The other day I was reading this article about half-day vs. full-day kindergarten in my 'hood. Of course, the complete essence of an internet news piece cannot be fully derived without reading the accompanying feedback posted by individuals that are seemingly devoid of reading comprehension skills. So, I scrolled down to the comments section to take a peek. And there it was:
"While I am sure full-day kindergarten is a good idea in some respects, I don't think the children are short-changed in any way with half day. I wonder if this is more about convenience for working parents?"
Oh no she didn't!
Someone else decided to weigh in on the matter:
"I have to agree with you that full day kindergarten is probably more of a convenience for working parents. I am not a parent and don't speak for working parents, but I am dating one, so I see how his experiences are. It's better to put them in an all day school than worry about school AND finding a daycare that transports. That's my piece on the topic."
Really?
The article is supposed to be about the education of children, not about what the childrens' parents do for a living. Of course, people are all too ready to jump to meaningless conclusions about the "real" reasons behind various issues, although in this case I have to give these commenters credit for not using the term "Working Mothers," which really tans my hide. ALL mothers work and ALL fathers work, some just don't get paid for what they do. I have worked outside the home (for pay!) since my children were born, but of course I have done my fair share of "volunteer labor" also. I dare say all of the following constitute WORK:
* changing diapers and clothes
* cleaning up a child's mess, only to have the child make another mess 10 minutes later
* cooking healthy meals that your child will actually eat
* taking care of a sick child (diarrhea and vomit earn extra points)
* keeping a child entertained without electronic devices
* trying to figure out why the hell your kid won't stop crying
* reading the same story and/or listening to the same song 700 times in one day
* etc. etc. etc........
For the record, both of my kids went to private full-day kindergarten. Logistical issues (read: childcare-related) did play a role in the decision, but I would be in favor of full-day kindergarten regardless of my "work" situation. To me, half-day kindergarten is a kind of ancient relic dating back to the days when kindergarten might have been a child's first experience away from home for a sustained period of time. These days, many kids under the age of 5 are in preschool, daycare, play groups and other organized forms of social and educational activity, usually on a regular basis. Due to this trend, most children already know their ABCs, 123s, colors, shapes and even how to read basic words or do simple math problems long before darkening the door of a kindergarten classroom. Children are now expected to know how to read before leaving kindergarten. Teaching someone to read is not a quick task, so a longer school day is probably more useful to the teacher and the child.
I guess since I am a "working parent," I have a subconscious reason to favor dumping my kids in full-time school while I shirk my parenting responsibilities at my place of employment. Sorry, but that's crap. People need to stop trying to find hidden agendas behind an issue and stay on topic. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some volunteer work to complete in the kitchen!
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