The last day of kindergarten, kids are still kids

   Following a kindergartner through her first year of school was a way to find out what goes
on in the classroom, how lofty legislation like No Child Left Behind affects 5- and
6-year-olds, how the budget that residents vote on provides construction paper and paper
clips.

   It didn't quite go as planned, but we did learn a few things:

   You still clean your desk on the last day in school … and you still get to hear a story.

   It's hard work to make learning fun.

   Although the amount of academics in kindergarten has increased dramatically over the years,
kids are still kids. They confound and surprise, they are old before their time while younger
than ever, and still like to play silly games.

   Thanks to the Scharfs … Peter, Amy, Rebekah and Rachel … for giving us access to their
family over the past year so we could give others a glimpse of what goes on in the life of a
kindergartner.

   … Barbara O'Brien

Comments

[Ivan]

why don't the Swedes let their kids go to kindergarten? They say the social cost is too much.
Why do they always compare our students to the Japanese who have a longer school day and year when the Hong Kong schools beat the Japanese on tests in Math and Science while having a shorter day and year than American kids?
Why does Switzerland have a lower percentage of students graduate from High School than the USA but have a higher median income? Just some questions to ponder while our kids are lining up, sitting quietly, and getting their lello fixed