Editorial

First Period – Journal Writing

Second Period – Art History

Third Period – Science

Fourth Period – Language Arts

Fifth Period – Math

Lunch/Recess – 25 minutes

Sixth Period – Reading

Seventh Period - Probability/Statistics

Who would you guess this schedule is for? A high school student? Maybe a middle schooler? Try a kindergarten student. That's right, it's a schedule for a five-year old.

More and more, schools across the country are cutting down on playtime to instill a more academic atmosphere in their kindergarten classrooms. In New York, kindergarten students are learning conversational Spanish and writing in journals. In North Carolina, kindergarten students are running conferences with their parents. And in California, five-year-olds learn basic probability and statistics.

It is beneficial to introduce students to academics at an early age when they can absorb information like a sponge, but what is the cost of this push for academics?

Whatever happened to finger painting and Red Rover? What about make-believe house and school? These kinds of creative outlets are being left at the wayside while more academics are introduced. Some kids are only getting a 25-minute recess in a seven-hour day. What kindergarten student effectively can handle the kind of attention span required for that kind of day?

The answer is none.

People talk about how quickly children grow up in today's society, and with this kind of educational system in the works, they will be pushed to grow up even quicker. Kindergarten needs to be fun mixed with education. Students need to learn social skills such as sharing and not invading others' personal space before they learn art history.

A balance must be found between teaching students academics and fostering creativity that will help them just as much in the future. Educators need to keep in mind that while it is good to start kids off early, it is important to remember they are only five. At the rate some schools are going, students will be burned out by the time they are 10.

Levie may help Alexander, Federal Hocking

It is election time again, and everyone is asking for more money to help a cause, but two local school districts are in desperate need of what they are asking. Alexander Local School District and Federal Hocking Local School District both are proposing levies that could help elevate them from the poorest districts in Ohio.

In areas like Athens County, it is difficult to get the tax revenue that metropolitan areas receive. In areas like Columbus, more and bigger businesses are established that can help with the tax revenue. Also, property taxes tend to be higher. While people may be leery about giving away their hard-earned money, it is important to understand what they give will only help them in the end. Money helping the educational system eventually will help the community, too. With better-educated students and better-rated schools, the community has the opportunity to improve as well.

The state also has the obligation to aid these schools to make sure they are getting the money they deserve. Educational funding must be distributed fairly to all schools in all areas to ensure that every student is getting the opportunity at a decent education.

Voting yes on Alexander School District's Issue 18 and Federal Hocking Local School District's Issue 19 will start the process of helping every child across the state get an education to help his or her future.