I’m the first to admit that I see absolutely no merit in “pre-K”—or even kindergarten—for most kids. I certainly wasn’t scarred by the lack of them, and I definitely wasn’t behind in anything when I started first grade at the tender age of 5. I tend to think that pre-K and kindergarten are largely state-sponsored daycare programs.
This article made me sick—demanding that 3- and 4-year-olds handle a full day of “serious” classes?
Time may be up for naps in pre-K class
Educators under pressure to make school more rigorous
“Nap time needs to go away,” Prince George’s County schools chief André J. Hornsby said during a recent meeting with Maryland legislators. “We need to get rid of all the baby school stuff they used to do.”
Hornsby wants to convert his pre-kindergarten classes into a full-day program. If he secures the funding to begin that next fall, there will be no mats or cots allowed, he said. In Anne Arundel County, where full-day pre-kindergarten is in place, Superintendent Eric J. Smith also has opted not to build nap time into the schedule.
…
Seabrook Principal Marvel Smith is more supportive of Hornsby’s move to eliminate naps. “They can’t be babied,” she said. “These are young minds. We have to take advantage of this early stage when they grasp everything.”
