There is a constant pressure to push the chilrdren to the next level to have them do bigger and better things. We teach this “work untill you drop” mentality to our children who either simply give up or become burnt out. People truly believe “more is more” and we constantly desire and pursue more in all areas of our lives. Currently we believe “more” is the answer to all of our education problems; everything can be solved with MORE classes, longer days, MORE homework, MORE assignments, MORE pressure, MORE after school tutoring, and of course MORE testing! All this is doing is creating MORE burnt out teachers, MORE stressed out students and MORE frustration.Fortunately, we at the Junior Study believe that LESS IS MORE.
First of all, kids should start school when they are actually developmentally ready to learn and focus. At the age of 2-3 we cannot expect children to sit at their chair and just listen all day. They need to play. And trust us, play is an essential part of early learning. As children play, they develop their cognitive, socio-emotional and physical skills. They develop their curiosity, problem solving, flexibility, and verbal and non-verbal skills. Their fine motor and gross motor skills are being practiced and developed. It is not “just play”, they are skills for life.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the children need enough sleep. If they do not sleep enough, no learning can happen. Both students and teachers should be well rested and ready to teach/learn. Please see page 16 in our school diary for more information.
Teachers need to figure out the individual instructional needs and learning styles of each and every student. Teachers need to know where each of their students have been and where they are going. They track the kids’ progress and have a personal interest in seeing the kids succeed and reach their goals. This can only happen when the classroom size is small and the teachers can pay better attention to each child. Fewer students = more individual attention. This is obvious.
Children need breaks. Everyone needs a break every now and then. There are several neurological advantages for these breaks. Also, studies support the need for children to be physically active in order to learn. Stagnation of the body leads to stagnation of the brain and unfocused, “hyper” children.
What about the constant need for testing? Why do parents insist on testing and assessing the kids all the time? Imagine all of the exciting things that could be done with the students if there wasn’t a giant test looming over teachers’ and parents’ head. Imagine how much more fun and engaging your lessons would be! That is exactly what we want to avoid at The Junior Study school: unnecessary testing just for the sake of doing it.
Why do we push our kids to learn so much so quickly? No wonder they are stressed out! No wonder they give up! Teachers need to take their time. They need to look deeper into the topic and not panic if they are a little behind, or don’t cover every topic in the existence a single year.It is best when the students get the work done in class, and teachers feel that what the students are able to do in school is enough. Again, there is not pressure to have them do more than what is necessary for them to learn a skill.
Less IS more. We believe it. We live by it.