i am so smrt

when i was four years old the most complicated thing that i did was zipping up my own coat. I am so surprise at what kids are capable of these days... my boyfriends niece who just turned four knows how to spell some words like mom and cat, knows how to count to at least 30, ties her own shoes and plays on the computer. This past Christmas she got a computer of her own to hook up to the television, which she does on her own! In the past 15 years, child development has advanced an enormous amount. Spelling, math and other languages are being taught earlier and earlier every year. After nine years of French class my neighbors five year old girl can speak fluently and he parents are English! This little girl also received a guitar for Christmas, and is probably better then me at that too, she has my old piano and I know shes better then I am at that. Another family friend has a four year old boy who has his own four wheeler and can play Playstation like a pro...Another way pop culture is letting us know exactly how stupid we are is with Are You Smarter Then a Fifth Grader? By the way, not many people win this game.
I wonder if kids are getting smarter, we were dumb, or is it because the infinite possibilities children have for development now? I think its somewhere in between. So my next question is why were we so stupid and what is changing? well the reality is that school curriculums are becoming harder and harder and teachers have greater expectations then before. I did a little research into some current curriculums in Ontario schools, and what I found is quite interesting indeed.
Kindergarten:

• Supporting English Language Learners in Kindergarten: A practical guide for Ontario educators, 2007
• Boys' Literacy
• Early Reading Strategy, The Report of the Expert Panel on Early Reading in Ontario, 2003
• Early Math Strategy, The Report of the Expert Panel on Early Math in Ontario, 2003

Since when did we have expectations in KINDERGARTEN and learn math strategies?
Aside from increased demand in the school curriculums, children have been given many more opportunities to learn then generations before them. Thinking as far back to when my parents grew up in the 60s, the only learning tools they had we trolls, Candy Lane and Dominoes. Please tell me how any child can learn from trolls. The 70s had etch-a-sketch and hotwheels and nothing much to stimulate the mind other then the smell of glue and markers. Going back to my childhood Polly Pocket and Barbie taught me nothing other then how to pretend to be a good wife i guess, and I once had laptop that allowed me to type in words and do simple math...very high tech, must of cast a fortune at the time. And now, we have anything your little angel might need, including baby's first video on how to pronounce dada and moma. Im interested to see what happens next, the next thing a four year old will correct me on.