I wrote this letter to the Times in response to an article from Sunday, May 15. Here is a link to the original article. Photo from NY Times by James Estrin.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/fashion/with-kumon-fast-tracking-to-kindergarten.html?scp=1&sq=fast%20tracking&st=cse
The article, Fast Track to Kindergarten (5/15/11) was concerning, at best. I once attended a lecture on Embryology by Dr. Otto Wolff, M.D. One perspective of measurement of this science is to observe an organism from conception to adult maturity. When one looks at the world of living things through this lens, it becomes obvious that simple organisms go from conception to adulthood very quickly. Conversely, the more complex the creature, the longer it takes for full development. An insect goes from conception to maturity in hours, days or weeks. Human beings take 18-21 years to reach adulthood. This perspective seems to be lost to “the sooner the better crowd.” Fast tracking of development is not congruent with what natural science teaches us about higher mammals. We are raising human beings not insects.
The other troubling quality of this fast tracking trend is that we are asked to trust the interests of CFO's who are in charge of rapidly developing franchise systems. Is it possible that they are exploiting parental fears for profit? Professor Gopnik’s statement regarding the benefit of these systems, “The best you can say is that they are useless,” should raise red flags for parents and educators. As a teacher of elementary children for 20 years, and now as a psychologist, I urge parents to reflect on the image of the tottering elk with overgrown antlers that is unable to walk. This may represent the best result you can expect from these fast track programs. I suggest we allow our children to have an old fashioned childhood. It contradicts our fast culture, yet it seems to be nature's way.
Lee D. Stevens, M.A. Depth Psychology
Mr. Stevens is a doctoral candidate in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California.
