If self direction is rare in youngsters that is because it is not fostered by their experiences. That's to say, the system needs to cultivate it.

I don't know about America, but in the UK teaching as a career path depends on who is in charge politically. The conservatives like to act as if anyone can teach, and value "life experience" over subject knowledge or the development of teaching as a craft in its own right. Labour tend to lean more towards the latter conception, albeit in a bounded and traditionalist way.

As the father of a new baby, I am not looking forward to picking schools in the years to come. The root cause of that is that the criteria for success are so poor: encyclopaedic knowledge of grammar is valued over ability to understand and effect change in the world. Facts mean more than projects, procedures are more valuable than their application. It is nuts.

Education is not even close to 50% daycare. That's how most people, including teachers see it though and that's why they fail.

My wife is a public pre-K teacher and it's zero daycare in her class. She runs them like soldiers and they love it. They learn a lot and are way ahead, especially considering they're low income which for some reason seems to often correlate with uncaring families that she has to hound to get to work with their kids at home. Every class she's put out misses her class. She's taught kindergarten and 2nd grade the same way.

The "education is 50% daycare" idea is, and I hate to say this but it's true, a white person's viewpoint of education.

"a white person's viewpoint of education."

A) This is a little racist :)

B) "Education = Daycare" is easily proven, right from the article -> Finnish kids don't start school until they are 7 years old (!) and they are #1 in the world for 'outcomes'!

So it would seem that 'doing nothing put let kids play, in a semi-structured way' is equivalent to sending them to school.

Ergo, one could argue that 90% of 'early childhood education' is, in fact 'daycare'.

That your friend 'runs here kids like soldiers' - simply means she has a lot of control - it does not mean they are necessarily learning. Possibly they are learning more self-discipline? And other behaviours, but I wouldn't take that it means more 'learning'.

As long as they are socializing, maybe learning some words, some basic reading - the rest is playtime.

As for your 'racist' (I mean, it's kind of racist, certainly near 'dog whistle territory') comment - this is the reason people voted for Trump - when someone makes a comment somewhere about something innocuous - and then someone says 'racist'. It would be funny if it weren't true. Look where we are now.

50%, 80%, 99%. Any other random statistics you can't back up, at all? You honestly don't know jack s-about education. My wife does know, she absolutely excels and so do her students. She trains other teachers at the state level. The majority of people in the US are white, that's who drives this bs culture of "education is daycare" stupidity. You even bring TRUMP into this, who is about on your level. What a clown.

Not only are your comments racist, but you shouldn't be commenting on HN.

"You honestly don't know jack s-about education"

Two friends teachers in the US system, sister in-law, three cousins and two childhood friends - teachers in the Canadian system.

And I pointed out a very simple fact: Finns are #1 in education and don't even send their kids to school until they are 7 - which is ample 'proof' that early education = daycare.

7 people you know are teachers, makes you a teacher? That's brilliant, Ed. And that's ample proof of nothing. What a useless conjecture. I'm going to be hoping for more of those statistics you can't back up. You have a great ability to detect cause and effect and I wonder how many other fields you're an expert in.

I didn't say I was a teacher - ergo, I'm not making any 'conjecture'.

You offered ZERO facts.

I offered the fact that Finns don't go to school until age 7, and paradoxically, do better than Americans in terms of standardized testing.

Instead of addressing this actual fact - you're calling people names and slinging bigotry.

The only fact that matters is that you have no clue what you're talking about. I hear about teaching as a profession daily from my wife, and as if it matters- I have more teachers and professors in my family than you do. My dad can also beat up your dad.

You also make stats out of thin air. Nice control in your scientific comparison Einstein. Finns start at 7, but as a nation test better than Americans. That is what I said was a useless conjecture.

Learn about cause and effect, how studies are done with controls, and how correlation does not equal causation. You're the worst Monday morning quarterback I've ever seen. Like I said, you really got it figured out.

I'd love to know how many other fields and topics you're an expert in to offer such poor analysis on this one. Dimly informed and zero critical thinking skills to say the least.

Yes, they're learning. They walk out the door with tangible skills, like writing their names, counting to 100, the alphabet, how to add and subtract. How would you know if it's just control. You don't but I do.

It's not racist, I'm white. It's never racist, if it's reality. Your "education is daycare" perspective is absolute nonsense. A failed education system run by people with low standards, is daycare.

"It's not racist, I'm white."

It does not matter that you're white.

You scream about 'facts' and then make a totally racist comment about 'what white people' think, which is not backed by anything but bigotry - and then claim 'to be an expert'.

Again - Finnish students, #1 in the world, don't seem to be focusing on tangible skills such as 'writing their name' and still walk all over American students in standardized testing.

Finnish students don't walk over anyone from my wife's school district. But the overall system is broken because of attitudes like yours. She fights teachers who don't want to teach all the time.

I want to do it too. "99%"(!) chance that Ed Blarney is white, and you happen to believe education is daycare. Thanks for confirming.

"Finnish students don't walk over anyone from my wife's school district."

That's completely irrelevant.

You failed to address the fact: Finns don't go to school until age 7 and they do better than Americans. Ergo - early childhood education is almost irrelevant, as long as they are active, socializing and learning a bit here and there, that's it.

It also does not matter what my skin colour is.

You're not only completely wrong, you're ignoring the argument, and you're still a bigot.

And finally - K-6 is almost identical across the system. It's the same everywhere, and it hasn't evolved a bit over many years. Test scores have gone nowhere.

That's because you have no argument, Ed. You just aren't wise enough to see it. I did bother to explain it in another response to you. But you're really not worth my time.

Also, bigot is primarily meant for religious intolerance. I don't hate my own race though. Nice try wise guy. You should run for office, wherever you live. You seem to have all the answers.