When Can I be Me

This week I took a look at how economists, neuroscientists, or politicians support the early childhood field . I was not happy with what I learned, although they support  the field the reason behind it is for their benefit.This is only my opinion, so read a bit on the views of the famous  Dr. Jack P. Shonkoff.

One of the cardinal features of human development is its tremendous variability. I mean, kids grow up in all kinds of different environments, and within similar environments there's a lot of variation among the normal population. I think the challenge that we face is how do we use the knowledge that we have -- not to mention the knowledge that we're going to have going forward -- to create environments that will really support individual development such that every child can reach his or her full potential. And at the same time, we must also value and respect differences among children, and recognize that, depending upon what area of development you look at, some kids are more competent than others. And this tension between optimizing development and respecting and honoring and cherishing differences, I think, gets very close to the heart of how we will use science in both an intelligent and a humane way. Because it would be wonderful to have knowledge that could help all children live as full and rewarding a life as possible, and be as good as they can be.

But even that, "As good as they can be," that's so characteristic of our society, right? I mean, because we're so focused on individual achievement. Not all societies focus on individual achievement this way; but in our society, we focus on individual achievement. And that's such a setup for winners and losers. It's such a setup for haves and have-nots.

But this is a moral issue, this isn't a scientific issue, because some people are fine living in an environment in which there are winners and losers. They say, "That's, you know, the way it is." So it's a matter of personal values and personal preferences. I would prefer to live in an environment that didn't focus so much on winners and losers, but focused on differences and valueis the differences for what they are. And science could be used either way. Science could be used to help us appreciate the richness of diversity, or it could be used to help us push the winners and losers.
I believe that winning is great and there is nothing wrong with competition,but when it is a streesor for parents, children and the teachers then it is no longer a healthy sittuation. When are children allowed to be just that? As professionals we must advocat to preserve children's right to be children.

"The active ingredient in the environment that's having an influence on development is the quality of the relationships that children have with the important people in their lives. That's what it's all about". - Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D.