Want school kids to learn better? Let them out of their desks | Letter to the editor

All over social media and in the news Governor DeSantis is making comments about the drop in VPK scores around Florida, wanting to know what is it that we as educators can do to help these children succeed.



Children of all ages learn best from hands on experiences, by doing, seeing, touching, exploring, and living the lesson. We have the expectation of having them in class and sit in a circle quietly and sing and talk or read a book, then do some table work and writing. There might be a break for some free play, snack and then back to work because we only have three hours to get it all in.

Schools are removing recess, art, music, and extracurricular activities and kids are spending more and more time sitting at a desk expected to listen to the teacher in front of them. Kids are not staying on track and keeping up because they have so much energy they need to release and they aren’t being allowed to do so or even allowed to learn their way.

They need sound, hands on, touch, visual, cause and effect and the opportunity to try and fail and try again. Let’s get the kids out of chairs and get them to use the creativity, the energy, the brains and their ability to work together to solve and learn and explore what is needed to learn and grow. With the proper directions from teachers is absolutely possible to go in the right direction, the right speed to be where they need to be academically.

Small children learn with their hands, eyes, minds, and bodies, by restricting them to a chair you are only holding them back.

Aimee Suter

Beverly Smith

Bradenton