Today, when you look at the readiness checklists for first grade, youโll find that we are concerned only with their academic performance, being able to โexpand sight wordsโ or โread a graphโ or โlocate the seven continents and four oceans.โ Really.
But take a look at the first-grade readiness checklist from a 1979 book, โYour Six-Year-Old โ Loving and Defiant.โ
Back then, your child was ready for first grade if he or she had two to five permanent teeth, were at least 6 years and 6 months old and these:
โCan your child tell, in such a way that his speech is understood by a school crossing guard or police where he lives?
โCan he travel alone in the neighborhood (four to eight blocks) to store, school, playground, or to a friendโs home?
โCan he be away from you all day without being upset?
Yeah. Life skills, social development. Becoming actual people, not just little graph readers. Weโve kind of forgotten about that, havenโt we?
This brings back fond memories of my first day of school.ย My mother took me for the big event and explained how I was to walk home.ย In my excited state, I wasnโt paying too much attention to that part.ย So after school, I started walking but had no idea which way to go. ย I found myself in a big park.ย I didnโt consider myself lost.ย Just bewildered.ย After awhile, I was glad to see my motherโs car pull up.
The next morning, she pointed me in the right directionโโjust walk straight down this street for seven blocks and youโll come to the schoolโโand it worked fine.ย All I had to do was to retrace my steps to get home.ย So I was walking both ways.ย I was still 5.
Back then, being able to find your way and walk for 8 blocks by yourself was a requirement for being ready for school!ย ย Now letting your child do that is being defined as child neglect.ย I was not neglected.ย I was being taught.