upworthy

kindergarten

@the_wondermint/TikTok

A teacher laments how hard kindergarten has gotten and the pressure on young kids.

It’s nothing new for parents to lament their kid’s ever-growing list of school requirements. From piles of homework to getting graded for school supplies, the pressures seem to be not only racking up over time, but spreading to younger and younger grades. And it’s not just parents who have noticed the shift.

Recently, longtime kindergarten teacher Ms. Kelli, of the TikTok account @the_wondermint, reflected on how different it is for students at even at the most introductory level: Kindergarten.

We all know how intense the pressure is for high schoolers looking to get into college. Two or three decades ago, SAT tutoring and prep courses were a luxury for wealthy families. Now they've viewed as essential. But what's taking parents, and teachers, off guard is how the elevated standards are trickling down to little kids who are barely out of diapers.

In the clip, Kelli begins, “So I just gotta ask, as a 20-year kindergarten teacher myself, remember when we went to kindergarten that we just had to be potty trained and not eat the glue?” Comparing that to the long list of requirements nowadays, the educator says she feels sorry for families going through it.

“My heart breaks when I see all these videos of what do you need to do to prepare your child for kindergarten, and things your child must know before going to kindergarten, and these lists of things that parents need to be working on.”

One teacher agreed in a recent Reddit thread: "When I first taught Kindergarten in Wisconsin in 2009 the standard was to count to thirty. By 2012, the standard had changed to one hundred."

kindergarten, school, education, kids, parents, parenting, teachers, curriculum, elementary school, generational differences, culture Modern curriculums have teachers feeling like this. Giphy

Another parent chimed in: "Our kindergarten has them count to 100. Know 40 sight words by the end of kindergarten. Begins teaching reading and phonics ... they learned to write their names within the first two weeks and are expected to do that and the date on every assignment. Each week they make a letter book for a different letter but they expected them to go into kindergarten knowing all their letters. They have math packet every week for take home. ... I mean I love it, he’s learning a lot but he does get quite a bit of work. Two packets do a week. So we do a page a night from each so it’s done by Thursday night."

(Remember, these kids are about five years old. They can barely eat spaghetti without drenching themselves in pasta sauce, and we're expecting them to sit down and do worksheets!)

Another added, "My son’s school routinely takes away recess. They do it if they don’t get enough school work finished during the day, or if the class misbehaves too much, or one single child can get it taken away. It’s also at the end of the day, so the kids are slaving away learning for six hours before maybe getting a break."

It's not just the parents who are noticing, either. A study out of the University of Virginia in 2016 found that kindergarten standards and curriculums at the time were far more similar to first grade curriculums from the previous decade. And the standards have only gotten higher since.

Keli says she's had enough. She argues that, “Human development hasn't changed. What a five or six-year-old child is physically, mentally and developmentally able to do hasn't changed, in all these years.”

Still, the standards have changed. And kids are paying the price.

So she encourages fellow teachers and parents to not force the educational aspect.

“The learning will come. The development will come, the ABCs, the one, two, threes, writing, all of it, it will come ... Curriculum, it will happen. The learning, it will happen,” she says.

@the_wondermint

Little bit of a plea and PSA for the day… let them be kids! #teachersontiktok #teachertok #teachersoftiktok #iteachk #kindergarten #ilovekindergarten #iloveteaching #foryoupage #teacherforyoupage #fypage #teacherfyp #playbasedlearning #seethewonderkeepitfresh #handsonlearning #reggioemilia #letthemexplore #parentsontiktok #parentsoftiktok #kindergartenparents #kinderprep #backtoschool

Instead of placing more pressure, Kelli suggests a gentler, simpler approach.

“Let them play, let them socialize with each other. Let them learn to be away from their mommy and daddy and be sad for a little bit and be comforted. Let them find friendships that are gonna make them laugh so hard that their bellies ache and tell stories that go home. Let them create something that they never thought they could. Let them do an art project where they turn a box into a robot and they’re so excited to show their parents!”

In short: “let kids be kids.”

Kelli’s video seemed to really resonate with parents and teachers alike, who have definitely felt like certain aspects of childhood have been sacrificed in the name of “productivity.” Especially when it comes to homework.

“Yes! My son struggled in Kindergarten last year and even had homework! I could not believe what all he had to know. Teacher said he had a hard time paying attention… yeah he is 5!” one mom shared.

“Finally someone said it,” added another. “The curriculum is insane for elementary school kiddos. They have absolutely lost their childhood.”

One person noted that “the kindergarten report card used to be things like skipping, walking on a balance beam, the hardest thing was counting to 100.”

kindergarten, school, education, kids, parents, parenting, teachers, curriculum, elementary school, generational differences, culture Learning to skip used to be the hardest part of kindergarten. Giphy

As for whether or not a more academic-focused approach to kindergarten is, in fact, less beneficial to kids— a 2019 study in the American Educational Research Journal did find that it led to improvements, both academic and interpersonal, in the long run.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean we need to load them up with a ton of work for after school. Another study reported that elementary school students, on average, are assigned three times the recommended amount of homework.

This is why Kelli created a follow up video sharing why she doesn’t assign homework to her own students.

@the_wondermint

Replying to @Drea_keevs Controversial but yet it shouldn’t be… 5 year olds should not be doing homework! Talk as a family, snuggle and read, enjoy their favorite sport activity, have a dance party! Their days are filled inside school, make the time outside of school good for their hearts and souls! #t#teachersontiktokt#teachertokt#teachersoftiktoki#iteachkk#kindergarteni#ilovekindergarteni#iloveteachingf#foryoupaget#teacherforyoupagef#fypaget#teacherfypp#playbasedlearnings#seethewonderkeepitfreshh#handsonlearningr#reggioemilial#letthemexploreparentsontiktok #parentsoftiktok #parentingtips #homework #homeworkhelp

“We are covering what we’re covering in the five or six hours with these little babies, and if we can’t cover that in that time, we’re definitely not gonna get the best out of them at 5, 6 o’clock at night when they’re tired and they should be enjoying time with their family,” she said.

She does, however, advocate trying to instill a “love of reading,” if you can count that as homework. But even then, that assignment looks more like snuggling in bed, cozying up with a book, and having their parents read it to them.

Point being: of course school is meant to help set up students for success. But if it robs them of their precious, formative, and oh-so-temporary childhood, then is it really worth it?

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.


dailymailcute/YouTube

Young girl invites her favorite bus driver to attend her kindergarten graduation.

Kindergarten graduation is a big deal for students and parents alike. For six-year-old Mallie Courtney, there was one special person she wanted to invite to her graduation party: her beloved bus driver Don Allen.

Courtney, from Bradford, Tennessee, made hearts melt in a sweet video shared by her aunt Holly Bratcher (@hollypaigebrachter) on social media that showed her spending time with Allen on her big day. In the video, the two are seated next to each other, playing games and eating snacks while celebrating her big accomplishment.

"Ok so this was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. 😭😭😭 they acted like best friends! 🩷'," she captioned the video.

@hollypaigebratcher

Ok so this was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. 😭😭😭 they acted like best friends! 🩷 #niece #auntie #kindergarten #sosweet #thecutest

The two were glued side by side the entire party. "Y'all my niece's bus driver came to her party and she sat with him the THE WHOLE TIME," she added. "They played games and talked the whole time. This is the cutest thing ever."

In an interview with PEOPLE, Courtney's aunt Holly shared her surprise when she arrived at the party and didn't recognize Allen. "I asked her mom, 'Who is that man?'" she told the publication. "And she told me it was her bus driver, and how much Mallie adores him. When she told me that Mallie had invited him to her party, I thought it was the sweetest thing!"

It was clear the two had a special bond. Bratcher also added that during the school year, they hugged each other every morning and every afternoon.

School bus, bus driver, kindergarten, school bus driver, busSchool Bus Love GIF by MochimochilandGiphy

It meant the world to Courtney that he showed up. "I was so excited that Mr. Don actually came!" she told PEOPLE. "I ran and gave him a hug and we ate together and played games and I gave him my cupcake because I didn't want it."

She went on to call him her "best friend." "He said he was proud of me and that he will see me Monday morning. I liked hanging out with him the most, we are best friends," she added.

With nearly six million views on TikTok, the video resonated with many people who also shared about their close relationships with bus drivers in the comments. "I invited my janitor from high school to my graduation party. And he was so exited to come he brought his wife. It’s been 10 years and he still mentions it," one wrote. Another shared, "My 10th grade geography teacher (a 75 year old man) took a personal day to come to my mom’s funeral. I will never forget him."

The heartwarming video also made an impact on Bratcher, who shared it hoping to inspire others. "My hope from this video is that in the broken world we live in, there are still good people," Bratcher shared with PEOPLE. "Genuine people still are here and want to help impact children’s lives and even older people’s lives. We live in a time of many sad things happening in the world, and seeing things like this gives comfort that with all the bad in the world, there is still good."

Parenting

Teacher shares the one thing parents need to teach kids to prepare them for kindergarten

Kindergarten teacher Emily Perkins says avoiding this can make them "unteachable."

Image via Canva

Kindergarten teacher shares #1 thing parents should teach kids.

Sending your kid to kindergarten for the first time is a milestone parenting moment. For parents looking to prepare their kids for attending school for the first time, kindergarten teacher Emily Perkins (@emmymckenny) from Kentucky has spilled her wisdom.

In a new TikTok video, Perkins shared the number one thing parents should be teaching their kids before sending them to her classroom—and it's slightly controversial.

"No. No no no. No," she captioned the video. In it, she explains that parents need to teach their children the meaning of 'no,' and telling them 'no' when necessary.

@emmymckenny

No. No no no. No. #teachersoftiktok #momsoftiktok #gentleparenting #controversial

She says in the video, "A lot of people ask me all the time when they figure out that I’m a kindergarten teacher: What can they do to prepare their kid for kindergarten? What can I do—help them open their snacks? Help them tie their shoes? No, no, no, not that. Tell your kid, 'No' ... Tell them ‘No’ as a complete sentence."

The mom of two continues to add that if parents fail to tell and teach their kids "no," it can make them "unteachable" once they get in her classroom. "Do not teach them that telling them, 'No' invites them to argue with you, because if I can’t tell your child 'No' as an adult, and they don’t respect the 'No,' they’re basically unteachable. Let me tell you something: I will open their snacks, I will tie their shoes, I will help them blow their nose, I will teach them how to wash their hands properly."

@emmymckenny

I went viral #teachersoftiktok #viral #no


Perkins does not mince words when explaining the importance of teaching kids "no," and takes a stand against gentle parenting that she argues has turned many parents into pushovers. "The term gentle parenting gets thrown around like a reward—'Congratulations, you’re a pushover.' You can validate your child’s feelings without being a pushover. I heard a parent tell me that they don’t tell their child, 'No' because it triggers them," she explains.

Perkins adds that if parents cannot tell their children "no," neither can teachers—which can lead to disaster in kindergarten. "And if your child’s teacher can’t tell them, 'No,' it’s really hard to help them learn," she concluded.

@emmymckenny

IDC #teachersoftiktok #controversy #thingsidontcareabout

In an interview with TODAY, Perkins shared that "'No’ is not a bad word," and added that “‘no’ is not an invitation to an argument." She added, "My whole job is explaining. Think of logistics—if we’re lining up for a fire drill, it’s, 'No, you may not stay inside if the building is on fire' or 'No, you may not climb on the table because it’s not safe.'"

While she notes that further explanation of "no" to kids is certainly important, it's more crucial for kids to not to question or argue right away if they are told, "No." "I love to explain why, but if I can’t right then, kids still have to hear and accept 'no,'" she told the publication.

Perkins' video got a lot of support from fellow teachers and parents in the comment section:

"Preschool teacher here. you are 10000000000% correct. Let them struggle a bit so they can ACTUALLY do hard things. Let them experience disappointment! make them resilient!" one wrote.

"THIS!! I’m a first year kindergarten teacher and some of this littles just don’t get no… it’s so wild to me."

A parent viewer wrote, "True gentle parenting is about telling your child no and sticking to it. If you can never tell your child no it’s permissive."

And another parent shared, "Not a teacher just a mom, but YES. Not everything needs to be a lesson…sometimes because I said so is a complete sentence."

Kindergartener calls school impersonating dad to pull a Ferris Bueller.

Kindergarten is hard. Nowadays there's a lot less playing and many school districts have cut out naps and half-day programs in exchange for more seated, curriculum-heavy work. Sometimes the shift in workload can feel like a little too much, especially for a kindergartener named Lyric. The little girl decided to take a day to herself to reflect on the hard work she's doing in kindergarten. The only problem is she didn't her parents.

Instead, Lyric decided to call her elementary school the evening prior to her self-scheduled mini vacation and impersonate her father. She left a very clever voicemail in the attendance office informing them that she would not be attending school the following day. To disguise her voice, she spoke as deeply as possible and hoped that would do the trick. The only problem with her genius plan was that she's not in charge of taking herself to school.

gif, school, skipping school, day off, kidsEpisode 7 No School GIF by South ParkGiphy

Skipping school, or in this case, attempting to skip school is nothing new. Students have been skipping out on classes since the first school house was built because, even before iPads, playing with a ball in a cup was more exciting than classwork for most students. The 1986 movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off is all about a kid who decided to skip school, though Ferris was a wee bit older than a kindergartener.

Lyric's mom had no idea her daughter attempted to get out of going to school until she was called into the office about the voicemail. Surprisingly, though, Lyric's school wasn't upset with her. The elementary school officials found the voicemail amusing and wanted to share the unbelievable impersonation with her mom.

gif, skip school, day off, Ferris bueller, fiilm Ferris Buellers Day Off Film GIFGiphy

"I don't know what I did to deserve a daughter like mine but let me tell y'all what just happened," Tyonda, the girl's mother, starts to explain in her video uploaded to TikTok. "I go to drop her off at school, the ladies in the front office are like, 'yeah, we we received a message last night,." Tyonda already suspected the message was from her daughter. "I'm never amazed. It's like the element of surprise with her. So, they play the message back. My daughter tried to act like her daddy and call herself out of school. What in the Ferris Bueller is going on here? Baby, you're in kindergarten."

You can listen to Lyric's attempt at her dad's voice here:

@keepingupwityonda

Help me!! #fypシ #viral #kidsoftiktok #kidsbelike #Capcut

Apparently, the girl's impersonation of her father's voice is much deeper voice than his actual voice, which is pretty impressive for a six-year-old girl. People found Lyric's antics highly amusing, with some issuing warnings for the girl's teenage years, "Buckle up honey, the next 13-14 years bout to be wild."

"I’m expecting a teenager a KINDERGARTENER???!!!" one person writes.

"We need to hear daddy’s voice before we can say if it was or wasn’t him," another jokes.

gif, hide, imposter, joke, prank, funnySunglasses Hiding GIF by Soul TrainGiphy

"The thing is ..... this was practiced and planned. she had the number, the voice and a mission," someone shares.

"But wait yall have to drop her off at school where was she gonna go if that worked?" another commenter asks.

Lyric was unconvinced that she did not sound exactly like her dad. In a follow up video the little girl insists that she sounds like her father and reveals she was able to get the number to the school from Apple Maps on her iPad. It also seems that Lyric has zero regrets and plans to continue her shenanigans well into high school.

@keepingupwityonda

Replying to @itsshamitch💋