Teacher Tom: What the White House Should Know About PreschoolWhat the White House Should Know About Preschool
The current administration is proposing universal free preschool in the US. People keep asking me what I think about it. I support publicly funded early childhood education, but frankly, I'm worried. In my lifetime, policymakers and elected representatives, no matter where they stand on the political spectrum, have always been wrong about education. Sadly, it appears to be one of our only true bipartisan issues: to be wrong about what our children need. I'm worried because history tells us that they will not listen to educators. I'm worried because they will say they want children to grow up to be successful, without having any idea what that means. I'm worried because they will listen to deep-pocket corporate education "reformers" who are more interested in a greasy buck than the future of young children. I'm worried that the current regime of academic testing and grading and ranking and judging will be foisted upon our youngest citizens.
Back in the 80's I held the position of communications manager at the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce where I kept my hair short (even sporting a flat top for a time) and wore suits with large shoulders and lots of extra fabric. About a year or so into the job, my assistant manager found a CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: What the White House Should Know About Preschool
