There are two very unreasonable policies in primary education, which make many originally smart children become stupid students, and basically no one mentions them.
The first unreasonable policy is to start the first grade at the age of six. We post-80s generations used to be in the first grade at the age of 7 when we were young, but now it is much more difficult to learn things than before, but the age of entry is earlier.
Don't look at the age difference. A seven-year-old is much stronger than a six-year-old, both mentally and physically. Elementary school teachers know that the same child is more attentive at the age of seven than at the age of six. A six-year-old may sit for a while and twist in his seat, while a seven-year-old will still sit honestly and properly. This is actually a reflection of the state of the lecture. A child listens carefully for 40 minutes in each lesson, and a child loses concentration after only 10 minutes. In the long run, it must be the one who listens carefully and has a better academic performance.
Therefore, every time I see some parents who want to enroll in school early because their children were born in September, they ask teachers and principals to say good things. I shook my head. These parents are really a waste of God's good luck. It's a pit baby.
The second unreasonable point is that repeating grades is not allowed. This policy is not only unreasonable, but also harmful. I don't know which old man came up with this policy on the head, probably originally intended to protect children's self-esteem. But I have to say that this policy is really harmful.
Some students, a class lasts 40 minutes, sits in a proper manner, and their eyes are glued to the teacher, but their academic performance is not good. Such a student has no problem with his general IQ. So why is the academic performance still not good? The fundamental reason is that the knowledge learned is beyond the students' ability to understand. To put it bluntly, it's not enlightened yet.
Originally, such a student, if you let him stay one level, he will be one year older, his comprehension ability will improve, and if he learns more knowledge, maybe his grades will rise. But now that they are not allowed to repeat grades, such students can only be forced to follow the class, and the previous foundation has not been laid, and the knowledge is becoming more and more difficult later. Frustration is inevitable. Over time, negative feedback is formed in learning.
For teachers, if a student is sure to repeat a grade, it is much easier psychologically, and the requirements for such students are naturally lower. In addition, if some students are allowed to repeat a grade, the whole class can travel lightly, and the grades will naturally improve. However, now that repeating grades is not allowed, the assessment method for teachers is still performance appraisal. You say how can a teacher lower his or her requirements on a single student? So I say, I don't need to give the teacher any disciplinary power. It is enough to give the teacher the authority to let the student repeat the grade. In this way, the relationship between teachers and students will be much more relaxed.
These two very unreasonable policies of primary education have turned many originally smart children into stupid students, and now basically no one mentions them. I don't understand.