Wherefore Art Thou Kindergarten?

I love trivia.  Especially when it involves common misunderstandings of words and phrases.   One of my favorite examples comes from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.  In a classic and oft repeated monologue, Juliet asks, “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”  Mistakenly, many people believe she is asking where he is?  Maybe he went to the 7-Eleven for a pack of smokes.  If she was truly asking that, a simple answer would suffice, and her following comments would seem disconnected.  However, in fact, she is asking why Romeo is who he is.  Her question cuts to the very foundation of the conflict between the Capulet and Montague families as an obstacle to their love.

So, when I ask wherefore art thou kindergarten, I am actually asking why are you kindergarten, for what reason are you kindergarten.  For what reason does kindergarten exist?

In 1986, Robert Fulghum published a book called All Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.  I probably read the book at the time.  I can’t remember for sure.  But I really liked, and still do, the confirmation and assurance that we learn so many core values at such a young age.  They prepare us for life and engaging with others.  I looked on Amazon and saw that his book contained fifty short essays on how the world would be improved if adults adhered to the same basic rules as children.  I don’t know what he included in his list, so we may overlap, but I wanted to share just a few essential things that I learned in kindergarten from Ms. Wiggins at Moultonborough Elementary School, in Moultonborough, NH. 

Kindness.  Yes ma’am.  Thank you.  You’re welcome.  Please.  I own a few t-shirts that say, “Be Kind.”  It is as much a reminder to me as others.   It’s a fairly popular t-shirt now that I see other adults wear.  Yet, nobody was wearing that on a t-shirt in the 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s.  It was pretty much a given among children and adults alike.  Unfortunately, while it is so simple that a six-year old can learn it, too many of us have forgotten how to exercise it and demonstrate it on a daily basis.  Some of us have completely stopped even trying.  Kindness is being replaced by degradation, name-calling, and slander.

Curiosity.  I can still remember the building blocks and finger painting.  I was in wonder watching how many blocks we could pile before it all crumbled.  And the words we could make from the letters on the blocks mesmerized us.  I was in awe of all the colors I could make in finger painting when I would mix them together and make Thanksgiving Turkeys out of the shape of my hand, eager for my Mom to put it on the fridge later for display.  Curiosity is being replaced by a dogmatic faith and inexplicable reliance on confirmation bias. 

Honesty.  We learned about George Washington telling the truth about cutting down the cherry tree.  Ironically, this turned out not to be accurate, but our teachers and us believed it to be true at the time.  We also learned about Honest Abe.  It was comforting and reassuring to know that the leaders of our nation stood for something bigger than themselves and led by example.  Honesty is being replaced by misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation.  And it is rampant.

Community.  We learned that we were all a member of a group.  We were different races, different colors, different religions, but we each took turns handing out the small milk cartons, passing out the snacks, erasing the chalkboard, being the line leader, and taking a turn at crossing guard.  I liked being the line leader.  It felt so responsible.  I didn’t like erasing the chalkboard much; it made me cough sometimes.  But I took my turns, no more or no less than anyone else.  And we respected others in their roles.  We didn’t think about race and religion.  We were a kindergarten community.  We were all Ms. Wiggins’ students.  Community is being replaced by dividing and conquering, divisiveness and sometimes flat out cruelty, as we are going backwards in the rights that every member of the community should have. 

Play.  We played Hopscotch, Red Light Green Light, and Marbles.  We laughed, had fun, followed the rules, and learned not to take ourselves too seriously.  They were games that anyone could win, and we learned to be a good sport, win or lose.  My favorite marbles were the cats-eyes and the steelies.  Play is being replaced by winning at all costs, isolationism, and repeatedly changing the rules to suit personal agendas. 

I guess it can be too easy for adults to forget.  But learning is easier at a young age.  That is what makes kindergarten so important.  It is more essential now than ever.  That is the reason kindergarten exists.  To teach values.  To help young people learn to grow up to be good people and benevolent members of a larger community.

The U.S. Department of Education helps fund kindergartens through programs like Title 1.  The federal government is a key source of funding for early childhood education.   The Department also provides grants for students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students – members of our community.  There is so much more.  But are we kind enough to address it together?  Are we curious about everything that will be impacted if we eliminate the Department?  Are our motives honest?  Have we done enough homework to know this will actually help our community?  Can we play nice together to figure this out?

If we are not careful, in a few years the question may actually change from wherefore art thou kindergarten to where are you, what were you, and where did you go, kindergarten.

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