As a child enters pre-school, around the period of 3-5 years, they are strongly influenced by the interaction with their teachers and peers. At this developmental stage a large proportion of subconscious stimuli is still accumulating in response to environmental influences that will shape future perception and behaviour. This is difficult to reverse once cemented. During these years, a child learns the value of social interaction and is taught to respect an external authority beyond their parents.

A social and interactive learning environment is healthy for an individual’s development, allowing them to feel more comfortable with other environments beyond their home. An individual who is too sheltered may develop social aversion and anxiety and will find it difficult to create and maintain healthy connections. Those with siblings may find this stage in the process easier. It can be intimidating when a child is first separated from their parents and exposed to a foreign environment. Some children, depending on the nature of their parental attachment style, will find it difficult to let go. Others may have a disruptive and difficult temperament. 

Children of a more extraverted disposition may find it naturally easier to deal with new people and environments. This is the first time a child will experience group dynamics. Some will find it easy to fit into a friendship group, whereas others may prefer a one on one dynamic. Either way, it is vital that a child feels he/she is able to formulate new friendships, otherwise this will impact their ability to adjust to society later in life. It is necessary for pre-school teachers to be aware of the unique disposition of each child and to adjust accordingly. By being attentive to every child’s needs in this way, it will ensure a tailored learning environment that benefits all. 

Following pre-school a child will be more familiar with new social environments and should find it easier to meet new friends and act more confidently with peers and around teachers. The child’s learning curriculum develops a more fixed structure where holistic learning is fragmented into separate subjects, producing standardised material, where the ability to conform, memorise and repeat is rewarded. Procedures such as class registration, asking permission to use the toilet, forming orderly lines, sitting at desks facing forwards and raising arms to speak, all promote obedient ritualistic behaviours.

This uniform teaching method is one all students are expected to adhere, irrespective of their unique temperament and learnings capabilities. Therefore, it becomes necessary to separate children into learning groups based on their perceived ability. The problem here is that children with unconventional learning preferences will be considered less able and won’t have their individual strengths nurtured. Putting children into numbered groups could make some feel inadequate, or incite competition in others. At such a tender age it is unhealthy for children to be organised in this way. 

Examinations are stressful environments to partake in, and some children can experience high states of anxiety which will impact their performance. Those with sharper memory retention or a more supportive home environment will tend to fare off better as well. Therefore, this isn’t a true indication of a child’s educational abilities and may be more destructive to their individual growth than the perceived benefits acquired from good grades.

The outcome of these examinations will likely determine what tier they are positioned within their next school. This is the start of nurturing children to excel in certain subject areas that are deemed more valuable to society, but may not reflect individual creative capacities. Because of this, some personality types will start to lose interest in the learning style and become restless. They may be labelled as disruptive or even attention deficit and hyperactive, which is an attempt to rationalise why some individuals aren’t as focused as others. 

Such diagnoses can undermine a child’s high energy or creative spark, and if a parent chooses to medicate their child, they are in effect making them more docile and obedient. A learning environment that rewards memory and obedience diminishes curiosity, curtailing the imagination and adventurous spirit of a child, which prematurely takes away innocence. Paradoxically, the older we get, the more out of touch we actually become with reality.

Our dreams as a child were telling us something about what type of person we could become. An individual will likely repress their personal dreams and aspirations, perceiving them to be unrealistic, idealistic or unattainable. When we lock them away, we live within confined possibility, following life like a deterministic script. Attempts to look at reality deeper, question the status quo, or connect with one’s individuality, on other hand, are punished. This type of negative reinforcement conditions a child into habits that are hard to break, instilling a sense of learned helplessness, fearing to diverge from the rules in fear of negative repercussions.

The educational establishment is in need of complete overhaul, but as long as profit is valued over individual well-being, there is unlikely to be any significant change. Therefore, parents are tasked with the decision of what learning environment is most conducive to their child’s well-being. Increasingly, if able, more parents are deciding to home school their child. This does not necessarily compromise a child’s social life, because there are many extra curricular activities and clubs a child can partake in, and they can spend time with friends and family in a more flexible way. In fact, many children who have been home schooled go on to develop some of the deepest intimate connections and become very successful in their personal endeavours. This is because, in most cases, the parents have afforded the child more free will to exercise their individuality and the interaction between parents and child has healthy benefits of its own.