A Slow Learning Movement: Growing a Garden of Readers and Writers

(for the non-Kindergarten teacher, it says "Ms. Marshall: Rainbow)

(Happy Birthday)

This learner of mine came into Kindergarten shy, nervous, and afraid to make any mistakes. So afraid she was almost paralyzed, so scared she wasn't good enough. But, giving her (and her classmates) time, encouragement, and some small group instruction to boost her own confidence, she began writing on her own. 

Remember the "Slow Food" movement a few years ago? This idea that too much in our life is about instant gratification, and in order to truly appreciate our food, we need to step back, slow down, and really appreciate the process of preparing our meals? It was a garden to table movement- and really broke down the food chain for the pedestrian foodie. It is with that thought in mind that I propose this: I think we need a "Slow Learning" movement. One where our children are allowed to learn at their own pace. One that acknowledges that development is a continuum? That acknowledges that we will all get there. It isn't fast food, but a garden of growing. It's full of life, and life happens in different planes for different people.

As a Kindergarten teacher, I have students coming into school in September on so many levels. Some don't recognize their name in print while others are reading. Sometimes, especially as a parent, we might think, "I need to get these kids caught up!" Or, for the ones who are already reading and writing, "How can I get these kids to do more and be more?" But what if... what if there really wasn't such a thing as "catching up" of "doing more and being more"? What if everyone was where they needed to be, and we could take them from where they are and allow them to bloom and blossom at their own rate?

One thing we in education are really good at saying is that we want to give children a time to grow and develop at their own pace, but one thing (I believe) we aren't always great at doing is giving children time to develop and grow at their own pace. When the talk is all about developmentally appropriate practice, but the standards (or expectations, or interpretations of the standards) are set in such a way that we feel we must push kids, guess which sentiment seems to win?

But what if... what if we start to push this idea of slow learning? What if we embrace the idea that we can give children time? What if we truly trusted the process of learning and development? What if we embraced the idea that children really don't need to be reading or writing at a certain level by the end of Kindergarten? 

I do believe, in my very heart of hearts, that if we give our Kindergarten learners a literacy rich environment, if we give them multi-sensory experiences in their daily lives, if we expose them to the ideas of learning, of reading and writing, if we encourage them to try and experiment without expectations of mastery, then they truly would have that chance to blossom at their own pace. I am not saying give no instruction, nor am I saying that children don't need direct instruction. What I am saying is, what if we step back from the urgency of achievement, to the more relaxed cultivation of young learners? What if we took off the mantle of success and replaced it with something that actually does give them room to grow?

Science tells us the average age of children learning to read is 7. If that is true (and it is), then why are we putting that yoke of achievement on children who are 5? We know that pushing early doesn't mean that they will get it early, but rather the opposite. And we might actually be harming them in the process. 

I am proposing this. Let's get that Slow Learning Movement started. Let's allow all of the flowers in our Kindergarten to grow and bloom when it is their time! Let's step back from the hustle and bustle of reading records and assessments and let's truly look at the growth we see in our learners. Let's ease up on the expectations and let them breath on their own. Let's trust the process we say we believe in.

This article by Bored Teachers is a nice synopsis of some of this information and it references studies: Learning to Read Too Early Might Be Counterproductive.