While I am normally a high school teacher this year I have been subbing for a wide range of ages. And just by chance mostly for the lower grades (I guess little kids spread more germs to their teachers than teenagers) which is new territory for me. What I have found is that as a kindergarten teacher you almost have to have ADD yourself. Kids at that age have trouble staying on one topic for more than 8 minutes so your day seems to be very frantic - while staying organized.
This is a large change from decades past. I am not that old :) but remember sitting for longer periods of time on single tasks. Then I was reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder House on the Prairie books to my cousin and her accounts of school where they would have to sit still for hours. It seems as our society has gotten a faster pace so has our approach to schooling.
This seemed to be the same with television. Tv programs now, especially for children, are very frantic. I sat down to watch one this morning and there was lots of quick things going on. Almost as if the show where to slow down they would lose the audience. Then if you watch older movies, or tv shows, the pace is a lot slower.
To me I believe that tv/film has sped up to keep the relatively short attention span of children now a days. Teaching seems to have followed suit. I believe we, as teachers, should slow things back down. Have students, even the little ones, take time to process and enjoy an experience before jumping to the next.
- Carolyn
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