{"id":63775,"date":"2022-07-07T02:39:41","date_gmt":"2022-07-07T06:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=63775"},"modified":"2022-07-13T19:10:31","modified_gmt":"2022-07-13T23:10:31","slug":"why-do-kids-have-to-go-to-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-do-kids-have-to-go-to-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do kids have to go to school?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nWhy do us kids have to go to school? \u2013 Vanessa C., age 10, Gilbert, Arizona<\/em><\/p>\n

Kids go to school for many reasons. Where and when depends on their age, location, parental preference and local policies. Parents send their kids to school to expose them to experiences that are different from their own at home and in their communities. Schools are designed to provide spaces for exploration, self-awareness and connection with other kids. Teachers encourage kids to strengthen the skills they have and help\u00a0them gain new ones<\/a>\u00a0as they advance from grade to grade.<\/p>\n

I have spent the last 20 years\u00a0studying and working with children<\/a>\u00a0from birth to 21 years of age in a variety of settings. I often think about how to create the best learning environment for children, beginning with preschool. To me, that means ensuring that all children have the opportunity to be in a school that can fulfill their learning needs as well as their physical, social and emotional well-being at all stages of their lives.<\/p>\n

Preschool<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Around\u00a061% of 3-to-5-year-olds<\/a>\u00a0in the U.S. are enrolled in some type of preschool. Because these are\u00a0critical years for brain development<\/a>, attending a\u00a0high-quality learning program<\/a>\u00a0is essential.<\/p>\n

What makes a good program for young children? Since children learn through play, it\u2019s important for\u00a0play to be the focus of most activities<\/a>. It\u2019s also essential for teachers to interact with their young students and\u00a0respond to each child\u2019s needs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During this important developmental stage, children also form a\u00a0sense of self<\/a>. For example, they might start to think of themselves as a big brother or sister if there\u2019s another child at home. They also begin to connect more deeply with others, learn to communicate their feelings,\u00a0practice sharing<\/a>\u00a0and more. When schools include children\u2019s identity, cultural norms and traditions in the classroom, students feel a sense of belonging and inclusion. This helps children form associations that are important for learning.<\/p>\n

Elementary school<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Children entering kindergarten at age 5 or 6 can have many different feelings, including nervousness and excitement\u00a0for this new experience<\/a>. Perhaps kids have heard adults say that starting kindergarten is the start of \u201creal learning.\u201d But this isn\u2019t the case;\u00a0kids learn from the day they are born<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With the transition to kindergarten, kids begin to work on personal and social skills, like managing their behaviors and reactions, problem-solving and logical thinking. Kids\u2019 early experiences expand their ideas of how the world works. And as they mature they become better able to\u00a0understand more complex thought processes<\/a>, like reversibility, or water turning to ice and then back to water. Another concept they may start to explore is how matter takes the shape of the space it occupies, like sand filling a star-shaped container, and why that happens.<\/p>\n

As students advance through elementary school, their reading and comprehension skills improve and they are able to use different resources \u2013 from reading books and watching documentaries to taking trips to the museum \u2013 to help them understand ideas they encounter inside and outside of the classroom. The education students receive in school further builds on these experiences.<\/p>\n

Middle school<\/strong><\/h4>\n

During the middle school years, when students are typically between 10 and 13 years old, kids and parents are both starting to interact with school in different ways. Teachers increasingly give more responsibilities to students, and they try their best to personalize what happens in the classroom to students\u2019 talents and strengths.<\/p>\n

As students become increasingly independent, parents often pass on more school-related responsibilities to them. Students feel capable and competent when\u00a0their environment supports who they are<\/a>\u00a0and encourages them to apply their existing skills at all levels, but especially in middle school.<\/p>\n

Understanding all of the challenges kids are going through \u2013 like fitting in, maintaining friendships, puberty and others \u2013 can be overwhelming. But middle school also offers opportunities for students to sharpen their skills and talents. Some schools may offer band, theater or robotics and other new opportunities to learn, play and grow alongside their daily studies.<\/p>\n

High school<\/strong><\/h4>\n

High school is an exciting time for most students because it\u2019s the final gateway to adulthood. Students may take on a heavier academic and extracurricular load as a way to\u00a0prepare for higher education<\/a>. In high school, students are able to choose from a range of courses that may include journalism, biology, an advanced foreign language class or world history. At the same time, students may begin taking part in specialized activities like volunteering or trips abroad that could expose them to fields they\u2019d like to study if they choose to continue to college.<\/p>\n

The core principle of education is to enable students to become\u00a0kind, giving and contributing members<\/a>\u00a0of their community and the world. While not all students have the opportunity to attend great schools because of unequal circumstances, it is critical all children are afforded education, at home or at school, public or private. Schools are a tried-and-true place where kids gain new skills and knowledge that they continue to use and build on for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Hawani Negussie is Chair and Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at UMass Global, University of Massachusetts<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why do us kids have to go to school? \u2013 Vanessa C., age 10, Gilbert, Arizona Kids go to school for many reasons. Where and when depends on their age, location, parental preference and local policies. Parents send their kids to school to expose them to experiences that are different from their own at home […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15645],"tags":[429118],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-63775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","tag-going-to-school"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy do kids have to go to school? - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-do-kids-have-to-go-to-school\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why do kids have to go to school? - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why do us kids have to go to school? \u2013 Vanessa C., age 10, Gilbert, Arizona Kids go to school for many reasons. 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