Having a son born in 2017 who will be in first grade in the 2023-2024 school year, for more than a month now, Mr. Ta Phuong Hoang and his wife in Khai Quang ward, Vinh Yen city have been eagerly looking for an address to register their son for a 36-session class.
Mr. Hoang shared: “I think the primary school environment is completely different from preschool. Meanwhile, my wife and I are busy with work and taking care of our young children, so we don't have time to tutor and guide our children. Because I was worried that my child would not be able to keep up with the program and fall behind his peers, I registered him for a 36-session class to prepare him with basic knowledge and prepare him mentally to confidently enter first grade. In addition, the 36-session class also helps me look after and take care of my child during the summer vacation."
Because she is busy working at the company, Ms. Ta Thi Thuy in Dong Van commune, Yen Lac district does not have time to tutor her child; moreover, she is afraid that she does not have a method to teach her child, leading to the situation where her child's writing and pronunciation are not up to standard. Therefore, for the past 4 months, she has sent her daughter to a private class for children preparing to enter first grade. Ms. Thuy's child attends classes on Saturdays and Sundays, where the teacher introduces her to letters, spelling, numbers, and simple calculations.
In fact, in recent years, more and more parents have sent their children to 36-session classes before entering first grade. However, there are also many parents who do not send their children to this class. Mr. Nguyen Van Quoc in Thanh Lang town, Binh Xuyen district said: “Both of my children did not attend 36-session classes when entering first grade, because I want them to develop naturally. However, I still bought coloring books for 5-year-olds and guided my children to color according to the strokes of letters, learn to count numbers…”.
Many analyses suggest that the transition from a preschool environment with mainly fun activities to a primary school environment where children learn knowledge and discipline at a higher level requires children to have a certain amount of time to fully prepare mentally and spiritually. Along with that, when entering the official school year, the educational program is the law while the number of students is large, a teacher cannot tutor all the students, many children will have difficulty keeping up with the program, therefore, if they study in a 36-session class, it will help children have more study time to catch up with their friends.
However, there are also some worrying issues with studying before entering grade 1. If teachers teach the first grade program in advance, when entering the main course, children will have a subjective mentality, no longer concentrate and lose interest in discovering new knowledge during the learning process. In addition, children are easily pressured because they have to go to school early, affecting their natural development.
Through surveys, many teachers believe that pre-primary courses help children develop skills in observation, memorization, comparison, spatial perception, reasoning, imagination and expression. In addition, sending children to these classes is a need of most parents, both to help their children prepare for first grade and to solve the problem of having a safe place to send their children during the summer. However, many others believe that preschool has ensured the conditions for children to enter first grade, so it is not necessary to take 36-session classes...
With many years of experience in teaching, management and being a pioneer in educational innovation, building happy schools, teacher Dao Chi Manh, Principal of Hoi Hop B Primary School, Vinh Yen city said: “On the positive side, the 36-session class aims to equip children with the necessary basic skills and knowledge so that they are not confused when entering grade 1; at the same time, serving the needs of parents.
For this course to be meaningful and have a positive effect on children, parents should not set too high requirements; need to discuss and suggest to teachers not to teach children in advance of the program, not to force or cram knowledge but to focus on helping children get used to the higher demanding educational environment in primary school; review preschool skills such as pronunciation, reading numbers, color recognition (add the location of objects...); guide and train children in necessary skills and disciplines such as sitting posture, how to hold a pen, concentration, stimulate children's desire to learn and explore...
If not in that spirit, the pre-primary class will be counterproductive, not only negatively affecting the students, but also causing difficulties for teachers when the children officially enter grade 1 because not 100% of children attend the 36-session class, so it does not ensure a common level of knowledge for the students.
As a manager, it is necessary to have a comprehensive view to direct teachers in charge of grade 1 to comply with the educational program, organize educational activities appropriate to the children's age, and aim to develop the children's abilities and qualities.
So, should or should not let children study pre-primary courses? That depends on many factors such as the nature, methods of the course, the right orientation of parents; in particular, parents and teachers need to pay attention to the psychology of children, if children are interested in going to school before entering grade 1, want to explore many new things, then letting children study pre-primary classes is a good choice, aiming at the goal of children being confident, happy and developing comprehensively.
Minh Huong
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