We have no simple problems or easy decisions after kindergarten.
-- John W. Turk

The days of Kindergarten, so far behind us, were fun days. For some of us, Kindergarten was a three–hour or half-day experience; for others of us, Kindergarten lasted 6 full hours and was chocked full of everything you ever needed to know about being a human being. And then, there may be some of us who did not have a formal setting to introduce us to the wide world of social interaction and academics; 1st grade was the beginning. These days, a full day of Kindergarten is compulsory and begins the long road toward helping people become successful and contributing citizens.

Kindergarten is one of the first places children learn to communicate, play, and interact with others appropriately, and its focus is on the development of the whole child. Children learn the alphabet and numbers in the context of their everyday experiences; they explore the natural world of plants, animals, and communities locally and worldwide. They learn and play in water and sand tables, building block and puzzle centers, computer and technology centers, home living and dress-up areas, reading and math manipulative centers, and drawing tables. The classroom is decorated with the kid’s artwork and writing; they play outside every day, interact with their friends and other children on a daily basis, listen to great stories, get a snack, and, in some cases, take a nap after lunch. Kindergarten students get lots of hugs, and their teachers encourage the growth of their self-esteem, cultural identities, and their independence and individual strengths. Kindergarten is the place where a kid grows physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Children are happy and parents feel safe sending their kids to kindergarten.

What a great experience!

After that, if you didn’t learn it or get it in Kindergarten, you’re pretty much handicapped as you progress through the rest of your life. It doesn’t get any easier and it’s hard to catch up.

That’s saying a lot about Kindergarten, huh? But think about it. Kindergarten was where you learned and practiced most of your manners. You learned to say and said “thank you” to a compliment or gesture, whether it was sincere or not. You practiced the basics about being a good friend and a good person, asking instead of just taking, taking turns, sharing and respecting what belonged to others. You learned to take care of your own things (pencils, clothing, papers, and books) and you kept the rules for you were afraid of the consequences of breaking them. In Kindergarten, you were brutally honest, had lots of energy, and had a pure and patriotic heart.

Moreover, mastering alphabet sounds (or phonics) and vocabulary (or spelling words) helped you learn how to read fluently and with comprehension so that you could ultimately read your college textbooks, technical journals, job description, and contents of your inbox. You learned to recognize and value pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters so that you could later save them and put them to good use. You learned to map so you wouldn’t get lost and identify the jobs people do so you could begin to think about how you wanted to spend your working life. You learned the difference between basic needs (food, clothing, and shelter) and wants (luxuries); the importance of conserving water and energy; and to conduct basic experiments and ask questions about what you observed. And you learned how to be away from your mama without anxiety. Learning these foundational skills in Kindergarten, the basic stuff you build on, makes life a little easier to navigate.

Yeah, we all learned and progressed at different rates, and some of us even struggled with learning disabilities and other deficiencies while in school (and even now). But Kindergarten was the start and, again, what you didn’t get there was harder to come by and master later.

Now, granted, life does get messy, and it has a way of blocking out some of the things you learned in Kindergarten. It’s hard to remember the basic social skills of listening and waiting patiently for your turn to talk when your partner is accusing you of wrongdoing and thinking or your boss is in your face once again. We forget about accepting and valuing differences when we watch or experience cultural, religious, gender, economic, age, and sexual orientation clashes. Sometimes our skills of self-control go out the window when we are tempted by and act upon our desires; and we forget that other people have feelings as we tell them where to go and where to put it after they do something we believe is stupid, inappropriate, or against us. Life gets tough and we forget where we started.

The lessons we learned in Kindergarten or preschool may seem very basic. But isn’t it the basic stuff that keeps you functioning and in tuned with the world? Perhaps revisiting the simple life of Kindergarten would make our lives better off. Certainly it can’t hurt to go back.

Sadiqqa © 2007