by David Brown

Created on: May 14, 2010   Last Updated: May 15, 2010

When I was attending college in the 1960's, I made the decision too become a teacher and coach. After investigating the necessary steps too change into the education department, I began to hear the term readiness. It seemed that every class I took pursuing my goals included the term readiness. This readiness thing, I discovered had a very simple meaning and in my later career a very profound effect on my life.

The meaning of readiness is to be prepared mentally or physically for some experience or action. This definition comes from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. This definition appears to detail how one is ready to undertake a particular task. From the first course, Introduction to Education, I learned what great men and women of education thought and wrote about readiness.  John Dewey, Thorndike, Bloom and Piaget, these were a few of the many leaders discussed. The ideas coming from such tremendous thinkers were interesting and the exposure to such a group was beneficial. Learning about the developmental stages of children was and is still helpful. I believed if this knowledgeable group had done all the work and studying before me, why should I concentrate on changing their ideas.

Jumping forward to the present year, I now want to scream with agony. The witnessing of the pressure to have children read at earlier ages seems to be overbearing. The state and national leaders proclaim that the children need to be in school or exposed to school sooner not later.  President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program to advance the nations youngsters in their educational training calls for testing the kid’s brains out. NCLB places enormous pressure on local districts. They are required to put all the requirements into effect without money from the government.

In my healthy opinion, if we test children until they are unconscious, the kids will begin to show neurotic signs. I can visualize in the future when suddenly all the kids will be running from the schools screaming "No More"! Our leaders will look at each other and shout, "What did we do"? It is not our fault! These leaders will say it was the Democrats or the Republicans or some other group. We were just trying to help the kids!

Piaget, who our leaders seem to forget about, in his research, made developmental stages to be age related. A child will learn and develop at certain ages. Why do we not pay attention?

In Physical education, we understand that children need time to develop

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