This topics has been lying on my head for quite sometime. I am waiting for the perfect time to write a post about it. And Mommy Bambi’s post with title Too Soon triggers my interest. I had started writing my one-cent comment on her post when I noticed that my comment is almost an article already. So, I left her site and started typing this post instead.
More and more parents and educators supports early schooling. As a matter of fact, preschool are in every corner. There are preschools that accept students as young as two years old. If I become a mother few years ago with all these accessible preschools with enticing curriculum at hand, I might also jump to their schools and enroll my child.
When I was studying I envy those kids who were sent to school at a very young age. I started grade one when I was exactly seven. I was not accepted when I was six because my birthday falls on a January and only those who would turn seven before December were accepted. I was always one of the oldest if not the oldest in the class. When I reached college, I have a friend and classmate who graduated at the age of 18 while I was already 21 then. He started earning at a very young age and started enjoying the fruit of his labors early too. That friend of mine made me planned that if ever I’ll have my own kids, I will also sent them to school early so they can finish their college early and get to enjoy their lives earlier too.
But my plan started to change when I heard a minister preaching against early schooling. The point that marked on my mind was that kids who were sent to school at a very young age became intellectually advanced but emotionally behind. This reflects on their attitudes and emotional stability.
Couple of years later, I attended a church camp and the theme was about family. I heard the same point from a different minister. I remembered the preaching of the first minister and started to think about it. I was still single that time but I was teaching a Sunday School class then. I started observing kids’ attitude and tried to confirm if the statement given by the ministers has basis or proofs. I also started asking mommies whose kids were sent to preschools as young as three or two about the development of their kids. The common statement I got was their kids became more naughty and difficult to manage. There were some kids who were compliant before they started schooling but became the other way around after few months in school. Some kids were influenced by other older classmates to do unpleasant things. Some were being bullied. Remember that kids at this age imitate the things that they see from the people around them whether they are good or not.
I‘ve also had some small talks with mommies whose kids are now in their high schools but also started schooling at a very young age. Some mom realized that they should have not sent their kids to preschool at the age of three. One reason they gave me is the attitude of their kids toward their studies on the higher level. Most of the kids do not perform well in school not because they are slow but they are reluctant to study their lessons. Some intentionally fail their exams to despise their teachers and parents. Some kids even go beyond by showing disrespect and direct disobedience to their teachers and parents. some become rebellious some too introvert. Most of these mommies believe that if their kids started schooling a little later and remained on their supervision at home until at least five or six, their kids would be different now. To Be Continued….
I would love to hear the opinions, reactions, observation and suggestions of mommies whose kids are now studying and what age your kids started schooling. My intention is to get as much information as possible about early schooling so that mommies like me, whose kids are about to go school, will learn from the experience of veteran mommies. Experience is the best teacher but not necessarily your own experience, right?
