Anyone who has studied developmental psychology knows that the educational level at which we are expecting our children to perform is outside the scope of their developmental abilities. Teachers and parents alike are frustrated with current standards. And what have these expectations gained us? Plummeting levels of self esteem for our kids and dropping educational performance in the U.S. compared with other industrialized nations. The system needs re-vamping.
Why is this important?
School children are now being expected to perform at a level one grade higher than they are actually. By then end of kindergarten, a child is expected to know 36 out of 40 sight words. Back in the early 70's, kindergartners were expected to do what was developmental appropriate for them - play most of the time.
