Reflection: Favorite Class

Kindergarten was my favorite class in school.  The reasons should be obvious; it was designed with the student in mind, provided practical education, and was fun.  First, think of the set up of kindergarten.  How easy was it to make friends? You arrive at school and meet your classmates who quickly become your friends.  There was no liquid encouragement as many grownups need to meet people or judging people by their clothing labels to make friends; if your classmate did not physically attack you or have snot hanging out their nose, you were friends.  This is analogous to dogs sniffing each other’s butts, as long as the smell is pleasing to you, you do not get humped, everything is alright.

Educators today are trying to reform the education system to move away from the Cartesian view of learning where the teacher lectures and students learn.  This reform is directed at engaging students to become active learners instead being the passive learners of the Cartesian system.  This reform includes social learning where students work in groups and use technology to teach each other and spur interest in subjects.  It also includes tapping into students’ prior knowledge to make connections with this knowledge and the subject matter as well as allowing students to learn through doing.  This is kindergarten my friends.

To illustrate, who does not remember the ABC song that we all learned in kindergarten?  Why do we remember it?  Because it was interactive.  The letters of alphabet were introduced to the students in a group through visual displays and the students practiced the name, sound, and writing the letter.  After all the letters had been learned, closure was provided with a group sing-along in which all students participated.  Kindergarten lessons allow students to see, hear, and practice the lesson objectives as well as working together and they provide closure to ensure the student remembers it.

The biggest reason I regard kindergarten so highly is so much emphasis was placed on practical skills and doing so in a fun way.  (The rest of my education was conducted through the Cartesian system which may explain that while intelligent, I was frequently bored.  Also, I did not like school because it was the same thing almost every single day.)  One of the skills kindergartners learn is how to use scissors.  Do we as adults not look very suspiciously at the intellectual abilities of our fellow adults who do not know how to use scissors?  Another important skill is how to paste and tape.  Without this skill, I do not think there is the same level of production of duct tape than with it.  Just pointing out that duct tape manufacturing jobs are on the line here people.  A third important skill is learning how to draw.  Seriously, could business meetings and the like ever be conducted without doodling?  I think not.  The great thing about these three skills is that the students could use all of them to create a tangible product to show their parents and have it placed on display in the greatest display place of all time, the refrigerator.

In sum, the author of All I Ever Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten got it right.  I just wish I thought of it before he did.  Then, I could have the copyright to it as well as the sales and proceeds of the book and merchandise.  However, given the way that technology has changed the game, this principle may not longer apply.