Importance of Preschool Education
POV: Teacher
Audience: Policymaker/Legislator
“Education is the great engine to personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine that the child of a farm worker can become the president of a great nation.” These words spoken by Nelson Mandela stress the importance of personal education in a child’s life. Many do not realize the importance preschool education has on children. As a teacher, I see great development in children as they transition from preschool to kindergarten to grade school. Those who do not attend preschool tend to fall behind children who do. I believe that universal preschool should become a priority due to the fact that it builds the foundation of children’s social and academic skills.
Although many believe in the essential need for universal preschool, others think otherwise. Some believe that universal preschool is completely unnecessary and should not be a priority among society. Some consider it as an education that can be taught by parents themselves and as an unnecessary reason to be taxed. That is a false statement because the taxes create a better future for everyone by enhancing children’s knowledge and education. Parents do have the ability to teach their children, however preschool education provides children with qualified teachers who meet the credentials in teaching. Many parents also work during the day and do not have the adequate amount of time needed to educate their children (“Importance”). Being able to attend universal preschool for free gives many children the opportunity to receive the education and skills that they need.
Children at a young age do not experience many skills because they are not yet fully exposed to other people on their own. Some believe that children can develop these skills simply by setting up play dates without the need for preschool. Although this may seem like a better and cheaper alternative, it is not. The complications with setting up time for a play date, chaperones, and availability all add up to a more complicated situation. Through preschool, children have the opportunity to meet peers their own age, which latently builds their personality. This is when communication comes into play because in our society communication is important. Children can then begin to learn how to effectively communicate with others by associating with their peers (“Importance”). Along with peers, children become exposed to adults. The teacher’s purpose is to not only increase the child’s personal growth, but also serve as a great role model. This allows children to learn how to act in a respectful manner and become more disciplined. Understanding authority at a young age helps children in later years to understand the correct way to act among different kinds of people.
An important quality before entering into kindergarten involves learning early academic skills. Many parents believe that their children do not need to intensely learn basic academic skills until a year before grade school, in other words kindergarten (“Why”). Until then, parents believe that it is their responsibility to teach their children the basic academic skills. In preschool many children learn the alphabet, which is necessary before grade school. Learning the alphabet, the sounds of the letters, and being able to create them into words cannot be a one year process in kindergarten. Children at this stage have not yet been exposed to any kind of education, so teaching them the early literacy skills takes time (“Why”). Along with the alphabet, children also must learn the numbers. Children must learn how to count in order to solve math problems in later years. They do have the ability to learn both the alphabet and numbers at the same time, however, at a slower pace. Teaching these subjects all at once to kindergartners would be unsuccessful because they become overwhelmed, which delays their academic progress.
I am a firm believer in universal preschool. Preschool builds a strong foundation and marks the beginning of personal growth. Children need this before entering into kindergarten so that they may have a head start in achieving greater academic progress. Children nowadays enter into kindergarten whether or not they previously attended preschool. This leads to a tune of children with different levels of academic and social skills. When this occurs, these skills will have to be taught to those who were not able to experience them in preschool, while others have their education progress hindered by waiting for those children to catch up. Preschool gives the chance for children to have the equivalent growth and the foundation that they need before experiencing kindergarten and grade school. The ability to become a doctor, lawyer, head of a company, or anything a child desires all begins with the basic education of preschool.
Works Cited
"The Importance of Preschool Learning." Get Paid to Write Articles. Web. 03 Mar. 2012. <http://expertscolumn.com/content/importance-preschool-learning>.
"Why Preschool Matters." Parents Magazine. Web. 03 Mar. 2012. <http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/starting-preschool/curriculum/why-preschool-matters/>.
Audience: Policymaker/Legislator
“Education is the great engine to personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine that the child of a farm worker can become the president of a great nation.” These words spoken by Nelson Mandela stress the importance of personal education in a child’s life. Many do not realize the importance preschool education has on children. As a teacher, I see great development in children as they transition from preschool to kindergarten to grade school. Those who do not attend preschool tend to fall behind children who do. I believe that universal preschool should become a priority due to the fact that it builds the foundation of children’s social and academic skills.
Although many believe in the essential need for universal preschool, others think otherwise. Some believe that universal preschool is completely unnecessary and should not be a priority among society. Some consider it as an education that can be taught by parents themselves and as an unnecessary reason to be taxed. That is a false statement because the taxes create a better future for everyone by enhancing children’s knowledge and education. Parents do have the ability to teach their children, however preschool education provides children with qualified teachers who meet the credentials in teaching. Many parents also work during the day and do not have the adequate amount of time needed to educate their children (“Importance”). Being able to attend universal preschool for free gives many children the opportunity to receive the education and skills that they need.
Children at a young age do not experience many skills because they are not yet fully exposed to other people on their own. Some believe that children can develop these skills simply by setting up play dates without the need for preschool. Although this may seem like a better and cheaper alternative, it is not. The complications with setting up time for a play date, chaperones, and availability all add up to a more complicated situation. Through preschool, children have the opportunity to meet peers their own age, which latently builds their personality. This is when communication comes into play because in our society communication is important. Children can then begin to learn how to effectively communicate with others by associating with their peers (“Importance”). Along with peers, children become exposed to adults. The teacher’s purpose is to not only increase the child’s personal growth, but also serve as a great role model. This allows children to learn how to act in a respectful manner and become more disciplined. Understanding authority at a young age helps children in later years to understand the correct way to act among different kinds of people.
An important quality before entering into kindergarten involves learning early academic skills. Many parents believe that their children do not need to intensely learn basic academic skills until a year before grade school, in other words kindergarten (“Why”). Until then, parents believe that it is their responsibility to teach their children the basic academic skills. In preschool many children learn the alphabet, which is necessary before grade school. Learning the alphabet, the sounds of the letters, and being able to create them into words cannot be a one year process in kindergarten. Children at this stage have not yet been exposed to any kind of education, so teaching them the early literacy skills takes time (“Why”). Along with the alphabet, children also must learn the numbers. Children must learn how to count in order to solve math problems in later years. They do have the ability to learn both the alphabet and numbers at the same time, however, at a slower pace. Teaching these subjects all at once to kindergartners would be unsuccessful because they become overwhelmed, which delays their academic progress.
I am a firm believer in universal preschool. Preschool builds a strong foundation and marks the beginning of personal growth. Children need this before entering into kindergarten so that they may have a head start in achieving greater academic progress. Children nowadays enter into kindergarten whether or not they previously attended preschool. This leads to a tune of children with different levels of academic and social skills. When this occurs, these skills will have to be taught to those who were not able to experience them in preschool, while others have their education progress hindered by waiting for those children to catch up. Preschool gives the chance for children to have the equivalent growth and the foundation that they need before experiencing kindergarten and grade school. The ability to become a doctor, lawyer, head of a company, or anything a child desires all begins with the basic education of preschool.
Works Cited
"The Importance of Preschool Learning." Get Paid to Write Articles. Web. 03 Mar. 2012. <http://expertscolumn.com/content/importance-preschool-learning>.
"Why Preschool Matters." Parents Magazine. Web. 03 Mar. 2012. <http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/starting-preschool/curriculum/why-preschool-matters/>.