As my preschooler climbed into the backseat of my car, he barely closed the door before starting the play-by-play of his day. He couldn’t wait to tell me about sliding down the big slide at recess, or building the fort with his best friend during “center time.” As we arrived home and I unpacked his backpack from his day in preschool, I pulled out a painted craft, a lunch box with a half-eaten sandwich, and his nap mat. I felt a pit in my stomach. I knew in just a few short months, his day at school would look very differently.

You see, I’m an elementary teacher who’s spent a considerable amount of time in the kindergarten classroom, and I know all too well the drastic shift that’s coming in the next school year. Sure, there will be crafts and snacks and fun to be had, but many things will be, well, different.

As an educator, I know that Kindergarten has changed, and not exactly for the better.

Teachers have watched Kindergarten become second grade – powerlessly.

This change hasn’t been overnight — over time, we’ve challenged our students a little more, a little earlier. We’ve let the pressure of test scores seep in, and we’ve felt the need to compete on a grander stage with far more people around the world. Somewhere along the way, we stepped on the academic hamster wheel and it hasn’t stopped. At some point, we got caught up in the idea that how smart our kids are is EVERYTHING.

You could say the same for every grade. There’s a subtle but evident shift causing our children to become more adult-like earlier on than in years past — but there’s something about Kindergarten that feels exceptionally jarring, with it being our kids’ greeting to elementary school.

The Kindergarten we knew as kids is no longer the one we have today. Kindergarten is the new second grade.

We’ve traded play and pretend for getting ahead.

We’ve abandoned “let kids be kids” for a stepping stone toward adulthood.

In favor of college-readiness, we’ve lessened working with our hands .

In exchange for “be quiet, sit still,” we’ve abandoned a valuable year of early childhood.

We are pouring into our babies, toddlers, and preschoolers with play, just to turn around and empty the cup.

We are building healthy sleep habits just to throw away the nap mats when they may just need them the most.

Please know that teachers are advocating for play, and not only because of the education-related benefits.

Teachers know what kids really need.

Play is good for not just the mind and body, but for our students’ precious souls. There’s a reason our kids’ innate desire is to play, and that reason reaches far beyond academics.

Please know that districts and administrators give teachers set curriculum to follow — one we do not actively participate in creating. We can implement as much play as possible within those confines, but we still anticipate a slap on the wrist when we don’t meet the academic goals determined for us. We can only do so much.

While our “purpose” as teachers may be to educate our students, I’d like to argue that our goal is more so to foster an environment that creates a love for learning and growing. That’s what Kindergarten, especially, should be — an introduction into a life-long celebration of learning.

Teachers and parents aren’t the only ones thinking it.

The research is on our side.

Recent studies defend the idea that play-based learning is ideal for Kindergarten students. In the study “The Power of Play: A Research Summary on Play and Learning,” the author shares the following collective results: “Through play, children learn to regulate their behavior, lay the foundations for later learning in science and mathematics, figure out the complex negotiations of social relationships, build a repertoire of creative problem-solving skills, and so much more.”

The study shares that active play has plummeted 50% over the past forty years, while obesity levels and mental health struggles in children have increased aggressively. Our academic achievement looks better than ever on paper, but at what cost?

Is Kindergarten truly the new second grade? In my professional opinion, yes. Which also means that 5 is the new 7, 4th grade is the new middle school, and 16 years old is the new graduate. As a teacher, I’m sick of it. I’m tired of pushing our little birds out of their proverbial nests before they’re biologically ready. Our Kindergarten students aren’t ready to fly — they can’t even tie their shoes!

Kindergarteners need more play. National and state education authorities may disagree, test scores may drop, and we may *gasp* fall behind academic performance to other countries, but teachers know this to be true in their hearts. Our students not only need more time to play pretend and lean into being young kids: they deserve it.

As an elementary teacher, I will continue to keep my students’ best interest at the forefront of my mind, allowing the space and time for play at every possible opportunity.

As a parent, my heart is going to break as I watch my preschooler walk through the doors of his elementary school for the first time — straight into second grade.