Interesting read. The Chch Rudolf Steiner school in Chch (Opawa) is very popular, we purchased a house from a couple who were moving closer to the Steiner school area and I remember them saying it was quite a rigmarole to get them in, but they did.
http://www.ch.steiner.school.nz/index.php
Interesting reading. One of the reasons why, on the whole, I prefer the NZ primary education system is that there is more focus on children developing life skills in the early years and why I think the PMP programme is great, and there is also far less testing with more ongoing progess reporting via work sample folders. But the problem with not starting any real formal education until age 6 or 7 is that children who 'are' more academic and who actively 'want' to be able to read or write can be held back by a lack of opportunity. I wouldn't want to push my children to do things they are not ready for, but equally I don't want them to be held back and not able to learn things because it is percieved that they are too young.
The writer of that article appears to come from a fairly rich and privileged sector of society in the first place (e.g. taking an entrance test for a day primary school at 3??!) - most British kids do get some kind of education via the Early Years Foundation Stage now (given the government's 3-4 year old nursery funding scheme), but it's not really a case of pushing them to read or write so young.
That said, the team I do admin for see a lot of young kids who are almost "burnt out" by school before they hit secondary school. The curriculum here is very structured, and several teachers have told me that there is no wiggle room to allow kids to learn in a non-classroom setting (other than where stated in the curriculum!).
Personally I loved school, all the way through (though I burnt out a little by the end of uni, right when it counted *head!desk*). Hubby hated school right from the start. If DD comes anywhere between our two extremes I hope the NZ system will be good for her. If not, we'll look into supplementing her education at home or the reverse.. I don't know till we get there. She's only 2 1/2.. no tests planned here!
I beg to differ. The REAL life skills should start a much later stage, at least during highschool. My grandpa even told us all that you really don't start knowing what to do in 'real life' until after age 40. Meaning to know where you're going in life, with all the different occupations a person has, a good part of their life is experimenting and learning from mistakes - until, the person finds something that makes them really successful.there is more focus on children developing life skills in the early years and why I think the PMP programme is great, and there is also far less testing with more ongoing progess reporting via work sample folders.
Here's something to think about. If life skills at a young age is so important, then why is it most of the overseas asian migrants whip the local kiwis all the way through past uni? They sit in the front of the class eager to learn. They finish university and manage to find the job they want to be in. Make bigger sacrifices and most importantly, moral / cultural ethics that 'working' hard is better than 'cruising'. I havn't seen any stats but it would be interesting to see the % of asian migrants that follow the role of being on the dole or DPB. You could say the locals just aren't as keen.
BQ
As a parent of a couple of those Asian kids, I'd encourage you to read Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" for some very well reasoned arguments as to why the Asian work ethic appears different to the Western one.
There's some other interesting stuff in there about why Asian kids are often better at mathematics. Here's an excerpt here on that topic:
http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/outliers_excerpt3.html
Just wanted to point out that by British they are referring to the education system in England. My child did not start school in Scotland until she was 5 and a half and some of her friends were closer to 6. There is also much less emphasis on formal testing at primary level here.
That's really interesting! Thank you for sharing English as a language is also quite crazy in terms of its grammar, spelling and mish-mash of sources. It's a wonder we get anywhere
Regards what others have said about lazy kids and poor work ethic, I agree that these exist in many Western countries. That said, many parents don't see the value of an education (especially in deprived areas) and don't encourage their kids to attend or do as well as they can. It isn't hard to see where the "worst" kids get their attitude from, though some kids simply aren't academic in spite of their parents' hopes. They're the ones who might actually step up to the task if the teacher brought a bicycle into physics lessons, for instance. If learning the equations by rote doesn't work, show them the application (and not just with a hamster wheel).
But but but as with soooooo many things, I firmly believe that most kids are great little human beings. It's the minority that ruin the overall perception, because bad news travels fast, and good news isn't news at all (allegedly).
Last edited by sophiedb; 6th January 2010 at 11:19 AM. Reason: cogs still turning
For those in NZ with preschoolers, what do you do/where can you go if they display a healthy interest in reading and writing?