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Morals, Ethics, and Early Childhood Education
| Article
# : |
20214 |
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Section : |
MODERN THOUGHT
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| Issue
Date : |
1 / 1992 |
5,277 Words |
| Author
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Thomas P. Masty and Kevin Ryan
Both authors are at the Center for the Advancement of Ethics
and Character at Boston University, Thomas P. Masty as
assistant director and instructor, and Kevin Ryan as
professor
and director. |
It was the first day of kindergarten, and Sarah clutched her mother's hand tightly as they approached the schoolyard with its endless sea of unfamiliar faces.
Mother and daughter were equally nervous, and the reasons were identical.
--Would Sarah be accepted by the other children and make new friends?
--Would she behave appropriately and get along?
--And would this five year old cheerfully accept the authority of the new teacher, a virtual stranger, or return home at noon shaken and in tears?
This scene is played out in thousands of elementary schools each fall. Parents will have spent months teaching the alphabet to their youngsters. Educational toys will have been purchased and played with to provide the child with an academic edge. And some youngster will even arrive at the kindergarten door having had "hands-on" computer experience, courtesy of the family credit card and the parents' desire for their child to succeed.
However, a child's happiness is not determined by the latest results of the California Achievement Test or by the results of any other "ability testing." Instead, the success and happiness of children beginning school is rooted in how well they can get along with the teacher, their peers, and the highly structured educational system.
Within the small world of the kindergarten classroom, acceptance of a five year old depends more upon the behavior and attitude that he exhibits toward others than upon academic excellence in any form. However, when parents and teacher speak of kindergarten readiness, the discussions are traditionally couched in academic terms. Once inside the classroom, Johnny might be able to do long division, but if he hits the other children and takes their toys there will most certainly be problems. Thus the nature of the child is equal to, if not more important than, academic talents during the early stages of public education.
However, within the educational community there are strong disagreements as to when children first become able to make moral decisions. Views range from Piaget and Kohlberg's developmentalism to the belief that children "rise to the occasion" and behave in accordance with the
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