Reflection #3: Chapter 2

 PROMPTS:

1. What information surprised you or was new to you in this chapter? Hows does this information connect to info in the main course text?

2. What information do you agree with and why? What info do you disagree with and why?

3. Describe an experience you have had that relates to the information in this reading.

4. How can you use this information in your personal or work/school life?

5. Rate this chapter on a scale of 1 to 5 and explain your rating (1 = low and 5 = high).

Chapter 2:The Earlier the Better?

Nothing in this chapter particularly surprised me because I have experienced similar frustration with the pressures of parental competition. When my children were very small, I lived in proximity to a very affluent suburb. The number of activities that some children were enrolled in there absolutely baffled me. I found myself sometimes wondering if I was short-changing my kindergarten son by only allowing him to enroll in after-school soccer and violin lessons. Many of his peers were in after-school activities every single day, sometimes multiple ones on the same day. Social pressure was high, but my instinct told me that a six-year-old child needed balance between structured activities and time to play freely. 

The only connection I really saw to the main text and videos from this week was the tendency of parents to succumb to social pressures against their own judgement both in pushing their children too early academically and accepting institutionalized childbirth practices that may at times be unnatural and even harmful. However, there were many connections to the earlier chapters of the main text. Chapter 2 addresses the perils of pushing children to succeed academically before it is developmentally appropriate to do so (Pica, 2015). This assertion is in line with Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, which asserts that "through guided participation known as scaffolding, with a teacher or capable peer, a child can learn cognitive skills within a certain range known as the zone of proximal development" (Paris, Ricardo, & Rymond, 2019, p. 47). 

I agree that children are being pushed too hard to achieve academic and athletic excellence prematurely. As stated in Chapter 2, there is no difference noted in overall academic and athletic achievement between those children who started pursuing academics early and those who instead focused on play (Pica, 2015, p. 12). I also agree that pressuring children to learn materials that they are not yet prepared to tackle can in fact be harmful to them, as they may become discouraged, frustrated, and disinterested. I do, however, think that it is acceptable to present higher material to children who appear ready for it as long as the presentation places no demands on the child. Children all grow and develop at their own pace, and while a child should not be pushed to achieve early, he or she likewise should not be hindered from progressing ahead of the others if that is where he or she feels naturally inclined to go. Advanced children who are not presented with adequate challenges may also lose interest due to boredom. Therefore, I believe that differentiation is key to meeting all children where they are academically and physically. 

I was an advanced reader as a child. In second grade, I remember getting in trouble frequently for not reading along, but I remember that I was bored with the material. I would read the page quickly and then become agitated as I waited for the rest of the class to slowly read it together. When I reached fourth grade, my teacher recognized my issue. She had been reading us a chapter a day from A Wrinkle in Time, and I did not want to wait to hear the rest of the story. I checked it out from the library and read the entire book in one night. Instead of making me sit through her reading sessions, she would give me books to read that she thought would interest me, and she let me read that silently at my desk while she read to the class. I discovered my love of reading that year. When my younger sister entered elementary school, great expectations were placed upon her. My parents would become frustrated with her because she was not academically achieving at the same level that my older sister and I had. She became sullen and rebelled against academics, barely progressing to the next grade each year. As an adult, her reading and writing skills are on par with my own, but she is the only one of us who never finished college. I believe that had she been allowed to develop at her own pace without shame and excessive pressure, she would have reached greater academic achievement. 

As a parent, I often find myself wanting to push my children for better grades. I have had to practice restraint and remember that in the end, they will both be fine. I have always told my children that as long as they do their best, their grades are irrelevant. I have been known to tell my teenager, "In this family, we don't do things half-assed. We use the entire ass."

I would rate this chapter a 5. I think this information is very important, particularly given the current conditions in the country and state. Right now, many children are drifting further apart academically and socially due to distance learning and their various levels of access to the technology and household support necessary for success. It is a good time to stop focusing on testing and instead focus on socioemotional wellbeing as well as reflect on the fact that in the long run, they will all end up where they are supposed to be. 

References

Paris, J. Ricardo, A., & Rymond, D. (2019). Understanding the whole child: Prenatal development through adolescence. Open Educational Resource Publication by College of the Canyons. 

Pica, R. (2015). What if everybody understood child development? Corwin.