I usually agree with alot of what Dr Phil says, but this time, I am a little confused why he would think it's a good thing for a 3 yr old to be away from Mommy. And why he thinks that pre-schoolers need to learn how to be like everyone else. Dr Phil has disappointed me for once.
Like he says, academically, there isnt much difference between kids who went to preschool and those who didn't. It does help them get ready for kinder, though. My son's kinder teacher always talks abt how the kids who went to preschool are much easier to teach, because they come in already knowing that they have to follow the schedule, have to sit in their chairs, etc etc...The ones who are coming to school for the first time have to be taught all that stuff first, which eats into instruction time. My eldest was a quiet child, ready to please and follow rules, so he was fine in kinder, even though he skipped preschool. My second one went to preschool when he was 4, for 2 1/2 hrs a day. He was a little terror, and one of the least well-behaved kids in the class...mostly running around, not able to sit still, etc etc...but this year, he's in kinder, and he has been a model student. Maybe preschool calmed him down, or maybe he just needed to be a bit more mature...dont know for sure... So yeah, I think it has its advantages, but 3 yrs is too young, I think. At 3, they need mommy, and sometimes even still at 4...
When kindergarten was invented, the purpose of it was to get them ready to sit and listen, stand in line, cut and paste, recognize letters, so they could be ready for first grade! Now they have to do preschool to get ready for kindergarten?? Kindy is not supposed to be for learning to read, write and work with numbers - that's what first grade is for! When my dd was just a year and a half old, I had no choice but to put her in daycare because I was a single mom and there was no feasible way not to. She learned to be shy and care a great deal what her peers thought. When ds came along, he went to one year of preschool at 3, but then he came home because dh was working at home, until he started kindy a year later than he could have. We kept him home because maturationally he was just not ready to learn to sit, etc., in kindy. He enjoyed friends, but was much more able to entertain himself. Different personalities, maybe. But maybe it was being/not being brought up in a group. If somebody suddenly appointed me King of the World, I'd fix it so that somehow all little kids got to stay home with mommy until they were at least 7 (if they go out to school at all even then).
I have no problem with preschool in general. For some children it is a good thing. However, I have a huge problem with most "commercial" preschools. Many of these preschools focus on results, goals, and curriculum. I have a different idea of what preschool should be. I think preschool should be all about fun, ideally preschool shouldn't have curriculum in the traditional sense. It should be an enriching environment where the child learns through play, in his own time, at his own pace, and always in such a way that he doesn't know he's learning. For me it's not about teaching the child, but rather providing opportunities for the child to learn. I used to work in a couple of different preschools, and there was one that I really liked, but then when I transferred to a different location it was all very different and I didn't care for it at all so even though it's a "chain" preschool, using the same programs and curriculum it doesn't mean they are all going to be good.
The prescool ds went to was more abt teaching kids stuff through song, and activities and such...but yeah, they are expected to be learning to read in Kinder. Have to know sight words, basic math, that sort of thing. The teacher did tell me specifically that preschool helped because it made them ready to learn by the time they entered Kindergarten. They're piushing everything earlier and earlier, and I really dont know why the rush.
My son is in Kinder (8 more days- then we are done with PS!!! ), and reading was a huge part of his year this year. I am going to be using CLE next year, and I am going to have to skip the Light Units 101-105, because he already knows it (I do have to fill in some gaps along the way though). I really like how CLE does it, though, and when my daughter is ready for reading (whatever grade level she actually is, Kinder, or 1st), I will be using CLE's Learn to Read Program with her. If I remember correctly, when I was in Kinder, there really wasn't much in the way of learning to read (and I am 26, so it was only about 20 years ago), so they are def. pushing kids earlier and earlier.
When I was in kinder we did start learning to read, but it was done in small reading groups and by the abilities of the student. I was an early reader, and they had to bring in a 1st grade teacher once a week to work with me and one of my classmates. I do remember kinder being fun though, I even looked forward to my weekly classes with the other teacher.
As a former preschool teacher in a private day care center, I know first hand that a good preschool can have its benefits to children where both parents must work full time. I can see where Head Start can benefit children who come from homes where the parents are single, young, inexperienced, and/or inattentive. However, I DON'T agree with Dr. Phil's generalized statement that kids who are educated home cannot be well "socialized", as if home was the only place these children ever go! Good grief!!! He has come too late to tell me that! I have graduated 3 kids from homeschooling. All three have done extremely well in the work force, and the two of them that chose to go on to college and have done/is doing extremely well with that also. Very high grade scores for both of them. None of my children have ever had any problems with communication skills/public speaking.
Maybe we need a prenatal class to get them ready for Pre-Pre School. Just imagine teaching them not to kick with their feet, and elbow you during pregnancy. Imagine them only using resources on a schedule that siuted you, so you did not have noctural urges to discharge urine. Imagine that they did jumping on bladder exercises, and rearrange mom's innards relays ONLY during PreNat-School recess times.If a Really Now........... If a school wants medical information, I would want to see that they have all HIIPA proceedures in place. EVIL GRIN Edited to add: Teachers are being further empowered to play Doctor with such information being collected. I guess now that they no longer have Oprah to emulate when becoming experts with no information, they have decided to collect a little like Dr. Phil does before making his expert pronouncements.
If Head Start REALLY wanted to make a difference, they would require Mom to attned WITH the children. The goal would be to TEACH MOM how to work with the child, instead of doing it for her. My understanding is that, while Head Start kids excell at first, it eventually levels out and there is NO difference between those that were in Head Start and those that weren't. Having taught in preschool, I DO NOT believe in it, period.
I'm glad for preschool. It got me into homeschooling. All of the preschools around me were 5 day a week, full day preschools. My best friend at the time organized a pre-preschool, 3 days a week, 2 hrs a shot, which I gladly signed up for. Then I had a "what the heck?!" moment. Prepping lessons led me to homeschooling sites. We backed out midyear, I think I was pregnant with my third, but I was questioning the need for it. And that's how we started homeschooling lol
Both of my DC when to preschool. DD went two and three times a week (at ages 3,4, & 5). She was received speech, OT, and PT and had received services of some sort until the end of 8th grade. She has always been a very social kid, even before preschool. She has gotten somewhat "shy" in certain circumstances (thanks to her peers, while in school) but she still loves to meet new people. DS started headstart at age three in a homebased program. At ages four and five he was attending four days a week. He has never been a social kid. Do I think preschool helped improve his social skills? Maybe. Maybe not. I do know that I have seen him become more social in the last couple of years (he is 13) but there are still times he would rather "not go there". So, I guess what I am trying to say is that it does depend on the kid. I can say one thing, for sure. I wish I would've started homeschooling much earlier in the ballgame!
This *almost* makes me feel bad for the fact that I never sent my oldest to preschool and he only spent this past month in Kindergarten. He's great socially, but the teacher did say she could tell he had never been to school before. Not because of his brains, but his interaction, not socially, but from the structure of a classroom as oppose to at home. We did "preschool" at home. We were basically homeschooling/unschooling. Many days he did SOMETHING that pertained to school, even if it was just workbook pages, other days we did nothing, we just winged it. He knew all his ABC's, how to count to 50, which he could count past 50, but had to remind him of things like 60, 70, 80, etc. He knew all his letters and the sounds. He knew how to write his letters and numbers and he could do simple addition, as well as double digit addition problems (course no carrying numbers). He was right on target with everything they were doing in Kindergarten before pulling him out. Because of this, I am reminding myself as we start officially homeschooling this week that I am capable of teaching him and that I taught him what he knew before starting school! As far as preparing for Kindergarten? That's a crock in my opinion. Why should I send my child away from me if I don't have to? I want to spend as much time with my children as possible. Children catch on very easily, so if a child that hasn't gone to preschool is just as smart as one who has, I think it's appropriate to keep the child home, they're only young once! I loved when he was in school, but I missed him and felt like I was missing out on him (even though I don't plan on homeschooling forever!)
