SOLSC #15 Is it fair to compare?

During the month of March, I am participating in
the Slice of Life Story Challenge.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day for thirty-one days. My slices will be primarily about teaching preschoolers.

Check out the Two Writing Teachers website for many more reflections on teaching.

Is it fair to compare a 30 minute visit to a classroom of 4 and 5 year olds (Pre-K) to my years of experience with 3 and 4 year olds (preschool)? I had the delight of doing a peer observation in a Pre-K class, and was blown away by the difference from my day in/day out. Here's what struck me:

• Most children stayed in one place, working at one activity. Children had the freedom to move around, freedom to choose a new activity. But, they were very focused and engaged in their play, enjoying what they were exploring, and there was very little movement in the room. 

Three year old children are all over the place, moving about all day, starting something in one place, doing something else for a bit, returning to the first place, moving on again.

• No one was playing on the floor. Maybe it was just the day, but the large carpet area where blocks were available remained empty while children chose to do a wide variety of table top activities. 

In my classroom, it feels as if half the children are on the floor all the time - there are markers, Magna Tiles, and other toys to retrieve, there are roads to be built, there are animal homes to create - three year olds love being on the floor.

• The dramatic play corner, with its dress ups aplenty, featured children getting dressed in one costume, while standing. The floor of the dramatic play area isn't covered with discarded socks and shoes.

In the three year old room, children are rolling around on the floor to get clothes on. There is a constant changing of clothes, because new play ideas are imagined over and over.

• Two children worked at the writing center, writing in their journals, focused on a single page. They were excited to show me the work they had done thus far this school year. There were lots of alphabet letters printed legibly.

What a minute? They haven't scribbled on every page of the journal already? Very few three year olds will work at printing alphabet letters, most prefer to draw - and draw on every single page.

• A teacher called from across the room to a child that was misbehaving, and the child looked up and stopped what he was doing.

I'm not sure that the children could hear me over the din in our room!

• When the children gathered in whole group, they were all sitting pretty still, listening to the teacher.

Remarkable! Three year olds have so many wiggles, so many immediate needs that are different from those of the teacher ("Ms. Ingram, my shoe hurts!," "Ms. Ingram, I can't see," "Ms. Ingram, my water spilled.") Most days, whole group is one enormous juggling act.


Yes, I was astounded. What a huge difference in children's development in this one year! The Pre-K children showed so much more self-control. With three year old classes being added to elementary schools (as mine is!), I hope that we remember and respect these developmental differences.