Preschool Preview

When four- and five-year-old children think about school, what do they imagine? Do the smatterings they hear from older siblings, cousins, and friends give them a fun picture or a bleak one? I was curious to find out, so I asked. This is what they said.

What do you think school will be like?

• It feels like rest time, I think. Cuz it’s really quiet and comfortable.
• Ummmmmmmm. Like church.
• At the first I know I’ll feel a lil scared maybe? At the first. An then I think it might be fun. At the end of school I will want to go back, and when I get used to it, I think I’m gonna like it.
• Colorin’ pictures.
• You will get teached a lot.
• Fun! To ride on a school bus. I’m excited that I can color. When do they do coloring?
• I’m gonna miss my mom. And I hope she’s gonna miss me.
• Be like? I don’t know… Be quiet and write words. And write pictures. That will be easy because I already know how to write people. But not hands. I just do a line down, and then arms across, and then a head, and then two dots, and then a nose that’s a dot, and a smiling face. And then umm do legs. Actually I know how to make another kind of people…

Will it be easy or hard? Why?

• I don’t know. Maybe easy. I like writing in books so that’s gonna be my fun thing.
• Hard. Cuz of colorin’ pictures. I don’t like colorin’ pictures.
• Easy. Because. Because… I KNOW that it’s gonna be easy. You just gotta sit still. Easy! I can already write good. But I’m gonna have to learn to write words before I go to school. Because I needa write words on my books. Kinda hard. I might have to practice.
• At the first it will be hard an’ then it will be easy at the last. Cuz I’m not gonna know the teachers.
• It will be easy in first grade, but then harder. Because there is more stuff to do when you get older.
• Yeah. Easy!
• Hard. Because I needa do math and do doublecase numbers. And doubleknot my shoes.

Do you know anybody who went to school?

• No.
• Chloe. One of my girlfriends. All the people that are kids go. But that’s gonna be fun on the bus. Is there beds on the bus? Awww. I LOVE sleeping.
• Kelly and Regan and Aarick. And me. I’m GONNA go to school. And my doll. Hahahahaha. No, she didn’t go to school.
• Makenna has some sisters that go to school, and Ellie goes to school but now she’s sick, and I can’t talk much else.
• Devon. That’s all.

What do you want to learn about when you go?

• I don’t know because I like so many stuff. I don’t know.
• Letters.
• I wanna know how to do everything.
• I want to learn how to read so I can read my own books.
• How to listen and how to read stories to the children. How to write letters. And write my name, and write letters RIGHT.
• I wanna learn about Jesus.
• Well, math. And umm… Breaktime!
• How to count to one hundred and ten.
• About snakes.
• I wanna learn about letters and numbers and taking care of a real baby. And making good soup and carving good, and cleaning dishes and sharp knives.

All in all, not a bad impression. A little bit easy and a little bit hard, book learning mixed with a few real life skills, and being away from Mommy but getting to ride on a school bus?

They’ll take it.

*Thanks to the mothers who asked their children these questions for me, and shared their audio recordings of the results. Social distancing does not automatically prohibit interviews. Yay!

(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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CONTRIBUTOR: Shari Zook