An Interview with Kindergarteners
This interview took place in 2013 with Alice’s (then) six-year old twins, Miller and Lillian, soon after they started Kindergarten.
Why do you have to go to school?
Miller: To learn.
Lillian: Because our moms and dads are at work and we won’t have anywhere to stay so we go to school to learn.
What is the best part about school?
Miller: That we can go to the play park.
Lillian: That we can learn and do activities when we are done and we can ride on buses and go on adventures like the Nature Science Center and we get to play twice on the play park.
What is reading?
Miller: It means you read a book and the best part is that you can look at books and start to read.
Lillian: It is fun and it’s an activity to read and you have to read everyday.
What is math?
Miller: Math is numbers. Like 1 +1 is equal to 2. Like 100 + 100 is 200.
Lillian: Math is a fun activity to do stuff. You have to learn- like doing numbers. 300 + 200 = 500.
What is writing?
Miller: It’s where you write and you color it with a pencil and it is fun. It’s what you need to do everyday in kindergarten.
Lillian: Writing is something you do to learn. You have to write words and you could write activities for other people to do.
What is something else you want to tell me about related to school?
Miller: Science. It’s a fun activity because you can like make stuff and explosions.
Lillian: Share. You have to share toys or you won’t be a nice friend. It’s important to be nice to your friends so they will be nice back to you.
If you could tell your teachers anything, what would you say?
Miller: Can we play on the Promethean board?
Lillian: I would ask her to put more marbles in the jar.
Asking children about their perceptions of school can be a useful parenting and teaching tool. The answers to these questions reveal much more than a childlike view of the world. The answers to these questions reveal their evolving perceptions of school, learning, and what subject areas they are interested in.
Miller is primarily seeing school as a place to gain information and play. His answers reveal a positive outlook about school and specific subject areas. He is indicating a beginning understanding of not only what we learn at school, but the value attached to it.
Lillian sees school as not just a place to learn, but also indicates she is beginning to value the social aspect of the classroom — noticing dynamics between friends and how she fits into that. She sees school as an avenue to “adventures” that she wants to be a part of.
I expect the answers to these questions to change and evolve over the school year and over the course of their education. The one thing I will look for is the common themes in their answers that show me how they see school fitting into their lives.
If you have school age children, take time to ask them a few questions like those above. By having a conversation about the purpose of school, the best parts, etc., you can keep them on track to be a lifelong learner.