Preschool Education

I was wondering whether anyone of you has any views on this?

I read the Straits Times a couple of days back and came across an article in the forum saying that "Parents do not wish to have Graduates as Teachers in Preschool" and this is for fear that there will be rising cost for preschools.

In my personal opinion, I think this is utter rubbish. I have taught in a childcare center before as an assistant teacher and these children are like sponges! They learn really fast! And there are so many reports out there stating that the most important developmental stage for children is from ages 0-12! And preschool in Singapore takes up 6 years which is HALF of that important developmental stage. So which part of Preschool Education is important do you not understand?

I think it's saddening that parents were to regard their finances as higher priority than their children's education. In my opinion, if you can't afford it, please don't have children. If you want to being them to this earth, give them a life worth living, provide them well, an education is the LEAST you could do.

The reason I stress on education is not on academics, mind you, there is a Chinese saying that "One determines his character at 3 (age)" So the preschool education is not about learning the ABCs nor the 123s.

It's more about taking care of themselves properly when they learn to wash their own hands, brush their teeth, take care of their hygiene and appearance. It's also about interacting with other children, social skills, interpersonal relationships, balancing relationships with friends, with teachers, with helpers in the school. It's also about personal growth, the character development, how they behave when they can't have that toy they want, how to share, how to sell/bargain for that toy. It is also about time maanagement, there is a time for learning, a time for play, a time for sharing, a time to eat and a time to rest.... there is soooo much for a kid to grasp during those important 6 years of their lives. And they learn even faster through role modelling... the people they grow up with, how they behave, how they talk, how they carry themselves. You will be so surprised how your child mimics you.... and with parents having to go to work, most of them have to ferry their kids to childcare centers and the children spent their entire daytime with teachers. So should these teachers be of good quality teachers?

Before you start having that impression of me thinking that non-graduates are of low quality, please kindly hold that thought. Not all graduates are good, I must confess. But at least, they do have a certain level of intelligence and hopefully, they are smart enough to develop a good character. I know there are alot of good teachers out there who are not graduates. So maybe the criteria of hiring preschool teachers should not be solely based on education qualifications. I think the most important criteria for a preschool teacher is one who has alot of love and passion for the good of children. But how do you measure how much love or passion that someone has for children?

With good children then we will have good people when they grow up and the world will somehow be a better place to be in... but it is a vicious cycle, when do we get good kids? Or should I say, when should we start giving good and proper education to the next generation so that they can possess those good values when they grow up? As for me, I say it's about time NOW.