중3은 혼자서 하는데 유치원생은? (english post)
that's a post i saw just now on 특사모, a naver cafe for students preparing for special high schools (or parents and students in those high schools) and it roughly translates to '3rd year middle schoolers can work alone, but what about kindergarteners?'
i had a weird feeling when i saw the first comment so i clicked away without thinking. but the post basically asked how the students in this forum were as 6 year olds. a couple of 6-year-old parents respond in the comments about what they're making their kid study and their worries around the kid. in the only comment i actually read, they were talking about making the kid do certain worksheets or taking certain classes after kindergarten, and they were worried about which worksheet to use and whether they're doing well enough.
to be fair, i was also on worksheets as a kindergartner, the first memory i have with them was before i even left korea when i was two. i had exactly one worksheet that was supposed to teach me how to write and count, pretty simple and lightweight. and i loved to do those! i'd do like three of them in one day when you're only supposed to do one, and i actually begged to do more of them. (man i miss those days i was actually interested in education) as i grew older but not that old, so age 3~6, i switched to a slightly more advanced workbook, and i still liked doing that until i didn't. i think the main reason i liked doing the workbook was because i thought i was doing more than other kids and therefore carving my own path.
but i think what bothered me was less of the worksheets and classes the 6 year olds in the post were taking, it was more of the 'independent studying' part. the post implied asking if the students studied independently even as a 6 year old. and what would the 'studying' be? i don't think the parent was talking about exploring the world and playing around even without any meaningful output, just for the sake of experience, which is what i think most 6 year olds should be doing. they'd be talking about researching or going on rabbit holes about something 'academic' or making their own study plans and actually keeping them. that's such a stupid thing to measure you know, they're six years old. i did worksheets when i was six, but that was 30 minutes maximum. most of the time i played with my friends and drew pictures and played on my mom's phone. i never kept up with my piano practice schedule. i first started thinking about my future in fifth grade, you know. and some kids can be even 'lazier' in kindergarten and start to work hard in middle or high school (though they're in 특사모 so they want the kids to start working hard at least in middle school) and not in the way their parents want! maybe all their experience of playing around and watching youtube on different subjects will pay off and be used as background information or curiosity. remember, these are six year olds y'all are talking about!
sometimes i don't like the atmosphere of these education related forums in general. sure they sometimes give useful info, like i learned what 세특 was in 특사모, i learned the latest education trends in korea. but mostly they seem like parents showcasing kids' notes and worksheets. i mean sometimes they're actual hard work with determination by the students themselves, but sometimes they're just parents making kids do stuff and post it on the internet to get false hope that by doing what the rest of the cafe is doing, maybe their kid is going into a special high school and everything will be good for their kid.
but whatever i'm just a little guy (my teacher's quote) who doesn't know how science high schools work and how parenting works.
update 2025-11-13: yeah i was probably stressed out about having to be the perfect 6 year old to be a good future adult. but pls do not spin your 6 year old on hakwons thank you