The reality of school

Every day, I travel from one campus to another. The first campus is the Primary, which houses grades K,1, and 2. After finishing with those groups, I go to the Elementary, which is 3rd and 4th grade. Day after day, I am reminded how different these campuses are from one another. Even though they are in the same district, and there is good communication between them, it is still astounding to me.

At the Primary, the goal of the teachers, plainly stated orally and in writing in several places, is to "make it a good day" for the children. After going everyday so far this year, I have heard only 1 person speak harshly to the children, and it wasn't all that harsh! I am always reminded that these are young children, in formative years, and that it is my responsibility to not "harm" them in any way.
While I find some of it really sugary-sweet, I am touched by the tenderness with which each one it greeted and treated. I would like to be a child at that school...

When they reach Elementary, everything shifts into a whole other gear. Gone are the soft, tender voices (I'm not saying the staff isn't loving - just not baby-ing.) and the determination to make every situation one that is beneficial to the child. The children at Elementary are facing the world of state mandated testing, and it drives how they act, how they approach things, and how they are expected to manage their own lives. Gone is the mother; now the teacher is a guide, a facilitator - a teacher of higher expectations academically. The kids handle the transition well; it's just sad to me that they have to deal with the stress at this age.

I'm glad I went to school when I did. Hours of handwriting to make sure we had good penmanship, holiday activities, recess !, listening to my teachers read novels to us daily... and I turned out pretty smart! Somewhere along the line, those in charge decided kids need to be grown up by age 7. I disagree, but I'm not in charge.

So, I'll keep walking in daily with 4 and 5 year olds going into school with backpacks bigger than they are. I'll work until I retire making the lives I touch a little less stressful and more fun. I'll try to delay the inevitable as long as possible.