Page 8 - Education Supplement_Issue 1_2023

OPINION PIECE

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Here’s to The Square Pegs
Her e’ s t o The Squar e P egs

By Nicola Killops

t’s that time of year when we see our social media feeds instrumental in how they fared as their final years in high school.
overflowing with schools proudly celebrating their matric And so were their preschool days. It’s all relative, but not in a way
Iresults. We see stats depicting pass rates, university exemptions, many would think.
distinctions, and where each of the top achievers placed relative
to their peers. The fanfare we see at the end of the journey has resulted in
massive pressure and expectations being placed on children and
For those who achieved it, it is a momentous milestone reached schools before they even start grade one. And the pressure is
after years of hard work, sacrifice, and determination. For the always focused on academics.
schools that produced the achievers, it is the ultimate feather in
their caps. And the parents are slowly releasing a breath they have In the beginning
held in for 12 years or more. And rightfully so – it wasn’t easy. One morning, during my commute, I saw a billboard advertising
an ‘academic preschool.’ It’s what got me tugging at this particular
But what about everyone else? It’s also a time when some are thread. What could they possibly mean by ‘academic’ when their
just relieved that it’s over. Many matriculants did their best pupils were aged between three and six? Of course, I’m well aware
and are walking away very pleased with a perfectly respectable that the intention was to highlight their focus on early literacy
result, despite the absence of fanfare. Others are experiencing and numeracy, and it’s what their potential clientele want to hear.
disappointment, despair, and hopelessness, wondering what But it also drove home something that made me feel quite sad.
is next. It was when I realised that many people confuse academics and
learning. They are very different, and when the latter is adequately
It’s given me a lot of food for thought. Before I started my writing nurtured, you are more likely to succeed in the former.
career, I had been teaching for nearly 20 years. I taught Grades
4 and 5 for most of those years, which is an interesting time in a For the most part, the school system focuses on the end result.
child’s academic life. When I see the matric results of children I And that’s because good results make the system look good.
taught years before, I realise that their time with me was just as But what about the children? This is why those who work with

Education | February 2023 | 6