Originally Posted by twinzplus3
You are set up a lot differently than we are--at least that's my understanding. As far as early elementary goes, the United States holds it's own in terms of testing until high school. So saying that we're slower isn't exactly fair. As I understand it, English teachers don't have to contend with the type of conditions we have here in many of our schools.
There is research that supports learning to read later. . .and the point of not teaching reading and writing but instead providing a rich learning environment doesn't = babysitting. If you are deliberate in not teaching a child to read but instead teaching other things like science and social studies etc. your child can do equally as well. I'm not suggesting that K teachers here do that. . .I just want to point out that it's an option and doesn't = a slow education.
It is slower in the fact that it takes the full mandatory education longer to be completed than here, in the UK at the moment around 60% of people don't carry on their formal education after the age of 15/16. Here if we do not get a certain number of passes we recieve ofsted inspections and the school is put on emergency measures and those teachers with low pass rates are sacked, I must admit I don't know what the pass rate must be for this action as it has never happened in my school. Here there is testing every year apart from the first year of school and some Primary school exams are needed for certain secondary schools e.g sats and alot of school require entry exams(grammar schools and college/sixthforms).
The British school system is very competitive, parents have been known to live in hotels for a short while so they can supply a living address in a certain schools catchment area whilst other parents have been known to bribe schools with money or to claim disability for their child to go to a certain school and this is very common.
Here not teaching basic tools such as reading and writing is baby sitting and the teacher would be struck off and no longer be able to be a teacher or even be a substitute teacher. For example if one of my students either was late or did not hand in coursework, I could face a written warning by my education authority after so many you get a review deciding whether or not you are allowed to carry on teaching without taking training courses.
Very differently, I'm sure I will get this explanation all around my neck.
Here you can start nursey at 3(optional)
Primary school starts at 4/5 until 11(mandatory)offical exams are taken twice and yearly exams
Secondary school starts at 12 until 15/16 ( mandatory)official exams twice and yearly exams one set GCSE's are needed to enter college
College/sixthform is 16-18(what americans do 18-21, this is optional)where you take 3/4 subjects and the grades aquired are for entrance requirements for university.
University 18-20/21(optional, what for americans would be law school medical school, grad school)
Yearly exams are submitted to the local education authority to see how the school is doing
That's the very nature of a five year old is it not? But I have to wonder if that's the best course of learning for them at that age. I guess in my mind the issue is two fold: what sh ould k teachers be doing now (and the answer is they have to teach reading and writing as is appropriate) and b) what should our educational system look like to produce the best educated. . .that answer I think is to provide richer experinces rather than to push reading and writing. (And yes, I know you're not pushy.. .I hope I'm making sense. .. because honestly, I think you're probably a wonderful teacher!!! )
That's not your fault and I appreciate your comments. . .but our system is set up so differently I feel it's like comparing apples and oranges. We can agree to disagree on the reading and writing thing--I think most people would disagree with me. It's not a real popular theory and it flies in the face of where American education is going. But the British system and the American system are so different it's like comparing apples & oranges. Mandatory education here is at least until 16 and in some states 18. This means that you're not educating an academic elite in high school but rather you're still educating the masses. While European countries 'weed out' less academically fit students. . .we still commit to educate them. I think there is a lot to be said for both systems honestly.
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