What ever happened to the adage that play is child's work?

I have tutored reading in the school system for almost five years as an independent contractor along with my partner.We are still seen as pariahs...why you ask? Because we believe that children learn best when they are in their natural state...which is play!
We create, design and implement games that provide interactive opportunities that instantly engage the student, simultaneously raising their confidence level! And it is amazing to observe that each child runs to our classroom and dawdles out when it is time to leave.

We have seen low readers become competent readers because they are not on the defensive having to sit and read a book, but rather play a game, using reading skills that they are not aware they are using, thereby allowing them to feel safe and comfortable.
When we present students with challenging thinking games, those that have been told they are underachievers have been the ones to respond most competently and effectively! They walk out of our classroom with their heads held high, laughing and at ease.

So herein lies the question, why does the educational system not buy into the importance of speaking the language of the child? When did training and not learning how to think, become education?

When we lose the natural, we lose the positive.

Learn more about this author, Ariel Harris.
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