Lamb Storms and the American Preschool Education

You know me. I'm the one who names her cats after Jane Austen characters and follows the Bard with love in her heart. And after several literary tours to the UK with my students, I married my lovely Brit, Patrick. So when my dear friend George, Patrick's daughter, suggested that I look at Robert Macfarlane's book Landmarks, the quintessential book on British landscapes, I excitedly found a copy and read it.

 When Landmarks came out, the reviews read like love letters. One of my favorites from the Daily Express said, "Surely no one since the young Ted Hughes has written about British landscape and wildlife with such fierce enthusiasm." 

Horatio Clare, from the Daily Telegraph, wrote, "Passionate and magical...a deep scholarship of the countryside with an adventurous approach, all rendered in immaculate, delicious prose." 

But it was this one from the Guardian that got me thinking about the American education system: "So important, enriching. Ought to be read by policymakers, educators, armchair environmentalists and active conservationists the world over." Educators? Hmm. What was so important that a teacher needed to read about the environment and animals in Great Britain? Well, read on.

Since this is a blog post about words, I'll focus on one expression that Macfarlane offers and we'll go from there. A lamb storm, also referred to as a lambing storm, is an unexpected snow storm harmful to newborn lambs. Farmers across the northern part of the UK understand this phenomenon well around March lambing time when adverse weather conditions, thanks in part to global warming, mean lambs need to be monitored throughout the night to make sure they're warm and comfortable. Farmer John Fagan writes in Farming Independent, "I'm just back from the lambing shed. It is allowing me just a period of calm amidst the lambing storm that is taking place. I'm glad to have plenty of pens but it is hectic. The lambs are getting barely enough time to mother up, sucked and out to grass. I've no choice but to get the lambs out quickly...it is vital to watch them carefully to make sure the ewes are looking after their new families. Nothing gives you more satisfaction than letting out a bunch of ewes and lambs and seeing them happily bounce away with their mothers."

Since my brain frequently leaps to metaphorical if not symbolic conclusions, another group of lambs comes to mind, precious little vulnerable pre-school children, many of whom will be experiencing a structured school setting for the first time. And unfortunately in American public schools, and perhaps many private ones as well, we lag far behind other developed countries as we prepare children for the long journey from pre-school to high school. It's lambing season, folks, and the storms are brewing.

The U.S. ranks 26^th in preschool participation for four year olds, 15^th in teacher-to-child ratio, and 21st in total investment relative to country wealth. Finland’s child ratio is 1-11 and Sweden’s is 1-5. The U.S. at best is 1-15.

In addition to looking at basic demographics and statistics, research-based early learning curriculum indicates greater efficacy occurs when teachers spend less time on strict discipline and more time on curious discovery with children. (Picture lambs frolicking about in the meadow.)

It is an established fact that a trusting relationship between teacher and child helps preschoolers learn through playful activities and experiences. These children are still trying to understand the meaning of everything—how and why things work. They’re also curious about what effect their actions will have, and as they grow they will continue to test the boundaries. Hearing “bad” words that are inappropriate for a four-year-old to use?  The child most likely has no idea what the words mean, but he has deducted from the tone of the person who first used the words that this behavior might be testing the waters. What better way to find out than to use them themselves?

It should now occur to you, dear reader, that frustration, harsh words, and punitive behavior are no different from the lambing storms that are so harmful to newborn lambs. I recently heard a distraught mom admit that her pre-school child hates school. As soon as she picks him up in the afternoon he tells her he was bad and his teacher doesn’t like him. How long can a child endure this kind of disparagement and how long before the damage can be reversed? Are we making sure our little lambs are safe and warm, or are we sending them out into the storm? 

According to Unicef's most recent Child Well Being in Rich Countries survey, children in the Netherlands are the happiest kids in the world, and this is based on material well being, educational well being, and behavior and risks. The study concluded that Dutch kids feel no pressure to excel in school and have very little stress, but these children actually do thrive in a happy, relaxed school setting where they are encouraged to enjoy learning.

I’ll close with ten healthy discipline strategies published by the American Academy of Pediatrics that work not only in the classroom but also at home.

1.       Show and Tell. Teach children right from wrong with calm words and actions.

2.       Set limits.

3.       Give consequences.

4.       Hear them out.

5.       Give them your attention.

6.       Catch them being good.

7.       Be prepared for trouble.

8.       Know when not to respond.

9.       Redirect "bad" behavior.

10.   Call a time-out. (“Go to time out and come back when you feel ready and in control.” This strategy can help a child learn and practice self-management.)