There was a time in our nation's history that children were seen more for their value around the house and farm than whether they could read and write. As this began to change, the one room schoolhouse was the norm. You would find children of all ages and both genders crammed into learning at the same level regardless of age or capability. By the turn of the 20th century, a different approach was taken in the form of grades that enabled children of different ages to be grouped with those of their own age. This alleviated many of the problems resulting from placing all age groups into one standard form of curriculum, but not all.
There was still a problem with standardizing curriculum for a particular grade, regardless whether all in that grade were able to keep up. In the end, it became apparent that some would need to be "held back" a year in order to better comprehend the lessons. As the education system has progressed, there have been many innovative ideas explored and implemented to better fine tune the educational process.
Today, as we continue to learn about the educational process, it has become increasingly clear that not all children are created equal. Borne of this philosophy, the special education classes and schools have sprung up to accommodate those children either considered "gifted" or "challenged". By the 1970's a new approach was presented by educational pioneers Raymond and Dorothy Moore.
Their contention, through much research, was that children were being forced into the educational system way too early. Thus, after many years of study and documentation, comes the book "Better Late Than Early". With many years of research and nearly 29 pages of references to back up their claim, the Moores have produced a compelling reason to consider waiting until the cognitive skills of the child are fully developed before entering the educational system.
In "Better Late Than Early" you will find a thorough A to Z compilation of helpful chapters that present a irrefutable position that your child should wait until the age of eight or later before beginning their education journey. By employing this approach it is the author's contention that the child will still end up far and above where he or she would have anyway. This position hinges on the belief that they would greatly benefit from the better late than early mindset. To force the child into an environment that is contrary to their cognitive level ultimately does more harm than good.
Chapters such as "Some Common Fears and Questions" lay to rest many concerns parents have about entering their children into the school system at a later age. "When They Are Ready For School" explores timelines and aptitudes to determine at what age they can begin the education process. "Learning to Reason" helps both parent and child to understand what it means to apply this principle at its proper place in the child's learning process.
Part two of "Better Late Than Early" deals with separate age groupings, starting with birth to 18 months and ending the ages 6 to 8 or 9, in order to further demystify the mindset of the 'one size fits all' mentality. It lays to rest once and for all that a date on the calendar is no true measurement of capability or readiness to learn.
"Better Late Than Early" is a tried and true approach, fully documented and thoroughly researched with reputable references that will have you rethinking the current position that a child conform to an age group and be placed in a classroom with their peers in varying degrees of learning capability. Raymond and Dorothy Moore have produced a book that is as relevant today as ever, an evergreen book that challenges the status quo with irrefutable evidence that it is not a harmful approach at all to start a child's education better late than early.
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