Seizing on a teachable moment in a private school where scripted lessons rule lands one kindergarten teacher in the hot seat, while her counterpart in a less-stringent school setting is praised for turning her students’ curiosity into a spontaneous and creative project.
As schools push for a more academic approach in early-childhood classrooms, Nancy Ginsburg Gill writes in this Education Week Commentary, many parents are seeking out programs that use a scripted curriculum for teaching their preschool children. They believe such lessons will give their children an edge when they begin kindergarten already schooled in their ABCs and 123s.
But Ms. Gill argues that while those early experiences may boost students’ basic skills, they could negatively impact their creative, emotional, and intellectual development. And veteran teachers and dynamic newcomers to the field are unlikely to accept or keep assignments to such schools.
What do you think? Are scripted curricula shortchanging pupils and driving away good teachers?