Playful kindergarten child in classroom

Reclaiming kindergarten: part 2 (excerpt)

Questions about policy

[ By Dominic Gullo and Kim Hughes ]

Today was Audrey's first day in full-day kindergarten. Her parents were excited to hear about Audrey's first day at school. She told her parents that she liked kindergarten and liked her teacher Mrs. Euvone. Her parents asked her if she would like a snack. Audrey said that she would but that she had to do her homework first. Audrey's homework assignment for today was to complete a worksheet in which she had to print the alphabet, both upper and lower case. She would have to do this while staying within the lines on the worksheet. The lines looked like this:

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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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After printing the letters of the alphabet, Audrey had to circle the letters that were in her first and last name and then print her name within another set of lines on the worksheet, making sure to appropriately use upper and lower case letters. On her homework folder was a note to her parents which said, "Parents, please check and sign or initial each homework sheet after your child has completed it." There were three more homework worksheets in her folder, one each for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. After Audrey's parents signed her homework and assured her that she did a good job, Audrey looked up and said, "I just hope I get a good grade."

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