The teacher put a picture on the board, and kids talked about it and made up sentences. It was criminal, what happened to these kids. This approach was out of favor in the schools of education and in the district, so Lott had to use federal funds and raise his own money to pay for books and kits. Kindergarten is still where the Wesley difference is most pronounced. Teachers fire off questions, directions, and lots of them.
Students answer in complete sentences.
A typical reading lesson sounds like a pep rally on fast forward. We can't afford to fool around in kindergarten. The older they are, the harder it is for them to go on and have the confidence to try. It's a regime that demands a lot of teachers, who manage formidable amounts of paperwork to document student progress. Lead teachers also go over student work, help flag kids who are falling behind, and step in to teach if a class falls too far behind expected gains.