:sun2-ani: I had to take Olivia in this morning to be evaluated for her readiness to enter Preschool. Apparently kids can’t just go to preschool or nursery school as they called when I was a kid (way back in the olden days - 1970’s). They have to be evaluated for their readiness. This entails asking them 10 minutes worth of questions ranging from what’s your name to what color is your shirt. What happens if she gets a question wrong? Does she not get to go? She’s 4 years old and we need for her to go to preschool

I told her ahead of time what it would be like as far as the questions and eye and ear test and the motor skill test etc. Her question

“What happens if I don’t know the answer?”

“Nothing sweetie, that’s what school is for. To help you learn the things you don’t know.”

“Oh”

I was informed by one of the evaluators that she needs to spend more time scribbling because she is slow in copying lines and shapes on paper. Okay never mind that she is writing words, not by copying but simply by having me spell the word and putting it on paper from memory. You see Olivia got one of her mother’s quirky traits; perfectionism. She was slow today because she was trying to do it perfectly for them, not because she can’t do it. Perfectionism can be good to a point but it can also be paralyzing, I know this first hand.

Apparently I will be receiving the “results” of this evaluation in the mail which will determine her readiness for preschool. Seems to me that education is taken far too seriously, far too young. Preschool was nothing more than a playgroup when I was a child that allowed your children to start interacting with other children and test the waters with new authority figures. I didn’t have daily structured lessons and need to know 10 pages worth of facts and I am a college graduate with a love of learning and a productive life.

If we are so hell bent on how much we can teach them as early as possible, why are we surprised when they have burnt out on academics when they are 12 and 13 years old? Children are supposed to learn through hands on experiences through exploration. It should be relaxed and open and encouraging. Nowadays many preschools are expecting 3-4 year olds to sit for lengths of time learning those things that, due to educational requirements, they will be taught again in grade school anyway.

You may think, well then my little boy/girl will that much more ahead of the game because they already know so much. But then what do they do in school when the teacher is teaching what your child already knows, but didn’t really need to know yet to be a successful, contributing member of society? They are going to act out and be bored and the behavioral problems will start.

My son Nicholas never went to preschool (insert collective gasp of horror) and he is at the top of his class in third grade, loves to go to school and loves to learn. For many of his friends school is just a drag. Already at 8 and 9 years old.

So why am I having Olivia assessed for her readiness for preschool? Because she just needs some time out of the house, on her own, away from the daycare kids and her own sisters. She needs her own thing she days that makes her feel special and above all she needs girls her own age to play with. I have all boys that attend my Child Care and she can take every last one of them I’d love to see her tune in to her feminine side a little as well for some balance.

So we’ll see whether or not Olivia’s ready. And if not? Then she can just play with us.