I, personally, never went to preschool. I attended kindergarten when I was 5 years old...and I loved it. I have a picture that my parents took of me and my younger sister on my first day of school. In my flowered dress and my green-and-purple backpack, I am ecstatically hugging my sister who is very upset to see me leave. I point this out so that people might know that when I discuss whether or not parents should send their children to pre-k and/or kindergarten, I may be slightly biased, having been to kindergarten but never having experienced preschool.
From what I understand, preschool is attended by children who are 3 and 4 years old. I remember hearing about my younger cousin, barely 3 years old, going to "school." Granted I am not really sure of what the children learn in preschool besides how to get along with others and maybe to communicate with and listen to others, I imagine that much of the time spent at preschool is very much like a group babysitting session. This, I suppose, is just fine if parents have busy work schedules. As far as education is concerned, however, I feel as though at the age of 2, 3, or 4 years, children should still be under the tutelage of their parents, or at least not mostly dependent on the teachers at preschool to teach them the alphabet or numbers.
From a student's perspective, it seems that parents should take into account that their child will potentially be in school for the next 17 years as they work their way through grade school and college. Once school begins, much of the learning experience happens away from home. They should take advantage of the short amount of time that they have their child fully under their influence and direction. My family-oriented personality may be showing a little here, but I believe that a child's parents should be one of the largest influences in that child's life and there is very little time to lay that groundwork.
Once a child reaches kindergarten, I would expect them to have a basic concept of letters and numbers, an introductory understanding of the importance of respect, and a general awareness of what goes on around them. In short, they have had the time to acquire a base knowledge from their parents. Kindergarten is a big step as students are no longer constantly under their parents supervision and hopefully they have developed enough of a desire to learn academically and socially. I don't think that this process should happen too early, before a child has the opportunity to better appreciate the nature of the world of education. Not to say that any child fully understands this at the age of 5 but I assume that conscious decision to attend school might be more prevalent in a 5-year-old than in a 3-year-old.
I have reached the point in my schooling where I must form my own education around what I plan to do in the future. It just so happens that I am eagerly hoping to have a career in elementary education. Currently, I am most interested in teaching the kindergarten-second grade age level. I have not yet learned about the benefits and drawbacks of education at such a young age; whether or not there is a mental or psychological difference between starting schooling with preschool or with kindergarten or whether or not either is really necessary. I am going purely off personal opinion, an opinion that has most likely been influenced by my parents and other people I know in the education field. I would assume that once I am an elementary school teacher, my answer to this question may vary significantly. But for know I believe that these first years of schooling, particularly kindergarten, are the most important in a child's development.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
The perfect weather conditions
It's hard to pinpoint exactly the best weather conditions simply because my preference depends of a wide range of variables such as my mood, what I'm doing, or what I would like to do. In a world of my own construction, where school or work or undesirable situations don't intrude on a person's well being, I would say that the temperature would be somewhere between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This is an ideal temperature for being outdoors, comfortable in a T-shirt and shorts, and yet not too cold for swimming. The sky would be a light shade of blue, the color of a deep and refreshing sigh, and it would be highlighted with the golden beams of the sun. The sun would dominate the sky, white-hot and penetrating every crevice it can reach. Fluffy white clouds, the kind that make parades of lazy shapes for picnickers, would appear intermittently in the sky to provide brief relief for sunbathers. I imagine that there would be a slight breeze swooshing through the trees every now and then. It would be a breeze that is just as warm as the air that it pleasantly circulates without whipping sand or flipping towels. The wind would carry the smell of fresh grass or beach salt, take your pick.
Of course, one must consider this situation to take place somewhere very green or wonderfully tropical. This would not be a pleasant day in a desert landscape and it would be terrible news in a typically frigid land such as Antarctica. This is a day that could potentially occur right here in Ithaca, or Florida...or the Bahamas...am I a dreamer or what! What has shaped my idea of the perfect day is probably the reflection of days that I have enjoyed the most; days of warm vacations on sunny beaches, summer fun with friends, and the last day of school to name a few.
Although this is my favorite kind of day, I think that the day that I have described here has been largely influenced by the wet snow and chilly weather that I have experienced over the past three months. I have a pretty good tolerance for heat so it's saying something when I start thinking 35 is warm! This is a day that I would like to have if I could have it all to myself, with no homework, no chores, nothing particularly strenuous to do...
And now let's jump back to reality.
Of course, one must consider this situation to take place somewhere very green or wonderfully tropical. This would not be a pleasant day in a desert landscape and it would be terrible news in a typically frigid land such as Antarctica. This is a day that could potentially occur right here in Ithaca, or Florida...or the Bahamas...am I a dreamer or what! What has shaped my idea of the perfect day is probably the reflection of days that I have enjoyed the most; days of warm vacations on sunny beaches, summer fun with friends, and the last day of school to name a few.
Although this is my favorite kind of day, I think that the day that I have described here has been largely influenced by the wet snow and chilly weather that I have experienced over the past three months. I have a pretty good tolerance for heat so it's saying something when I start thinking 35 is warm! This is a day that I would like to have if I could have it all to myself, with no homework, no chores, nothing particularly strenuous to do...
And now let's jump back to reality.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Are professional athletes overpaid?
Yesterday an extremely large number of Americans watched the biggest football event of the year: the Super Bowl XLV. This annual game gets a great many people involved in various ways. Whether a person watches as an active participant - yelling, cheering, commenting to the athletes through the television screen - or merely put up with the game in between the stream of million-dollar commercials, the evening of the Super Bowl is typically a night to eat food and gather with friends with the television blaring.
As big of an event as it is however, is it really logical that each player gets paid a million dollars (or some such amount) to play? For me personally, I know that I chose to participate in sports in high school either because I enjoyed the results of physical activity or simply because I liked the feeling of being a part of a team. In short, there was something fun about running or skiing or whatever it may be, which drew me to participating in the sport. Now I know that things are a little different on a professional level. However, I would assume that the majority of the players who have made a career of being a professional athlete got to that point because, as a child, they enjoyed the sport to which they have now dedicated their lives. So is it unreasonable of me to have the opinion that professional athletes (like football stars in this case) are being paid an incredible salary to have fun playing a game that they love?
Forgive me if my outlook is naive, I will readily admit that I know very little about football. I understand that training and living a football lifestyle may be a taxing job, albeit a very different and specific line of work. And since football is the player's life, it most certainly deserves to be a paid position - even a well-paid position! It just seems a bit unfair to have the role of quarterback be a million-dollar position when people who have jobs that require more knowledge and a wider range of skill are paid significantly less.
Granted, many people are sports fanatics and know every score of every game their particular team has played, I would not list professional athlete as a particularly useful occupation. It certainly provides some level of entertainment...at least for as long as the season lasts, but a game does not typically work to better the community of help advance and change the world in which we live. I would say that a doctor or teacher would have a more personal and lasting effect on the lives with which they interact and work to change for the better.
I have one final thought to support my opinion. As a dancer and member of a family that shows a relatively low interest in professional sports (with the slight exception of horse racing), I have grown up with the concept that "if dance were any easier, it would be football." And since dance rarely gets as much attention as an event such as the Super Bowl, I conclude that professional athletes, specifically football players, are indeed overpaid.
As big of an event as it is however, is it really logical that each player gets paid a million dollars (or some such amount) to play? For me personally, I know that I chose to participate in sports in high school either because I enjoyed the results of physical activity or simply because I liked the feeling of being a part of a team. In short, there was something fun about running or skiing or whatever it may be, which drew me to participating in the sport. Now I know that things are a little different on a professional level. However, I would assume that the majority of the players who have made a career of being a professional athlete got to that point because, as a child, they enjoyed the sport to which they have now dedicated their lives. So is it unreasonable of me to have the opinion that professional athletes (like football stars in this case) are being paid an incredible salary to have fun playing a game that they love?
Forgive me if my outlook is naive, I will readily admit that I know very little about football. I understand that training and living a football lifestyle may be a taxing job, albeit a very different and specific line of work. And since football is the player's life, it most certainly deserves to be a paid position - even a well-paid position! It just seems a bit unfair to have the role of quarterback be a million-dollar position when people who have jobs that require more knowledge and a wider range of skill are paid significantly less.
Granted, many people are sports fanatics and know every score of every game their particular team has played, I would not list professional athlete as a particularly useful occupation. It certainly provides some level of entertainment...at least for as long as the season lasts, but a game does not typically work to better the community of help advance and change the world in which we live. I would say that a doctor or teacher would have a more personal and lasting effect on the lives with which they interact and work to change for the better.
I have one final thought to support my opinion. As a dancer and member of a family that shows a relatively low interest in professional sports (with the slight exception of horse racing), I have grown up with the concept that "if dance were any easier, it would be football." And since dance rarely gets as much attention as an event such as the Super Bowl, I conclude that professional athletes, specifically football players, are indeed overpaid.
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