Kindergarteners Taking Driver's Ed?

Not yet. But if we keep pushing everything down to younger grades, we may eventually need booster seats in the driver's ed car.

I'm kidding. Mostly.

I believe that if you're going to pose a problem, you ought to offer a solution, and I will before I'm done. But first, here's a conversation worth having: Are we asking children to do more at younger ages without giving them enough time to build the foundations that make it all work?

Our teachers and school leaders work hard to help children succeed. I see that every day. My concern is with the expectations we've built around them, and whether those expectations line up with what children need.

Let's start with how things have changed.

Everybody has memories of what school was like, and I'd love to hear yours in the comments. For many educators, those memories are what brought them back to the classroom.

For me, well, I think I might have been a "runner."

A runner is a kid who has run off or looks like he might at any moment. I was leaning toward the feral side when I started school, mainly because I'd been raised free range at home.

What little I remember about kindergarten includes recess, PE, naps, washing hands, singing songs, learning manners and figuring out how to tie my shoes. We were learning how to listen, follow directions, take turns and get along with other people.

I know I wasn't ready to read. Heck, I was barely ready to color.

It was the '80s. A glorious time.

First grade was fun. Twice.

Then, somewhere around third grade, things got serious. I was in remedial everything: reading, speech and math. I really think that help made a big difference in my life.

But you know what I remember most? Field trips and projects. Trips to Rickwood Caverns, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and the zoo had a big impact on me. As for projects, mine were pitiful. But there was a kid named Timmy who always had the best ones. Whether it was a fort or a simple circuit, Timmy's mom always nailed it.

I jest. Only Timmy knows the truth.

Fast-forward to what many parents see today. Kindergarten includes reading expectations that would have surprised a lot of us, and naps are harder to find. I've looked at my son's fourth-grade science work and recognized concepts I associate with high school physical science.

Now, recognizing the same concept doesn't mean a fourth grader is doing tenth-grade work. Introducing something early can be useful. But it raises a fair question: When should children first encounter a concept, and when should we expect them to master it?

Those are two different things.

More content at an earlier age doesn't automatically mean more learning. Sometimes it means less time to get good at the things that make the next step possible.

So, are children better prepared because we've moved expectations earlier? Where the answer is yes, let's keep what works. Where it's no, let's be willing to ask why.

Over the years, accountability requirements, international comparisons and the desire to prepare children for the future have all shaped our schools. The intentions behind those efforts often make sense. We want children to read, do math, graduate and have opportunities.

I certainly want those things, too. But we can get the cart before the horse.

Rankings and test scores can tell us something. They can't tell us everything. We also need to know whether students can understand what they read, solve a practical problem, work with other people and manage themselves when things get difficult.

So, what would I do?

I'd start with a careful review of what we expect students to learn, and when.

Alabama has an opportunity to take a thoughtful look at its courses of study, graduation requirements and the expectations that guide classroom instruction. Every child in Alabama is affected by our courses of study. These documents set what should be taught, and teachers bring them to life.

That review should include parents, students, curriculum professionals, school leaders and, especially, veteran teachers. Teachers know where children get stuck. They know which foundations are missing and which expectations make sense on paper but need more time in practice.

This deserves sustained work, classroom feedback and careful revision. In a state that invests billions in education, getting the sequence of learning right deserves serious attention.

As part of that work, we should clearly distinguish between introducing a concept, practicing it with support and mastering it independently. Earlier exposure should not automatically mean earlier independent mastery.

Here's a simple example. A student is working a math word problem for a grade. What are we measuring, reading or math?

Sometimes, appropriately, we're measuring both. But a struggling reader may never get far enough into the question to show what he knows about the math.

I've seen it.

That doesn't mean we stop using word problems. It means we need to be clear about what we're assessing and what support a child needs.

I strongly support the goal of helping every child become a capable reader by the end of third grade. Reading opens doors to almost everything else.

But even children in the same grade differ in age, development and experience. As we work toward that goal, we should also ask how we're protecting time for science, history, art, movement, play and learning to get along with others.

Those experiences help children grow, and they give children something worth reading and writing about. I'm living proof. Forty years later, I still remember the caverns and the rockets.

Next, districts need the resources and support to put dependable instructional materials in teachers' hands.

Teachers should have expertly crafted materials they can trust and lean on. Many teachers are excellent curriculum designers, but building an entire curriculum from scratch, or buying one with their own money, shouldn't be an expectation of the job.

Their time is valuable. We ought to give them more of it to study their students' work, plan good lessons and teach.

And yes, I think we ought to give textbooks, paper, pencils and hands-on learning their proper place.

I joke with my teachers that if it was good enough for George Washington, it's good enough for me.

That may be stretching it a little. I do love technology.

But a computer should earn its place in a lesson. If it helps children learn something better, use it. If a book, a conversation, a pencil or an experiment does the job well, use that.

Children already spend plenty of time around screens. School should give them meaningful opportunities to look up, talk, build, write, move and think.

Finally, we need to trust the professionals closest to the students.

This is where the rubber meets the road.

Teachers need the professional liberty, support and time to respond to what their students need. When a class is missing a foundation, teachers should be able to go back and teach it thoroughly.

That might mean working on reading or number sense. It might mean teaching children how to organize their materials, follow directions, stay with a difficult task or work through a disagreement.

Those skills make academic learning possible.

Administrators also need support to protect meaningful time for movement and play while meeting academic expectations. A schedule ought to reflect how children learn.

We can expect a lot from children and still give them time to grow. In fact, high expectations work best when they're built on strong foundations.

Our teachers and leaders have the experience to help us get this right. Let's make sure they have a voice, dependable materials and room to use their judgment.

Kids need to be kids. It's our job as adults to make sure they get that chance while we prepare them for what comes next.

Driver's ed can wait.