【英文 Essay】Importance of Education to Young Children

Most parents are anxious that their children should do well in life and they often feel that this includes receiving a good education. Many parents are of the opinion that in order to achieve educational success, children should start on their formal school education as early as possible. Not content with this, they also feel that it will help their children enormously if they attend nursery schools which provide some kind of preschool education.

Nowadays, many countries place a great emphasis on the importance of state nursery education. To some extent, this is in response to the pleas of working parents for the state provision of better childcare. These state nursery schools, at least for the older children attending them, often have a kind of curriculum which the children have to follow, although this is not usually so rigid as an actual school curriculum. The idea is that nursery schools should teach the children a certain amount of knowledge about letters and numbers, for example, so that they will find learning easier when they get to school.

One of the results of this is that, when the children from these nurseries go to school, they go straight to a more formal program of learning than was previously the case. The serious business of education begins earlier and there is less fun to be had in the early school years.

Because of the emphasis on learning in some state nursery schools, many private nursery schools go even further than the state nurseries, starting on relatively formal learning programs at a very early age. Since there are so many families with both parents working full-time nowadays, many more children attend nursery school than a few years ago. Thus, many children are being involved in this early learning process.

Is it a good idea that children become involved in a formal learning process at an early age? I really do not think so. If educationists are not careful, they are going to spoil the joy of children for many children.

It is part of the joy of childhood to be allowed to have fun playing, whether this is by yourself or with your siblings or friends. Children should be allowed the freedom to play for a few years before the serious business of education begins. Not so long ago, when only one parent worked and the other one, usually the mother, stayed at home to look after the children, children played at home with their toys for most of the day. Just because children nowadays have an alternative source of childcare does not mean that they should give up their fun and play.

In fact, children's play is not just about fun. Play is an important part of children's development and, indeed, children learn through play. Play allows them to use their imagination and show their creativity.

Of course, it can be argued that the staff at nursery schools, even those where there is some kind of official learning program, do base the learning process to play. The trouble is that, very often, this is a play that is directed by the nursery staff.

Children need to be allowed to play spontaneously without any kind of direction, however subtly this direction is handled. They need to be able to give full rein to their imagination without the interference of adults.

Of course, education is important, but early childhood lasts such a very short time. Children spend quite enough years being stressed by curricula and examinations. Let us give them their early childhood years to enjoy their unstructured play.

 Vocabulary Study 词汇学习 

childcare noun the process of looking after a child, either carried out by a parent, grandparent, etc or by a qualified person who is paid to do so: 

Lucy has decided to give up work because the cost of childcare at the local nursery is more than what she earns. Jane and Mike have two children and they share the childcare equally.

curriculum noun the different courses of study that are taught in school or college: The education department has changed the curriculum for senior schools yet again and teachers are confused. 
curriculum also means the things that are studied in a particular subject: We are halfway through the history curriculum. (The plural form of curriculum = curricula)

educational adjective connected with education: There is no doubt that television has proved to be of considerable educational value.

educationist (also educationalist) noun a person who specializes in methods and theories of education: Educationists are arguing about the best method to teach children to read.

give full rein to see rein.

plea noun an emotional or urgent request: The mother and her four children were homeless but a council representative ignored her pleas for help.

provision noun the act or process of making something available to someone who needs or wants it or who may need or want it in the future: It is only sensible for parents to start making provision for their children are quite young. One doctor is responsible for the provision of medical care to the people of this large area. 

provide verb to make something available to someone who wants or needs it: The council has a duty to provide the homeless people with somewhere to live. Jane is in need of emotional support just now, and all the members of her family are providing this.

rein, give full rein to (also give free rein to) to allow a feeling or emotion to be expressed freely: Jane was very calm until after her husband's funeral and then she gave full rein to her grief. 

reins noun plural the long thin leather straps that are attached to a bridle on a horse's head in order to control the horse: The rider let go the reins and the horse galloped off out of control.

Language Help: If you give full or free rein to a horse, you allow it to go as fast as it wants.

rigid adjective if a system, rule, etc is rigid, it is impossible or extremely difficult to change and is therefore considered very severe: The rules relating to entry into the country are very rigid and the refugees were turned back at the border.

sibling noun (used in formal context) a brother or sister: There is sibling rivalry between the brothers and this often results in quarrelling and fighting. Jenny regrets that she had no siblings and says that she felt lonely as a child.

spontaneously adverb if you do something spontaneously, you do it because you suddenly want to do it and not because it has been planned or arranged: The children spontaneously started to applaud their teacher.

spontaneous adjective not planned, organized, or done because someone wants to do it: There was a spontaneous round of applause from the students at the end of the lecture. 

spontaneity noun the quality of being natural and spontaneous: All the spontaneity of the applause.

unstructured play noun play that is not organized in any complete or detailed way and so allows for children to act spontaneously: It is important that primary school children are given time for some unstructured play in the course of the school day. 

structured adjective carefully organized or arranged in a system or pattern: We have a very structured management system in this firm. 

structure verb to arrange the different parts of something in a carefully organized system or pattern: We are planning to structure the staff holiday system in a slightly different way.

Source: Model Essay Book