Re: Why not let kids be kids?

[Bridget Kraemer <bkraemer1976@yahoo.com>]

"...in the absence of open, unstructured play, when will children learn to share? When will 
they learn to cooperate? When will they learn how to make friends? 
When will they learn how to resolve conflicts? When will they be able 
to develop their own interests in things that stimulate their 
curiosity? When will they develop their own identities? It's these 
very things that form the core of childhood. And it's these very 
things that are slowly disappearing from our classrooms."
   
  This is the very thing I'm afraid of for my children.  They will be entering kindergarten next school year and I'm very anxious about what to expect from our school system.  I believe a well-rounded education needs math as well as the free time to use your imagination.  I can't imagine an education without recess or music.  My children have learned so much by just playing with each other.  I've given them opportunities to learn more about what interests THEM.  I'm so scared their curiosity will burn out when they are in a classroom of 30 kids and are forced to learn what's on the tests.  I'm fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom, but I worry about my nieces and my friends children who may not get the opportunities my sons have had.  They are at the mercy of public education.  
   
  Bridget Kraemer


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