These days’ parents tend to send their children to school as early as
possible. A substantial majority of parents consider that early schooling have
a positive impact on social and cognitive development of children. However, many
experts warn policy makers to send children to schooling at age six or seven
because early education is triggering damage to children. Well balanced
strategy of both positive and negative aspects should be taken into
consideration prior to sending a child to school.
In almost every class of every school of Kazakhstan
mixed aged schoolchildren are studying together, though there is a regulation
that prohibits accepting a child who is less than 6 years. In the class of my son
there is a girl who is 7 years only, whereas the rest are 9 or 10 years old.
Parents of that poor girl are always complaining in the meetings that the majority of children offend her and she refuses to go to the school. This is a
hard situation for a child and her parents because they didn’t consider
psychological readiness and physical ability of a child prior to schooling. I
wonder, why there is a tendency in the society to send their children earlier;
either this is due to upcoming transition of schools to the 12 year of
modelling or is it a race among parents to graduate their child earlier?
There are some advantageous
of going to school at early age. Firstly, it is being involved in the learning
process earlier than others. This consequently lead to further benefits as
early graduation and early engagement into profession. However, opponents have different
stand points. They support a later start than early schooling because playing
games have an important factor in young children’s
development. Plying games enable children to resolve problems and become
learners, because exactly at that stage children are adapting to the social
environment.
Nowadays, it is worrying that there is the
loss of play opportunities for children and this demonstrates a clear link with
increased indicators of stress and mental health problems.
Interesting studies have compared two groups of
children in New Zeeland, who started going to school at age 5 and 7. The result
of research showed early learning approach does not improve children’s development.
Those children who started at 5 developed less positive attitudes and showed
poorer text comprehension than those children who had started later (Whitebread,
D., & Bingham, S. 2013).
Above mentioned evidence raise important and serious
questions concerning of early childhood education policy. In the interests of
children’s academic achievements and their emotional well-being, government of
Kazakhstan along with parents should take evidence seriously and should weigh
all pros and cons of early childhood education.
Reference
Whitebread, D., & Bingham, S. (2013). Too much, too young. New
Scientist,220(2943), 28-29.
Assiya, you are right to touch the topic of parents' sending their children earlier than it is required. Some parents push school administration to accept their 5 aged-children into school being aware of school's unwillingness or psychologists' recommendations against it. I support school administration on not enrolling children who are under age of 6 into Grade 1 because firstly it will be the child suffer and then his/her homeroom teacher struggle with this situation. I have had already such an experience in my teaching career. We had to accept a boy who was only 5 into school because his father was a very influential figure in Parliament. Actually, the boy had some behavioral problems which disturbed the whole class. He was not ready to sit on his desk for one period (40 minutes). That's why he was walking inside the classroom, he refused to do writing or reading exercises. He sometimes was late for classes because he was delayed playing outside. So after 2 months struggle, his father decided to take him back to kindergarten and apologized for given inconvenience. Thus, it is very important for parents and educators to work cooperatively and consider each others' opinion.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that girls are growing faster than boys in the earliest age. Personally, the physical, cognitive and psychological development was developed faster than my peers. In this case why not to give a child school at the age of five in order just to fulfill the fast development and curiosity to learn new things. However, it is not saying that all children should go at the age of five. In this regard, I do agree with miss Zhadyra’s arguments.
ReplyDeleteMy personal point of view on that is negative. I believe that child should spend enough time on his/her 'sweet childhood'. Anyway, children will go to school and they will socialize. So giving children at school at the age of 5 (or even less) is cruel act towards them. The studies show the real picture of the harm when children stop playing active games outside and start attending school.
ReplyDeleteMy younger sister attended school at the age of 6, but I think it was too early for her. However we didn`t have choice in terms of letting her stay in kindergarten for one year more, because all 6 year children in her group went to school.
I totally agree with Dalmira, it is very cruel and even selfish from the parents' side to send thier child very early at school. Firstly, not every child is prepared physically, mentally, and psychologically to attend the school. Secondly, children need to play at that age and not bother with maths or reading assignments. Thirdly, children who enroll at school earlier graduate earlier too, however at 16-17 years old in my opinion it is too early to decide on one's future career aspirations and directions. And finally, new responsibilities and new environment may negatively affect child's health and well-being.
ReplyDeleteWow! Really? I always thought that early childhood is good and complained to my mom that she gave me to school at 6, not at 5. I also believed, that early education help children to their early adaptation and further development. I still believe that early education has many long-term benefits. However, you put wise on obstacles that may face poor kids at schools. I think it is still up to the pedagogy staff or quality of education, as I experienced good results of early education from my friends' practice. Or, may be it is up to the every child and before schooling they have to pass some psychological tests in order to reveal do they really ready for school or not. How do you think?
ReplyDeleteDiana, I expect that you have been a very tall and brave girl at the age of 6. Height of the child along with psycological readiness play a significant role in decision making. Maybe this was exactly your case. However, environment and people were different as well.
DeleteAssiya, it is really actual topic nowadays. Parents sometimes are so strange. They start to overload their kids with many activities which are not necessary in a such early years. For example, at 4 some children go to private course to prepare for school where they are taught to read and write. I think this a crazy idea. Of course, parents have a right to decide what to do with their own kids but I am against it. I think children have to enjoy their childhood and relax playing outside, going to swimming pool with parent, drawing and others. I do not think they will miss something if they go to school at 7 not at 5 years old and they will have time to "enjoy" school over 11 or 12 years of schooling.
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ReplyDeleteIf a child is able to count and recognize letters at the age of five, it will be a contribution to his development to attend a school rather than waiting until he is seven or six. If a child is able to acquire a school subject at early ages it means that, he is gifted and he needs more attention.
The situation is different if a child is not ready yet to learn school subject but parents push him to attend school. It might cause many problems not only for parents and teachers but also for a child as well. Therefore, it is so important to pay attention on a readiness of a child.
Thank you, Assiya, for your post. It is very interesting that you raised this issue, because I was send to school at the age of 5. My granny asked me whether I want to school or not and I replied "Yes". By that time I already knew count, Russian and English alphabet and was prepared to studies. Even though at the beginning I was very naughty girl - sometimes when I get bored, I could get under the table and play there for a while and then come back to my place- I had a normal childhood, played with my classmates and some of them were 6 (the majority was 7 years old). I'm grateful to my parents that they have given me so early to the school, because as my mom says, "you have a year head start" and as a result at the age of 21 I am a Master student)
ReplyDeleteI think going against the nature eventually brings negative influence to children. Everything must happen at its time, time for play - play, time for study - go and study. That is how the process of evolution works, a baby cannot walk before crawling, each stage fullfils its function impacting physically, psychologically and etc. On this point I would consult with the well-criticized Soviet pedagogy, which strongly recommended to enroll to school at the age of 7. Freedom to children!!!)) P.S. Probably, in our country it is done to hide the apparent shortage of kindergartens.
ReplyDeleteDear Assiya, thank you for such interesting blog post! For sure, it depends on physical and mental abilities of an individual child, but for me it seems to be a rational option in our nowadays realities. Personally, I went to school when I was 7, and for that time it was okay, as the majority of my peers were 7 years old. I think neither government nor psychologists can decide at what age children should go to school, it should be personal family decision, as only parents can evaluate their children’s readiness for school.
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