Many countries including Canada and the US put an overly  high priority on teaching kids to read by age 6 or even earlier.   However, in many European countries including Scandanavia, kids are not rushed into ready until 8 or even 9 years old.  US programs such as “No Child Left Behind” force-feeds young children books and then tests them on their abilities, both of which can have very negative affects.  Children who are told to read more books, and recall them in detail are less likely to develop a passion for reading, and enjoy reading as an activity later in life.  Some young readers will even quickly see themselves as bad at reading when they fail to measure up during testing.  Brain research clearly …

I was very lucky to attend a local event where we had Kim John Payne (see http://www.simplicityparenting.com) come to give a talk on child discipline. Kim has a Masters degree in education and has been a school counselor, adult educator, consultant, researcher, educator and a private family counselor for twenty seven years. He regularly gives key note addresses at international conferences for educators, parents, and therapists and runs workshops and training’s around the world. Our event was sponsored by our local Waldorf School here in Nelson, B.C..
Kim started off with a clarification on the word “discipline”.  It really comes from the word “disciple” which means “to be followed”.  

Many parents I know too quickly dismiss Waldorf education for their children before investing any significant amount of time to understand it. The debate between public and private systems is a highly divisive issue.  Often the decision is an economic one, but I’ve found that like anything in life, if you are willing to spend a little time learning the ideology behind a new concept or idea, you will be rewarded. We’ve found this with Waldorf.  First however, parents have to put their own ingrained and traditional biases and sometimes even egos aside, and think of what is best for our children’s needs and development, not our own.  Things that we enjoyed as a child such as television, electronics and branded plastic toys …

This video below is one of my all time favourites.  Creativity expert Ken Robinson speaks in such an eloquent, and comedic way that entertains and informs.  His premise is that school is still oriented far too much towards preparing workers for the industrial revolution, rather than giving children essential tools such as creativity and problem solving.
“Creativity is as important as literacy” in our education system, he says.  ”We are educating people out of their creativity”.  He has advised the British government on Education issues, and was even knighted for his efforts.  I’ve also read his book entitled “The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything”.
Watch this video on YouTube

Many parents preach about the many benefits of sports for young children. Emotionally, they have been thought to build confidence, leadership and foster cooperation. Physically, they are heralded as promoting coordination, motor skills and muscle/heart health. Parents often believe that “in today’s competitive environment” sports help prepare us for this “dog eat dog” world.
Often, the reality is that people are more likely to be competing with themselves rather than others.  Competition in young children can actually encourage them to become selfish, narcissistic and inwardly-focussed rather than have compassion or empathy for others.  Many parents think that the benefits to self-esteem are reason enough for their kids to attempt to excel in a sport that suits their physical abilities the best.