Kindergarten: Past and Present

My son will attend a public school in central North Carolina.

Longer Schedules

When I was in Kindergarten my mother had a choice to enroll me in morning or afternoon Kindergarten. I was a morning student and after a few hours of learning my ABC's, 123's and enjoying a mid-day snack, I was on my way to my grandma's house for the rest of the afternoon to play.

My son's school is an all day event. His fall schedule has him arriving at school at 7:30 a.m. and not arriving home until after 2:30 p.m. Not only is the day twice as long as it was for me, but it is also much more demanding!

Greater Expectations

When I was in school, my Kindergarten teacher taught me the Alphabet, how to count to 20 or 30, shapes, simple arithmetic, and social skills such as sharing and waiting in line.

Now, before school even starts, there is a list of words my son is expected to already know. At Kindergarten registration, I was given a packet of work for him to complete before his first day. He is also supposed to already know how to write his name, phone number, address, and be able to count to 30. He should already know phonetics and how to add and subtract numbers properly. He will also have homework nightly, I am told.

By the end of the year he is expected to be able to read and know the basics of geometry and algebra. Yes, I said ALGEBRA!

Evaluations

When I was in Kindergarten I received one evaluation per quarter and my evaluations were always written in S's or U's for satisfactory or unsatisfactory. The teacher from time to time would write in a comment such as, “she has a real knack for numbers” or “she's a pleasure to have in class.”

Evaluations are not only taken more often now, but are on a much more serious level. At the school where my son will be attending, they rate students on a 10 point scale on several different levels such as reading ability and mathematics. By the end of the year, all students must have a 6 in each category before moving on to first grade.

Safety Issues

When I was a Kindergartner, the only real safety issues I faced were making sure I didn't get hurt in P.E. during a game of kickball, or catching the chicken pox from a classmate. My mother would write the bus driver a note if I were allowed to ride home with someone else in the afternoon.

Now there is much more for parents and teachers to worry about. There are very stick transportation rules, for example. My son is only permitted to ride one bus and I must be present at the bus stop for drop off and pick up. I must fill out a formal request in the office if I wish for my son to have alternate transportation for the day. Parents who pick up their children are directed to a specific parking area and children are escorted by teachers or aids to each vehicle. With all of the abductions nowadays, I understand the necessity of this precaution.

Although some of these changes seem extreme to me, I am confident that my child will do well in school. I agree with safety precautions and high educational expectations, but I wonder if children will get burnt out at an early age with so much pressure early on in their lives. What ever happened to letting a kid be a kid and enjoying his childhood before he is weighted down with the stresses of life?