9/11/2014
On my screen this morning was an unsolicited ad with the headline,
“Is your child happy in school?” It advertises an online K-12 school. On-line kindergarten?
What has the world of education come to?
But the answer to their question for my oldest great grandchild, now two weeks into first grade at Klenk school in Klein district in the Houston
area, is ”Please don’t make me go to school.” This is a child who happily survived
her all day sweat shop kindergarten by turning the drudgery into play.
But now I know what follows the Sweat shop kindergarten
. It is
an Assembly Line First Grade.
On the first day of school things seemed to be
ok. She came home and announced they were going to have music and PE every
morning. It turned out that was alternating mornings. She was having science
and learning about safety and she liked that.
On the third day she brought home
enough homework that after two hours her father just finished it for her. And every night was like that.
On Friday she brought home a sheet of paper that has a row
on numbers with her hand written letters next to them. And 61% at the top
written in red. That was her test on what? She knew she had failed. She thinks
she’s a failure in the second week of first grade?
Judging only by the homework, there seems to be the
assumption that beginning first graders are already literate and capable of functioning
as middle grade pupils can function.
Our little one survived sweatshop kindergarten. She is not likely
to survive assembly line first grade.
I’ve asked the principal for an explanation.
To be continued.
