To think kids don't actually learn anything at preschool

[AnonBCofHate]

It seems like my kid learns a hell of alot more by staying home having a "nothing" rainy day than spending a week at preschool. I don't understand why they don't try more. Now they've sent home a letter saying they are no longer going to teach children to write their names! Which I think is the least they should be doing surely. AIBU to want them to actually teach my child!?

As an early years teacher (with an actual teaching degree!) it has heartened me to see so many people recognising and supporting what I do!

I guess most people don't understand the difference between education and teaching. There are 2 side of learning through play. 1 natural learning, which is very limited. 2 teaching through play. Thats what I would expect from a preschool. People saying don't send him then obviously are way more privileged and that's great for you but maybe think next time. Last year they were taught through play to write their names and it's something the school asks you can do before starting reception. My son could already do it but that's beside the point. I genuinely can't think of a single thing he's learnt from being there. I wish this country was more education positive. Rather than expecting schools to teach their child manners.

Young children absolutely do learn through play, however the play must be supported by skillful adults, who are able to extend the play idea/ theme to develop a child's thinking, learning and social skills. For that to happen you need well qualified staff who understand how children develop and learn.

The staff working within early years, both qualified early years teacher's and early years educator's with a level 2 or 3 qualification should be paid a salary that reflects the responsibility that they have for educating young children.

They also deserve a lot more recognition for what they do from society generally. There is still this misconception that it is easy to work within early years and that just anyone can do the job because it is just playing! It is still de_valued widely!

Then find a different pre school. I'm more than happy with the pre school my children go to and what they're learning there. They're not all the same.

As an EYP, we've never taught them to write their name. We encourage them to learn to recognise their name and the phonics of how to spell it. So Maia would understand her letter sound is Mmmmm.

All our activities are play based as children learn without realising. Literacy and Numeracy is in our planning along with Health and Wellbeing and other important ones under curriculum for excellence in Scotland. It's 20 years since I qualified and I have never taught a child apart from my own 2, to write their name. That was always a P1 job. Our main thing is to ensure they can hold a pencil correctly and teaching them safely to use Scissors.

Has your son not learned a single social or emotional skill from being there? How would you even begin to measure his emotional and social development? Have you screened him for what he knew when he went in versus what he knows now?

I work in Reception and it's clear to us when children begin their schooling with us which child went to which nursery from the type of behaviour and social skills they exhibit and the things they've been taught; there are always definite themes and similarities.

I'd bet my left arm your son's preschool could give you a folder filled to the brim with his progress since he began there.

As a Reception teacher I can also tell you that it's far easier to teach a child to write their name than to undo and relearn the formation they've learned elsewhere and spent time practising. It's also easier to teach a child to write it's name than to teach them to share. I couldn't work in a nursery or pre-school for a week if my life depended on it; their job is a hundred times harder than mine.

Take him out of pre school and home ed then op.
Can you clarify what it is that you think your son should be learning at pre school?
I find it quite sad that you seem to put so much academic emphasis on such a young child.

I hate these sort of threads. My kids do part pre-school, part home. They can't do half this stuff. I'm already bloody anxious. So now I feel a mixture of panic they're not meeting their milestones and part I'm not doing enough so they can write their names.

* 'find it quite sad that you seem to put so much academic emphasis on such a young child.*'

Agree with this.

OP for someone doing a 'masters in eduction' you sound very narrow minded. Not sure why you posted if you weren't open to other people's opinions.

Let's hope you won't be putting your masters to use in a pre-school.

Who I can see his journal. The only achievements or progress noted is for things he did not learn there, 3 months after learning them.

Groovee that's interesting. So you expect more from your own kids than you do from those you teach?

So you expect more from your own kids than you do from those you teach?

This is actually a very good point.

I was recently reading a discussion among my local mothers about preschool and kindergarten (I live in a country where school starts at 6 and kindy is not governed by any particular rules, so it varies widely).

Some of the mothers (several of whom also worked in kindies) were absolute vehement that KINDY SHOULD BE ABOUT PLAY ONLY, PLAY PLAY PLAY and were remarkably sarcastic about kindergartens that spent even a small amount of time each day doing a little bit of literacy and number work.

Yet most of these mothers alsowhen they were askedsaid that they had taught their own children some basics of literacy and numeracy before starting school. I found it quite odd that they didn't seem to think there was anything strange about what they were essentially implying--that small amounts of literacy and numeracy are evil when done in a group-care setting but are acceptable if done at home with a parent.

It also raises questions about social equality. If middle class people quietly teach their own kids the basics at home while insisting that publically funded preschools and kindergartens must NOT do so, there is a case for saying that this is going to exacerbate social inequalities. Young, poor, weakly educated and/or non-English speaking parents are a lot less likely to have the knowledge, confidence or organization to do this kind of stuff with their kids at home, so this is potentially going to increase gaps among children starting school based on their socioeconomic background.

OP, YABU.
In England, preschool provide early years education according to the EYFS. They all do it in different ways. My son's preschool follow each individual child's schemas in delivering the eyfs.

I'm so bloody impressed with them, I'm considering keeping him there an extra year and delaying school. (He has ASD so this is also a factor)

Aside from all the social skills, as someone where nobody ever took DC from me for a few hours, it taught them how to be away from me and the home for a significant length of time on a regular basis. Invaluable.

YABVVVVVU
And I don't even feel the need to explain why.

Social skills?!? If you're that eager for your child to learn to write their name before school do it yourself at home.

Maybe your preschool is a crap one OP?

No @AnonBCofHate, Dd asked to learn to write her name and I taught her it. She was a deferred child due to choice in Scotland. She still saw her friend's who had gone to school and wanted to write her name. She then taught Ds and I had to rectify the fact she taught him half lower case and half capitals.

You are choosing to pick that part apart. If it bothers you so much about a child learning to write their name teach your child yourself. You keep pointing out you are doing a degree in Education.

I think you must have just chosen a crap pre school.

I think it's that particular preschool not preschools in general. I put my heart and soul into my job as an early years teacher at a preschool so wouldn't want to be tarred with the same brush. We follow the EYFS curriculum and are very child led so the children are continuously learning in the preschool environment. We teach children how to write if they show an interest, same as anything else they show an interest in.

Yes, but children from educated/middle class environments (=books everywhere, lots of reading to children at bedtime) are probably a lot more likely to spontaneously develop an interest in things like learning to read and write. If you base the "shall we teach this?" on whether the child comes and asks to learn to do it, there is a danger that you are just exacerbating social inequality.

That is a good point Londoncheapo though early years should still focus on best practice even if it isn't what more educated parents are doing at home.
The best thing to try and even out the social inequality at that age is to have all children in equally good preschools.

My boss was talking about this in a meeting recently. She'd been in a preschool classroom where one of the parents came in to read a story. The children were 1.5-2 years old and most had been there for 3 weeks only. They all sat and listened to the story. She said they are learning how classrooms work. They don't start formally learning until 6 where I live, but they learn how to relate to their peers and they learn how to listen to and follow instructions in a classroom. Without those skills school can be a real struggle. It is often the focus of many preschool settings in many countries that have a so-called excellent education system. Structure is gradually introduced and children are taught how to utilise it over 4 years, in preparation for formal learning. One of the arguments for extending preschool until 6 or 7 is that formal learning is much easier for children who have had more time to learn the social aspects of a classroom environment.