Teach your children well

ST carried an interview with a visiting American childhood education expert, Professor Sharon Kagan, on Wednesday (19 Oct, page A14). Her research and findings are worth at least some reflection by Singaporean "kiasu" parents.

She says there is no evidence that preschool would help very young children more than the care of loving, dedicated parents.

"When children are younger, they need intimacy, they need the nurturing of caring adults, the need to be held. Society does not necessarily benefit from having children required to go to an institution when they are very, very young," says the professor, who teaches at Columbia University and works with the World Bank and the UN Children's Fund too.

She is not saying that preschools should not be part of the formal educational structure and, indeed, advocates greater state investment in early children education. I guess what she is saying is that parents must not pass on the role of nurturing the very young child holistically to the preschool system -- such as, say, by enrolling the child in a slew of enrichment classes.

The attention the children get in such classes is not necessarily better than what parents have to offer. Again, she did not specifically say so, but a comment like this implies that there should be one stay-at-home parent during early childhood.

Young children need "as much conversation as (they) can engage in" and "as much intellectual stimulation" as possible. "If a mother and a father can do that, they may not need enrichment classes," she says.

Here's her response to this question that the reporter posed to her:

Q: What basic advice would you give to parents of very young children?

A: Read to your child every day. Ask your child open-ended questions, questions that don't have a "yes" or "no" answer. It should be "tell me about it" or "why do you think this happened?" -- because we are trying to get the child to use conjecture, to use interpretation, to embellish his or her language.

To the degree you can, spend time with your child. Teach your child about your heritage and your own culture. Model caring practices in the way you interact with others. Make sure your child has time for physical activities, ideally outdoors. And have fun. Being a parent is a privilege.

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Professor Kagan's remarks above remind me of the Crosby, Still and Nash and Young song, "Teach Your Children":

http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/c/crosbystillsnashyoung6061/teachyourchildren237794.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQtRsSmU-6k

On the other hand, there is the equally poignant but ultimately sad song, "Cats in the Cradle & the Silver Spoon". I have hyperlinked here the lyrics attributed to Guns N' Roses but I prefer Harry Chapin's rendition of the song, below:

http://www.lyrics007.com/Guns%20N'%20Roses%20Lyrics/Cats%20In%20The%20Cradle%20%26%20The%20Silver%20Spoon%20Lyrics.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUwjNBjqR-c