Yesterday, I was teaching in the most beautiful Kindergarten class in a middle/upper class area in our town.  These children were self-reflective, ready to learn and just a joy to be with.  In the past, I have worked in rural/inner city schools that struggled with students experiencing poverty and children having many barriers to learning.

My son started Kindergarten this year, and in the past few years Kindergarten has drastically changed.

A few years ago, a five year old child used to go to school every morning or afternoon for about three hours.  Then the children started going every other day for the full day.  Now the children go every day from 8:30am til 2:30pm, five days per week.

When I got home from teaching these amazing Kindergarten students yesterday, I was pondering these wonderful children.  It seemed that at about 12:30, they needed to go home for a rest or they needed to spread their wings in nature or they needed to just be alone.  It is alot to be with the same people every day, ask anyone who works in an open office environment.

I know that people love full day Kindergarten, their daycare costs have decreased by half.  But I feel very sad that school is compared to daycare.  School is not daycare.  We need to be spending that precious time educating our children with the best practice possible.

Children We can’t learn when we are tired!

Our government must agree with me because when we transitioned from half day to full day Kindergarten the curriculum didn’t change, but now five year olds spend six hours instead of three hours in a four walled classroom with twenty-one other students plus a teacher.

Enough said!