In case you missed it, DEY wrote an op-ed for Valerie Strauss’ column titled The Answer Sheet at The Washington Post. The piece is titled How ed policy is hurting early childhood education, and it included some early quotes from teachers who had responded to our online survey. We believe the quotes hightlight DEY’s concerns and help to paint a picture of the where we are today with early childhood eduction. Here is an excerpt:
“I just decided yesterday that what I am doing has little to do with my intent when I became a teacher. I will work one more year and then retire. Not because I want to , but because I hate the teacher I have had to become.”
“It concerns me that policies are being written by people who are not knowledgeable about young children and how they develop. While their intentions may be good, they are setting us up for an epic failure that we have not seen before. Our public education system is at risk and unfortunately, the ‘fixes’ are steering us toward disaster at a rapid rate. It is sad and I am currently exploring my options to leave the profession.”
“I feel disrespected as a professional, my students feel the pressure and the parents are confused. I see kids with eyes glazed who are simply overwhelmed by being constantly asked to perform tasks for which they are not yet ready to do. I finally had to leave my classroom and retire early. Now I volunteer in my grandson’s first grade classroom and cringe every time I see what the teacher has to do. She is testing every time I enter the room. I have not seen her sit with a small group of children and actually support them.”
“Rhyming, reading in kindergarten, recognizing numbers to 30, counting by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. SOME children can do these things. The problem is they want ALL children to reach the standards and children do not come ‘standard’. ”
“Rhyming, reading in kindergarten, recognizing numbers to 30, counting by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. SOME children can do these things. The problem is they want ALL children to reach the standards and children do not come ‘standard’. ”
“Very simply — much of the joy has been taken away from education for both children and the adults providing it.”