Should children just be left to be.. ermm.. children?

Discussion in 'Human Science' started by Bells, Apr 4, 2009.

  1. Bells Staff Member

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    In this day and age, little children are seen to be growing up too fast. They have mobile phones, ipods, internet access at home, computer games and giant screen TV's. So much so that we sometimes need to beg them to actually go outside and play. But are we taking it all too far? In a push to orientate children into a correct path for adulthood, the very people entrusted in safeguarding the educational standards in Australia are currently launching a proposal. This proposal, involves career counseling for toddlers in daycare centres.

    They are not talking about children starting high school (year 7). But children who are not even in what is considered mainstream education yet. Pre-school. The place of finger-painting and digging in the sandpit. Where they get story-time and still have afternoon naps.

    Ask a 4 year old what they want to do every day and every day, the answer will be different. Isn't there a risk of stifling their imagination by discussing their career options with them before they even learn their alphabet or to count past 10? Children in that age bracket will say they want to be a fireman, a princess, a horse, dog, door maker, space man, a plane.. I cannot imagine how it is even conceivable that the very people in charge of safeguarding the educational standards of this country are considering "career development concepts" with children who are quite literally either still in nappies or just out of nappies.

    Their concern is that toddlers are only exposed to their parent's careers and will rarely think outside of the square, so to speak. But they are toddlers. I just find it astounding that we are being told that we should be encouraging 3 and 4 year old's to think about what they want to do when they become adults. Children that age are only interested in playing and discovering the world around them.

    When we looked to sending our then 2 year old to daycare the year before, we visited several to see how they were and how they interacted with children. We visited one that had computers set up for the children in our son's age bracket and designated time set aside to try to gauge what they wanted to be. We deliberately decided against that particular centre, because we felt that at the age of 2, he should be playing and having fun. Not trying to determine what his career is or should be when he grows up. To discover that this kind of thing may now be the norm in all daycare centres is quite a worry for parents who want to maintain their child's innocence and allow their children to experience childhood for as long as humanly possible.

    Thankfully, there are some voices of dissent, which at present are proving to be the voices of reason in this whole debate. One of the leading child care providers in one State have denounced the whole proposal as being ridiculous. I have to agree with them. It is absolutely ridiculous to try to set a toddler on a path to his future career when he is only interested in digging in a sandpit or climbing on the playgym equipment. Or running around with a bucket on his head (long story).

    The proposal's counter to that rational argument is the following.

    They are children. Small children. Babies really. The current push for a national curriculum in Australia is seeing some alarming proposals. This being only one. There is a large dissenting voice in the country against Government proposals to actually have an academic curriculum for babies through to pre-schoolers.

    Yes that's right. Academic curriculum for babies as well as toddlers and pre-schoolers.

    I have to agree with the dissenting voice. What is suddenly wrong with children being allowed to just be children? Why are we forcing them to entertain adult concepts such as careers at such a young age? Am I insane for thinking that we are at risk of robbing our children of their childhood by forcing them to make career choices or think about their careers to steer their education that direction? I tried to ask my 3 year old what he wanted to do when he grew up. He told me he wanted to be a helicopter. Ten minutes later, he told me he wanted to be a bird that "chomps bugs". It highlights the ridiculous nature of this Government's current push.

    I can understand now why so many parents are opting to home school their children.
     
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  3. draqon Banned Banned

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    no def. not, we need educate our children than sitting at a computer screen playing warcraft 2 days long and than having seizures is not the right thing to do.

    In either way what will happen is that the future will be made from 3-world countries and not us.
     
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  5. CutsieMarie89 Zen Registered Senior Member

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    I think it's a good idea, in someways. Just to discuss certain things like this, by doing this you can gauge your child's interest and perhaps keep mental blocks from forming, by letting kids know they can be whatever they put their mind to, and not stick to stereotypical norms. Also just a way to broaden their horizons, maybe hear about careers that they would never think of. I do think preschool is a bit early, but 1st grade definitely. It's just like letting your kids watch educational programming on TV. The impact it has on children is tremendous and I think it's great for kids to have passions, even if they don't turn them into careers 20 years later.

    But perhaps the Australian education board is trying to do something else. I wouldn't really call it career counseling, maybe just the career of the week. We used to do it in 1st grade and my class and I loved it.
     
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  7. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    I'm with you, Bells. This is sort of disgusting. So few kids, even those who can intelligently think about a future career, really know what they want to do. I certainly didn't. However, what is useful is to at least introduce more career options to a kid at an earlier age, in the sense of demonstrating non-stereotypical role models in various jobs.
     
  8. Bells Staff Member

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    I do not disagree with that. I just find it ridiculous that toddlers, some still in nappies, are going to be faced with career orientation. When they get to primary school, sure. Introduce the 'what you can be when you grow up'. Go the full spectrum. But toddlers in daycare?

    It is just too soon to be getting them thinking about adulthood. Let alone making decisions about their career path.
     
  9. draqon Banned Banned

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    non-stereotypical? :bugeye:

    all that kids nowdays think about is to stand out of the crowd and find non-sterotypical jobs...

    so stereotypes are far from what we ought to worry about.
     
  10. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    Girl, it's the same here in America. My niece is three and they have the same thing here. They want parents to come in to speak to the class. Well, my sister-in-law works in a prison and gets to search various holes for contraband. Call me crazy, but I think it's a bit early for that.

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  11. draqon Banned Banned

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    ...do they hire men for that by any chance? :bugeye:
     
  12. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    I meant in the case of it's good for kids to see male elementary school teachers, black female doctors, etc. I don't think current realities should limit a child. I grew up in a southern, all white community where I felt I couldn't go into the career I was interested in because I'm female.
     
  13. draqon Banned Banned

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    you should have grown up with me in the North, here women are encouraged to go into fields much more than men.
     
  14. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    I think you're realizing that after years of being discouraged simply by not being allowed, there are programs that target minority groups to try something they never did before. Men aren't being discouraged though.

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  15. CutsieMarie89 Zen Registered Senior Member

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    Most college students don't even know what they want to do. It's the exposure to different careers and disciplines that help them decide. Plus kids learn best when they're having fun, if you make career counseling into a game I think it would be great. I've changed my mind so many times since elementary school about what I wanted to be, I still do (I should probably try to stop now

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    ). It wasn't all of the time, but people in various jobs would come and talk to us about their jobs and then we would play some game involving that job's expertise. Like a magician came and taught us magic tricks, a Math professor had us play a fun math game and it's how I learned I had a real knack for mathematics. There was a musician, architect, zookeeper, beekeeper, video game programmer, fashion designer, heart surgeon,... and many more. Some were boring, but I really think experiences like that are invaluable to a kid.
     
  16. draqon Banned Banned

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    well yeah but here they overdo it...I mean minorities here get too much support. I am white guy, and there is no scholarship for white guys...you know.

    only scholarship for minority hispanos...or minority asian community...
     
  17. draqon Banned Banned

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    I picked what I wanted to do in middle school in 6 grade...all by myself. There were no one interested in it, no one worked in it, neither did anyone believe they wanted it.
     
  18. CutsieMarie89 Zen Registered Senior Member

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    Any scholarship that doesn't have a minority name is for white guys. A minority could apply, but they most likely won't get it. But either way don't be a victim. No matter what makes you special there is a scholarship for you. They have scholarships for people with blue eyes, diabetes, can speak fluent Klingon, are bald, fat and ugly, fat and beautiful favorite color is blue...etc I got one for being a 1st generation (neither of my parents have degrees) college student. You just have to look.
     
  19. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    That's pretty cool. What are you planning to do now?


    Marie's point is made. Draq, you're Russian, and I know there are scholarships for that.
     
  20. draqon Banned Banned

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    oh yeah? where?

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  21. mikenostic Stop pretending you're smart! Registered Senior Member

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    I don't understand it. While I loved video games when I was a kid, I also LOVED the outdoors. I lived with my Aunt Dora and cousin Anthony when I was little. He and I were always outside playing with our Tonka trucks, three wheelers and riding our bicycles. We also played Army/war games a lot too. We loved being out in the woods. I still do love being out in the woods.
     
  22. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    Google it. My friend Olga went to school on one.
     
  23. mikenostic Stop pretending you're smart! Registered Senior Member

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    Most men who are in their right mind and have at least a little confidence, motivation and perseverance do not let anyone discourage them anyway. Anyone who does stand in their way trying to discourage them will only receive a, 'kiss my ass. get out of my way or I will go around, over or through you.' in response.
     

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