When I think about my own anecdotal experiences as a student, and, later, a teacher, 3 things stand out.
1. Very few students, myself included, learn gemara effectively at an elementary school age, regardless of the skill of the teacher. What little I did learn in several years of elementary school and extracurricular learning, could have been accomplished in a few weeks when I was older.
2. At the elementary school age, students can remember large amounts of mishnayot very well, which prepares them for future Gemara study. If not learned at this stage, mishnayot may never be learned. Students who don't know mishnayot can't learn Gemara at a high level.
3. Teaching Gemara that is not understood well is worse than teaching nothing - it convinces students they don't like or don't understand Gemara, and makes them less receptive to it in the future. Motivation is the key - mastery of Gemara study requires a huge time commitment, and ultimately the only students who attain proficiency are those who devote themselves to it outside of school. I have seen motivated college-age students go from zero Jewish knowledge to strong Gemara skills within a time frame of about 3 years, in an informal setting, easily surpassing the level of skill that students gain in a 12 year formal day school education.
I believe the motivation to teach Gemara before students are ready stems from keeping up with the Joneses - who wants to be the only elementary school that doesn't teach it? From an educational standpoint, teaching large volumes of mishnayot at the elementary school level would be more effective and result in greater overall gemara interest, knowledge and skill by the end of high school.
Aharon Frazer
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www.orachmishor.org]
