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Showing posts from May, 2015

Scare Tactics: Kindergarten Orientation

As I close out another year of preschool and pre-kindergarten classes it is with great disappointment that I hear parents and families discussing the “dreaded kindergarten orientation” meetings they have or will have to attend.   It seems that with an increased focus on the common core curriculum, standardized testing and rigid academic expectations, teachers and administrators have created a meeting around fear and panic.   They outline the daunting year ahead for the five-year-olds and explain how “kindergarten has changed”.   How is this a positive way to begin a new adventure in education?   By explaining the high demands and expectations of FIVE YEAR OLDS, kindergartens in my area are scaring grown ups!   As far as I know there is still only one requirement to go to kindergarten… a child must be 5 years old.   That is it!   Meanwhile, kindergarten orientations are creating their own demands…        100 sight words by December        Writing fluid sentences by spring