In the middle of work this afternoon I stared dumbfounded at this phrase from an article on new learning requirements for first grade:

...be able to "explain the difference between goods and services and . . . describe how people are both buyers and sellers of goods and services."

Well aren't we just training little Capitalists? I'm sure there are many other requirements for the first grade, and I have no idea why the author of this article chose to highlight this one requirement, but good grief! Must the assimilation into a consumer culture start so early?!

Also upsetting, the general theme of this article is how tough these new guidelines are, forcing first graders to start reading and writing at such an early age. I'm sorry? I could read and write at age 4, before starting kindergarten. Yes, I realize that's a little advanced, and is thanks to the fact that I have two excellent parents who were engaged enough to teach me how to read as soon as I showed an interest. Nevertheless, my entire kindergarten class learned how to read that year, covering phonics and so forth. What the heck are kids doing now in kindergarten and first grade (nevermind the ever-increasing rate of pre-school attendance) if they aren't learning letters and numbers??