VOA · Education
Intermediate · B1–B2learner speed5:322024-10-02public domain
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01Early education expert Dan Gartrell says the most important civics lesson that preschools can teach is social democracy.
02Gartrell wrote a book about teaching democracy to preschoolers.
03It is called Education for a Civil Society.
04The book is used by the ACCA Child Development Center near Washington, D.C.
05in northern Virginia.
06Gartrell said this teaching starts with appreciating each member of the group as a worthy member and worthy of expressing thoughts and ideas.
07He said after that, children can learn to treat others with kindness to solve conflicts and negotiate difficult situations by using words that do not hurt other people's feelings.
08Rachel Robertson is chief academic officer for Bright Horizons.
09The company operates preschool centers around the world.
10It uses democratic ideas in its education.
11Robertson said that a child starts to be a real community member at around age three or four.
12She said the child starts contributing to the classroom community and thinking a little bit broader about the world.
13At ACCA in Virginia, children are given a lot of autonomy.
14There are hours spent doing free play.
15Children vote on what they study and eat.
16On a recent day, one classroom had just finished studying sand because the children wanted to know about it after they visited beaches over the summer.
17The children also tried different apples and voted on which apples the school should order.
18The ACCA said the decision-making process is meant to affirm to children that their thoughts and the thoughts of their classmates are valuable.
19Reporters with the Associated Press recently visited an ACCA classroom.
20The reporters found the children taking a vote on who the best character was on Paw Patrol, an animated TV series.
21The three- and four-year-old children were choosing between two finalists, a German shepherd named Chase, who wears a police uniform, and Sky, who wears a pink pup pack.
22Educators at ACCA say they are teaching ideas of civics to students early.
23Their goal, they say, is to raise good citizens and strengthen democracy.
24The students are not learning about the structure and rules of government, but teachers say they are working with students on how to solve problems with classmates, how to deal with anger or disappointment, and how to think of the needs of others.
25Mary Fulks is a teacher at ACCA.
26She said, We're all here to help develop these children to become better citizens, to be better problem solvers, and to be better equipped socially, emotionally.
27Maria Isabel Bolivian is the preschool's executive director.
28She said she looks for ways to remind students that they are American.
29For example, she holds a large Fourth of July gathering.
30Bolivian said, If we give them now a sense of belonging, that's going to be a tool that they will have to become resilient once they face discrimination.
31Bolivian added, I don't see how we can change the adults, but I do know if we work hard, we can prepare our children for a better future.
32As for the class vote at ACCA, they narrowly supported Sky in their vote for best Paw Patrol character.
33I'm Mario Ritter Jr.
34I'm Mario Ritter Jr.
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