Better Late Than Early Reflection

Raymond Moore has a background working within the educational system at several levels, from a teacher to positions at the Federal level. This is an older book, but well worth the read as it applies even more so today as formal education is pushed for at a younger and younger age. 

In this book, written in the 70’s, Moore pushes back against the cultural trend of pushing education at an earlier and earlier age. He gives an overview of the existing research available at that time, and recommends waiting to begin formal education until a child reaches a maturity level in multiple developmental categories (vision, hearing, social-emotional progress and the activities of the central nervous system). Most children, he found, weren’t ready for school around 8-10 years of age. He also links waiting to begin formal education until the child is developmentally ready to better educational achievement and improved attitudes towards school. 

As unschoolers, as we allow our children to develop at home away from the enforced time table set by external institutions. I found it interesting that Moore's reported age where children reach Integrated Maturity Level also was very similar with what I’ve heard unschoolers report for ages when their children began to read. The research cited and his observations on children’s readiness to learn supports the idea of not worrying about our children learning to read or otherwise match up with the public education timetable, which is pushing early learning on children who would be better off playing and continuing to develop naturally in a loving home environment. 

Raymond More explains how he came to believe that schooling should be delayed until a child reaches a certain point in their maturity in multiple areas, not a specific age. He calls this the Integrated Maturity Level. 

“When we found that neurophysiologist and learning psychologist arrived independently at the same ages- about 8-10- for the beginning of school task, we began systematically to review studies of the brain and of perception. Our attention was also directed to related research areas, such as vision and hearing. In fact, we found that a number of areas that had been largely ignored by many educational planners.”(Pg 35)

“With regard to vision, hearing and, to some extent, maternal deprivation, we were astonished to find that maturity levels coincided remarkably with the 8-10 year-old findings. And careful search yielded little contrary evidence.” (Pg 35)

Moore reassures parents that delaying the start of formal education will not hinder them academically. 

“Given normal practical experiences around the home, he will be well along on readiness for his later reading and arithmetic chores. And what he doesn’t have, he soon will get. The child who is treated sensibly in this way will usually catch up and pass the other children in achievement and all-around development. He is also much less likely to be a discipline problem.” (Pg 26)

As homeschoolers, we are often asked the question of “What about socialization?” He addresses this as well. 

“ A reason often given for the trend toward early schooling is that such experience gives a child opportunity to learn how to get along with others. Several questions should be raised about this presumed benefit of early schooling. What is the evidence that these children actually do get along better? What kind of socialization should they have? Do we want them simply to make many acquaintances? Or do we expect them to develop concern and consideration for others and respect for older people? What do we really mean by “getting along”? Are these values really best developed in a crowded situation where a child have relatively little attention from an adult whom he can use as a pattern? Or will he find more identity of the right kind in a home where his parents can respond to him on a consistent, warm and constructive basis throughout the day, and where youngsters in the neighborhood can challenge his selfish ideas? The so-called preschool socialization process does not necessarily socialize ideally.

In fact, there is considerable support for the notion that, for most children, the preschool is not the best for social purposes. The young child needs a free but somewhat protected environment. He should not be subjected to undue excitement or competition until he develops the ability to reason consistently-and until he has reached a level of maturity at which he perceives well and begins to see his environment in a less selfish perspective. Until then, he cannot see another’s point of view. This applies even when he is at home,although the demands of school often induce more selfishness than generosity in the social life of the 5 or 6 year old. And such selfish attitudes generally limit his sociability.

Parents should make up their minds as to what kind of children they want, and what sacrifices they are willing to make.They should be aware of what they can do that teachers could never provide.”(pg 23-24)

 It was incredible to me when I realized when this book was written, as the push to get kids reading and ‘doing school’ is much younger now even then when this book was written. He favors preschool and childcare be used only when necessary, and in as close to a home-like environment as possible. He argues the case that the best place for the child’s interest is to be at home with a loving and supportive parent or parental figure. This is an important book in advocating for children to be given the freedom to play and be children while they are young, delay formal learning and push back against the cultural pressure to focus on academics while kids are young.