Preschoolers Sense That More Attention is Paid to Middle-Class Kids

As a high school teacher, I find some of this troubling. First of all, no I do not know the class or economic situation of most of my students, unless I am made aware of a particular situation (rarely), such as a student who cannot afford the basic supplies the class requires or who has had to miss school to attend hearings or other proceedings involving custody or benefits. In such cases, I keep the matter confidential while trying to help the student in any way I can without giving him/her any kind of unfair advantage or disadvantage.
I do, however, respond to students' behavior, and that is as it should be. Yes, students are rewarded for asking questions or making requests appropriately as opposed to inappropriately, and in a class of 34 students, it is very difficult to anticipate the needs of those who do not speak up at all. One of the disciplinary strategies we are taught as educators is to respond to minor misbehaviors or inappropriateness by ignoring it, thus "extinguishing" the behavior, while praising and responding to appropriate behavior.

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Here’s an extreme idea: Teachers could be allowed as professionals to set clear, consistent, and fair guidelines concerning classroom etiquettes. This would include teaching and modeling for children the inappropriate action of interrupting others while they are speaking, as well as the self indulging and disrespectful act of over-talking without including the reciprocal courtesy of listening. Dare I suggest such blasphemy!? Again, this thought is ultra extreme, but perhaps as children continue learning this uncommon, yet classy well-mannered art of general group interaction, a miraculous trend might begin to flourish in this country. Imagine this: Children and adults accepting the blatantly unabashed revelation that they actually do live in a world WITH others. I can envision a T- Shirt being designed to include the phrase, “It ain’t always about you—stop interrupting ME!” …..uh, oops, now wait a minute there—did I just create a paradoxical T-shirt? Well, there went my dream—guess I’ll have to move out of the country too. Hmmm, a place where everyone is equal. Does East Berlin still exist?

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First of all, I hate that "middle class" is referred to as though they are elite and not also "working class", and that low income is now the "working class". (Sometimes low income is low because the person(s) are choosing to not work!) Children learn their social skills mostly from families. If they learn to be appropriate with adults and interact well, they will get positive attention. If they they are taught that education is not important and they aren't taught decent manners in regards to authority figures and learn decent social skills, then they will quickly be regarded as a problem in the classroom. There have always been too many children in classrooms for teachers to be able to individualize each and every one all the time. If you are teaching 30 kids, who wouldn't appreciate those who can be respecful and pay attention? Plus, the focus on "preschool" is over the top. Many of these children are simply still too young to be interacting in a mature way and many, by their very age and level of develoment, are still quite toddler- like in their behaviors! People need to spend more time with their own children teaching the basics, not putting them in the hands of others to raise and teach from age 2! Preschool was born out of the growing trend to use full time daycare years ago. Developmentally, children under 5 should be spending most of their time with parents and developing the foundation of attachment and sensory development.

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As a teacher, I can tell you this article is a more political propaganda from the left masquerading as "research." The fact is that schools and teachers are tying themselves in knots to close the "achievement gap" which exists, quite frankly, because education is not a priority within the welfare matriarchal poverty culture of the inner cities and the rural ghettos. No hard feelings, I am just telling you its not a priority within that particular culture. However, these people would like to attain what others, who have made the sacrifices, have. Therefore you hear the cries of racism, etc....etc....Real research has shown what groups do HW with their kids each evening, which spend the least time w/ TV, which have hundreds of cd's/ DVD's but no books. Guess who the winners are? Asians, followed by whites . So buy some baby books folks, inculcate reading in your kids, for starters.

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This article is a smelly load of leftist political crap. The black inner city kids, lets be real, don't have an interest in academics. They get this from their parents. Black suburban kids are just like white kids. Asians tend to outperform both of them. Its the priorities, stupid! YOU CAN'T FOOL A TEACHER WITH THIS GARBAGE!

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Having taught in public schools for the past 23 years, I can conclude that there are all sorts of personalities and learning styles that require more or less time than others in all different socioeconomic levels. That's right, some kids from wealthy families require more attention and some don't, some kids from middle income families require more attention and some don't, and some kids from lower income families require more attention and some don't. It's irresponsible to label an entire group of kids as receiving more attention than another. We see all kinds in all kinds of folks, regardless of race or socioeconomic status. Perhaps indicating exact data/numbers -- how many were observed, how many fell into categories, etc. -- would be more accurate to report rather than the simplified conclusions stated in the article.

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At Kinderstand, we strongly believe education is not a mechanical process of imprinting knowledge in the child’s mind. It needs to be fun. The kids must enjoy it. And so, the entire learning process must aim at providing a simple and joyous way for acquiring a ceaseless appetite for learning. That’s what we do. We prepare the child for an easy and confident transition into the formal schooling environment, by enabling them to learn the art of understanding, on their own.

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