We have many adults out there who cannot read. Why? Did they not go to school? What were they doing in the infant classes of our primary schools? If they did reading in the infant classes and they left not being able to read, then maybe the problem started there. The syllabus in the infant department of our primary schools is overloaded. The infants are expected to do reading, mathematics, grammar, writing, science, social studies, singing, art and craft, physical education, drama, religion and maybe more. In the areas of science and social studies, the programmes that are prepared are planned down to its simplest detail and are expected to be done.
As an infant school teacher, I was always appalled at the amount of subject areas to be done, and the work it entailed. When it comes to reading, there are many aspects of it that need to be taught. Together with these teaching periods the child needs to engage in related activities. These activities allow the child to work the topic, strengthen his skills and put the element of fun in his/her reading. When the child is burdened with social studies and all the work that is demanded, it takes away from the time needed to explore and enjoy the activities related to reading. It has been argued that the social studies and science subjects themselves can become topics for reading.
However, time still has to be taken to present these subjects first, before the reading material can be worked out. This too would only take care of the "sentence method" of reading which the child already has enough of in the reading book. On the subject of reading books, the pupils have been given a poor choice. I wonder in how many ways has the "Boyo and Carla" reading books contributed to the poor reading skills of many of our adults? The reading books which have helped many to develop their phonic skills have been rejected for a long time by the powers that be as suitable choices for reading in the infant classes. I grew up using the West Indian Reader with its old word-building exercises.
This was followed by another West Indian Reader which offered very helpful phonic exercises for the children. These were removed. As a teacher, however, I never depended solely on these books to teach my students phonics. My students were given blackboard exercises, key word building and listening exercises, for example ball, bag, book (which letter begins these), card activities like letter and word bingo, among other things. These, too, must be done often enough to have a positive effect. How on earth can the infants be expected to handle all those other subjects as well in any great detail? This is unfair to both pupil and teacher. The day is only so long. Do we really want them to be able to read when they leave the infant department?
All pupils do not learn in the same way. Learning to read will present more difficulties for some than others. These activities would certainly help the slow learners to better understand the mechanics of reading. Even though the infant classes may seem to some extent to be able to handle the syllabus, at what price does reading have to suffer for this? If every year six pupils leave an infant class in every primary school not being able to read, this all adds up. There are so many more adults going out there not being able to read. How successful are the remedial classes in the primary schools? If all the necessary work is done in the infant classes, it will prevent a lot of grief and embarrassment for the child later on.
The subjects such as social studies and science can be handled in greater detail later on when the child is ready to leave the infant department. Please give these five and six-year-olds a break. Let them have more fun in the infant classes, which will relieve a lot of the domestic as well as classroom tension and stress that some of them already carry around. The powers that be, like the Minister of Education, supervisors, principals and teachers themselves, must all co-operate in this and not see themselves as the "big stick" which enforces orders laid down. Let us all start thinking and working a little more constructively for the benefit of these helpless five-year-olds who represent our future generations.
Camille Gonsalves-Simmons
Retired teacher, via e-mail
