The Basics
First grade can be wonderful - stories, art, music, play, friends, science, social studies, reading, writing, math, and a kind and conscientious teacher - how could life be better?
The idea of children's growing or unfolding is never more important than in first grade.
What's the hurry? With a good attitude, all first graders will learn in time. There is no need to force them.
The world is full of unexplained occurrences, both for children and for adults. Children's curiosity needs to be nurtured, but we cannot expect to answer every question.
The teacher's wisdom
The Harm in Pressuring First Graders
Pressuring an unready child to read can cause emotional reactions that interfere with reading later on. In the words of psychologist David Elkind, such children are "intellectually burned." They come to be considered to be developmentally defective, when in fact they would have been normal if they had not been pressured. Unready children can be given plenty of work - creative art, handwork, work with magazine pictures, sewing cards, puzzles, block play, etc. They can be allowed to play.

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