Show and tell is still around but different

Show-and-tell as we know it is nearing extinction. It's probably one of the most common memories parents from my generation have from our early school experiences. But it's not what it used to be.

Every Friday, when I was in preschool, kindergarten and first grade, each child got to bring in anything from home and tell about it. Now some classes have no show-and-tell at all; some limit it to one student a week. And many students are allowed to bring in only something that starts with the letter they are learning that week or something related to the topic they are studying, such as a certain color, the solar system or jungle animals.

Teachers and educators tell me there are several reasons for the shift from the free-for-all my generation was allowed. Students are expected to learn a lot more these days, even in kindergarten, so that leaves less time for unrelated topics. Also many schools make it a policy not to bring toys to school to avoid squabbling, lost toys and distractions. And in some cases one of the purposes of show and tell, promoting self-esteem, backfires when children try to outdo each other. They can quickly change "show and tell' into "bring and brag."

My parents still laugh at one of my show-and-tell moments from first grade. The mayor of Raleigh, N.C., had given my father a key to the city as some kind of recognition for his years as editor of the newspaper there. (He was the first to admit it didn't take a lot to receive this honor.) The gold key was about a foot long and weighed several pounds. I excitedly took it to show and tell and passed it around to all my wide-eyed peers. Then I explained that while it didn't unlock any doors or treasure boxes, we used it a lot for cracking open pecans and peanuts.

"When we were in kindergarten, it was just a year to ease into school," said Kelly Kennedy, a Title I curriculum supervisor at Melrose Elementary School. "Now everybody goes to preschool, so kindergarten is more serious. We're held accountable (for successfully teaching certain skills), so if you're doing show and tell you better have a good reason."

Mimi Bridge, who teaches prekindergarten to 4- and 5-year-olds at the Canterbury School in St. Petersburg, said she started limiting show and tell about 10 years ago when the curriculum for even young students became more structured.

"It got to be too time consuming because our day is so filled with learning activities," she said. "And if they brought in a toy, they got to show it, then had to put it away for the rest of the day, so it was kind of senseless."

Now she encourages students to share things from home that are related to topics they are studying.

Canterbury also has sharing time every morning, when the whole school gathers around the flagpole for the Pledge of Allegiance. But again, students are encouraged to share their achievements or something that happened at home such as the birth of a baby sibling, a grandparent who is visiting or a trophy from karate class.

Many schools are tying show and tell to a student's family or something that makes him or her special, said Mona Schuster, child development specialist with the Pinellas County schools.

"They can bring in something that shows a little of who they are, from favorite hair ribbons to pictures of your family to something you got when went on vacation," she said. When children get recognition from their teacher and peers about themselves, it creates more self-esteem than just showing off the latest Barbie action figure from Toys "R" Us.

"I think that initially show and tell always served two purposes. One was for language development, and the other was so that a child could feel better about themselves by bringing something from home," Schuster said. "Then over the years, it got away from something that is special to you to something your mom or dad or grandma bought you that was bigger and better and brighter than what your friends brought in. We had 3-year-olds trying to outdo each other."

She still thinks show and tell is very important to a child's early development and should be a part of each student's school experience. If kids start talking in front of a group when it's just 15 or so students, they are more comfortable when they have to read aloud or work a math problem in front of the whole class in third grade.

Pinellas County school district spokesman Ron Stone said there is no set policy on show-and-tell requirements in elementary schools.

"I would think if they are (having show and tell) it is in the context of the lesson they are teaching," he said. "They are held accountable by state testing. They are really under the gun to emphasize the curriculum, and they can try to embellish that any way they can with something that would be of interest to the kids."

At First Presbyterian Day School in St. Petersburg, some teachers allow kids to bring in a variety of things, from educational to anything of their choice. Often, though, show and tell is limited to a different child each week who can bring in a whole bag of things that are special to him, said Laura Golightly, director of the school for children ages 2 to 5.

"Hopefully it's something that is more than just a fancy toy or a favorite blanket with holes in it. But it's more appropriate to bring something like that in preschool than in kindergarten or first grade," she said.

If a child has just been to North Carolina and has a brilliant yellow and red fall leaf or found a really neat shell at the beach, she should be able to share that even when it's not her allotted day or week, she said.

While some teachers tie show and tell to a certain letter or color, Golightly thinks it's important to make sure kids have a chance to share something that is really special or exciting to them.

"Those sharing times are still really important because if we didn't set aside time for each child to do so, then the verbal, social ones would always do the talking and the ones who are not so comfortable in front of a group wouldn't do it," she said.

I understand why changes have been made to show and tell. I think they are fine as long as schools and teachers make sure each student still gets a chance to share what's important to him or her in some form or another.

-- Please tell me about any upcoming fall festivals or pumpkin patch sales. Contact me at Oliviachar@aol.com or at (727) 822-7225.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright