Slicing up a spin

Earlier this month, I was at our admin retreat and we were talking about how we can stay true to what we understand and believe are good educational practices.  I brought up the difficulty of describing a play-based program for young children in a way that would not turn away those parents who want their children to be “learning something.”  In my summer reading, I had come across the term guided play and was wondering if this might be a better way to talk about what teachers and children are doing in the classroom.  Then someone mentioned a story they had heard on the radio citing research that indicated a good kindergarten experience could result in a higher earning potential.  What she had heard was this – children who had great kindergarten teachers ended up making more money than those who had less than great teachers.  Wow – talk about pressure.  I was very interested in this idea so of course I launched an internet search and I found this article (which had been sent to me but left unread).  I will leave it to you to decided who is spinning what but it does make me think about how we use words.  As I am getting ready for our back to school parent meetings, I am contemplating what words to use and how to use them.  The last thing I want is to get caught up in the spin.