Today I am blogging because something was brought to my attention and it has me irrate!
I have two baby sisters; A soon-to-be 9 year old and a soon-to-be 6 year old. The nine year old is like looking in a mirror. She's a bit bossy, believes everything is either black or white and she will tell you if something isn't fair. She tends to be an over achiever and catches on quickly.
The six year old is a world all her own. No words can describe her. She is our giggle in the midst of tears. Our rainbow after a storm. One glance over her glasses at you and she'll melt your heart. She always wants happiness and peace.
These girls are attending the same school I grew up in and something has disturbed me deeply. At six years old my sister is building her foundation for growing up. The things she is told and taught now will mold how she perceives herself and the world around her. My sweet little sister is already building a foundation on "I'm not good enough". I refuse to sit back and allow another generation of my family to feel 'not good enough'.
There is a board in my sister's kindergarten class that holds papers. These papers are written neat enough to get on the board as well as get a piece of candy. My sister sits and writes and rewrites her papers to the point that she is missing out on play time because she wants nothing more than to get on the board; She has yet to make it up there. In turn that teacher is telling that sweet little girl that she is not good enough to be on the board. She is doing her best and working very hard, yet it is still not good enough. Please someone, tell how that is teaching this girl?! The anger this brings up in me is beyond words. I have many other gripes about this school and this one takes the cake. Instead of rewarding hard work or giving extra help, they are building a bad foundation. Each and every person writes differently. Nothing can change that. My handwriting sometimes isn't the best either but guess what......we use a computer for EVERYTHING! So, who cares?
I begin my teaching career tomorrow as a teachers aide. I pray to God I never do this to any other child. And I ask God for strength to keep my cool but find a solution to this problem for my sister.