodians and secretaries jumped to their feet and yelled, “Yeah! Blueberries! Blueberries!”

And so began my long transformation. Since then, I have visited hundreds of schools. I have learned that a school is not a business. Schools are unable to control the quality of their raw material, they are dependent upon the vagaries of politics for a reliable revenue stream, and they are consistently mauled by a howling horde of disparate, competing customer groups that would send the best CEO screaming into the night. None of this negates the need for change. We must change what, when, and how we teach to give all children maximum opportunity to thrive in a post-industrial society. But educators cannot do this alone; these changes can occur only with the understanding, trust, permission and active support of the surrounding community. For the most important thing I have learned is that schools reflect the attitudes, beliefs and health of the communities they serve, and therefore, to improve public education means more than changing our schools, it means changing America. (or as in this case Canada)

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"Good parents give their children roots and wings.

Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what's been taught them."

(Jonas Salk)