Excerpt from Reports on Children Under Five Years of Age: In Public Elementary Schools by Women Inspectors of the Board of Education
It has always been claimed that the children admitted later are less easy to discipline. Even this seems doubtful, for these children very soon fall into the order Of the school. 7
Some of the inspectors comment upon the rigidity Of the disci pline in many Of the schools. It is pointed out that if they lived their natural life these little mites would not be sitting for an hour on end and for the greater part Of the day. The undue size Of the classes makes greater freedom very difficult, and smaller schools are Often found to be better in this respect than large Ones. The child in the large class is drilled to a listless quiet under the order Sit still while teacher talks.
It will be generally agreed that the evidence is very strong against attempts at formal instruction for any children under five. Where the same Inspector visited schools in certain towns in South Wales, and in London, she found that in the former there was a much freer curriculum, and she had no hesitation in saying that there was a marked difference in the alertness of the children. Going from London she was very agreeably surprised to find the superiority Of a more elastic programme.
There is little doubt in the minds of all these Inspectors that these little children should have no formal instruction in the three R’s, but plenty Of Opportunities for free expression they must learn to talk before they learn to read to understand before they learn number by heart and to use arms and fingers freely and boldly before they hold pen or pencil to trace letters. Needlework is bad for little eyes and cramps little fingers.
Further, although Kindergarten teachers are praised, so-called Kindergarten occupations are condemned as being contrary to the Spirit Of Froebel when taught mechanically to large classes. They are Often, says one Inspector, distinguished by absence Of occupation, for the children do a line or a stitch or add a brick by word of command, and then sit still for five minutes while the teacher goes round the class to ensure perfect accuracy; mean while all interest is killed in the child who may only touch his material to order.
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