When my son started kindergarten, he had already been socialized and knew the ins and outs of school. He had been in daycare since he was 6 months old and was used to following rules and playing with others. When he started kindergarten, his teacher told me he was very advanced and way ahead of all the other students in her class. He had been at Delta Daycare since he was 3 and prior to that at a preschool style daycare.
There is no doubt that the role of the kindergarten teacher is not to teach a child how to behave as most kids already know to be nice, play nice, and share. Most already know to not hit others and how to use their words. I feel that the biggest role teachers provide at such a young age is the rigid set of routine and structure in the school day that teaches a child how to listen and follow directions. A child is taught from the morning where to hang his coat, where he needs to sit, when he can talk by raising his hand, when recess is, when lunch is, when nap time is. It is a necessary repeated daily school routine that instills growth and understanding and learning to these children.
They become well-organized and learn appropriate and acceptable school behaviors. They learn that socialization is necessary, and they understand that how they behave has effects on everybody through reward and punishment. They behave well, they get rewarded for that good behavior, but when they behave badly, they get punished for it. This plays B.F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning into effect where if you behave well, you get a reward but if you don’t you get nothing or are punished. There was a funny clip on Big Ban Theory regarding this, actually.
I have always wondered why a teacher on the very first day of school can get my 7-year-old to behave so well in school, within minutes of their first encounter, but I’ve been raising him for 7 years and I can’t get him to behave the way I would like. That has always boggled my mind. I put in all the hard work. I put in all of the time and effort. I am supportive. I am loving. I do homework with him. I take him to Taekwondo. These are all things that as a single mom I do alone with him. He lives with me full time. Yet, I am regarded as the bad mom or the mean mom. I can never get that. I am the only one giving everything and I am the one that feels unloved and disrespected. It’s pretty sad how dad is the best and does “everything for him” yet, he only sees him the 2nd and 4th weekends of the month. I don’t get it!
In the end, we hope that teachers give our children the most they can in regard to education and that our children allow themselves to be teachable. We hope that they are agreeable and allow creativity to expand their minds.
Monika's Blog 