I stumbled across something today that resonated with me. It was a strong foundational "knowing" that has been present in me, but not put into words. This "knowing" is something that helps me resonate with the goings-on in the classrooms my children inhabit during the day.
For my kindergartner, it shows up in her class in the way of respect for each as an individual. Real respect and acceptance, the kind that acknowledges and accepts in a full way where each child is coming from and a validation that each place is an okay place for them to be. In her class, there is not an layer of oppressive expectation, by that I mean, "act this way and I, the teacher, will show you, the student that I approve of you." Instead, the approval is given freely and unconditionally, everyday. After a school year of being in this environment, I see a classroom of children who play harmoniously with each other. They model the acceptance that is being showered upon them on a daily basis. It's a beautiful thing to see. And it's real, and observable and you can feel it with your heart center. What a blessing.
In the first grade class, the goings-on look a bit different. At times, some students are a bit squirrely. During lesson times, there may be some moving around and talking out, all of which is redirected, but allowed. When they go on field trips, there isn't a list of "don't-do's" and an air of rules. Respectfulness is always expected but "stay with your partner", "were only going to look at each table for 3 minutes", or "don't get excited about the pile or free roaming balloons you see on the floor" are not expectations placed upon the students.
Some adults may not resonate with these environments, but I know that I very much do. And the reason is that I have a deep "knowing" about a tenement of all persons, my beautiful children included. That is, I trust in their ability to guide their own world well. I put faith into the belief that they can feel what feels best for them. When we get out of our own way, or out of our children's way, well-being is the premise of things. In the school setting that my children have the opportunity to be a part of, that belief that they already are a whole, thriving, creative, effective individual is at the heart of of all that is said and done. I can not think of anything I want more for my children than for them to have and bask in the belief that they already are that which is whole and good and complete.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
Community
My 1st grader's hand flew over the paper as she added helmet to the "space guy" that was taking shape on the outside of the thank-you envelope. As it turns out, "space guys" are a favorite of one of the boys in her class and she was sure to draw one for him next to his pencil scrawled name. I picked up the pile of thank you notes and saw that each name had a different picture beside it. My daughter commented, "I'm drawing what everyone likes best."
A class of 12. A community of 12. There is something special going on in that 1st grade class room and it's more than a educational philosophy. I've heard Waldorf teaches talk about the community of their classrooms and how at the start of the 1st grade year, so much time is devoted to "developing" the class and the rhythm and the personality. Yes, I say, that sounds nice, I like that idea. But just now, I'm really beginning to see what that means. And I've yet to experience anywhere else the kind of community that is emerging in my daughter class. Not in theory, or in an abstract way but in a palpable way. In way that you can see and feel and almost touch when you see the group functioning as a whole. It feels like understanding, like acceptance, like an anticipated journey to an exciting destination. They all learn to work with each other and know what each's strength is. Also, what each's weakness is, knowing that everyone has things about themselves they are in the process of developing.
Often it may be said that a classroom has developed good working relationships. I've worked in school settings for many years and heard the same thing. And sometimes I would witness it, I would see kids working together and often there would be a student with a strong personality that was helpful in nature, or kind and that lovely student would help set the tone for the class. And this did work well for the class as a whole. This class would often feel like a positive place to be. But there were always several students on the fringe, going along with the flow, but not adding to the flow. Not making any waves of their own, but rather, being content to have the tide wash over them. As a whole, this class might seem to function well, but when looking at some of these individual students, I could see they were left to watch others carve out the direction in which the class would flow.
In my daughter's class, I see each individual personalities urged forward. I see an individual making a stride, and then pulling others along with them, and then another will turn the course a bit, and everyone will go with that flow for a moment, and then another will emerge in the forefront and then interested, open ears and eyes will turn that way, and consider this new direction for a moment. The open interested eyes and ears, did not happen by accident or by luck. It was cultivated and honored and expected and I see 7 year old children who have an emerging understanding of what it means to be human with an idea and how it feels to act on the idea and to move forward, and to have others support you. And then how it feels to be happy for another, when they have an "ah-ha" moment and to help them or move out of the way, all the while understanding that all ideas have merit and when viewed with an open heart, all is inherently good.
A class of 12. A community of 12. There is something special going on in that 1st grade class room and it's more than a educational philosophy. I've heard Waldorf teaches talk about the community of their classrooms and how at the start of the 1st grade year, so much time is devoted to "developing" the class and the rhythm and the personality. Yes, I say, that sounds nice, I like that idea. But just now, I'm really beginning to see what that means. And I've yet to experience anywhere else the kind of community that is emerging in my daughter class. Not in theory, or in an abstract way but in a palpable way. In way that you can see and feel and almost touch when you see the group functioning as a whole. It feels like understanding, like acceptance, like an anticipated journey to an exciting destination. They all learn to work with each other and know what each's strength is. Also, what each's weakness is, knowing that everyone has things about themselves they are in the process of developing.
Often it may be said that a classroom has developed good working relationships. I've worked in school settings for many years and heard the same thing. And sometimes I would witness it, I would see kids working together and often there would be a student with a strong personality that was helpful in nature, or kind and that lovely student would help set the tone for the class. And this did work well for the class as a whole. This class would often feel like a positive place to be. But there were always several students on the fringe, going along with the flow, but not adding to the flow. Not making any waves of their own, but rather, being content to have the tide wash over them. As a whole, this class might seem to function well, but when looking at some of these individual students, I could see they were left to watch others carve out the direction in which the class would flow.
In my daughter's class, I see each individual personalities urged forward. I see an individual making a stride, and then pulling others along with them, and then another will turn the course a bit, and everyone will go with that flow for a moment, and then another will emerge in the forefront and then interested, open ears and eyes will turn that way, and consider this new direction for a moment. The open interested eyes and ears, did not happen by accident or by luck. It was cultivated and honored and expected and I see 7 year old children who have an emerging understanding of what it means to be human with an idea and how it feels to act on the idea and to move forward, and to have others support you. And then how it feels to be happy for another, when they have an "ah-ha" moment and to help them or move out of the way, all the while understanding that all ideas have merit and when viewed with an open heart, all is inherently good.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
A New Ending to An Old Story
"Puff the Magic Dragon, lived by the sea, and frolicked in the Autumn mist in a land called Honalee..."
And so it goes, that melodious tune that conjures up feelings of freedom and playfulness and then sadness and loss. As a small child I would get tears in my eyes when I heard the part about Jackie Paper coming no more. How sad for Puff. How sad for Jackie. It would seem these feelings about the song's ending are universal, at least I heard the same sentiments from my daughter when she heard the story. "Puff the Magic Dragon" was one of many fanciful stories the 8th graders came down to read to the 1st graders on a Thursday afternoon. It is a beautifully illustrated rendition of the story, complete with a heart-broken Puff, when it would seem his life long friend was moving on. My daughter came home and told me that her class was going to write a new ending to the story; that it didn't feel good to end it the way it did. In this particular story book which they had been gazing upon, a fresh idea had been born. The 2nd to last page of the book shows a small girl, peering at Puff, Puff with an expression of anticipation and delight. And on the last page, this girl is fully engaged in the make believe world that Puff inhabits, and peeking from behind, a grown man, with a smile on a his face. A smile of warmth. A smile for Puff, for his beloved magic dragon now had a new playmate. And a smile for the little girl, his daughter, for she has a childhood of adventures waiting for her. And a smile for himself, because in getting a chance to glimpse the magic, he got to embrace it once again too, for there are few things in the world as warm and inviting as a remembered sense of something beautiful.
And so, my daughter's class wrote a new ending. An ending where Puff and "Sally Paper played along the cherry lane." The whole class sings together, while their magnificent teacher plays the guitar. My daughter's proud of that new ending. She talks about how this song is special to them, special to 1st grade and that they like to sing it together during snack time and when they take walks outside. They added to the magic and in doing so can participate in it in their own way. Knowing that this magic was encouraged and brought to life in part by the teacher leaves me with a feeling of such gratitude. And so, to my daughter's 1st grade teacher: Thank you for taking the time to hear their experiences of the story, Thank you for taking the time to help them retell it in a way that felt good to them. And thank you for taking up your guitar and making the music that carries the magic that they bring into the world.
And so it goes, that melodious tune that conjures up feelings of freedom and playfulness and then sadness and loss. As a small child I would get tears in my eyes when I heard the part about Jackie Paper coming no more. How sad for Puff. How sad for Jackie. It would seem these feelings about the song's ending are universal, at least I heard the same sentiments from my daughter when she heard the story. "Puff the Magic Dragon" was one of many fanciful stories the 8th graders came down to read to the 1st graders on a Thursday afternoon. It is a beautifully illustrated rendition of the story, complete with a heart-broken Puff, when it would seem his life long friend was moving on. My daughter came home and told me that her class was going to write a new ending to the story; that it didn't feel good to end it the way it did. In this particular story book which they had been gazing upon, a fresh idea had been born. The 2nd to last page of the book shows a small girl, peering at Puff, Puff with an expression of anticipation and delight. And on the last page, this girl is fully engaged in the make believe world that Puff inhabits, and peeking from behind, a grown man, with a smile on a his face. A smile of warmth. A smile for Puff, for his beloved magic dragon now had a new playmate. And a smile for the little girl, his daughter, for she has a childhood of adventures waiting for her. And a smile for himself, because in getting a chance to glimpse the magic, he got to embrace it once again too, for there are few things in the world as warm and inviting as a remembered sense of something beautiful.
And so, my daughter's class wrote a new ending. An ending where Puff and "Sally Paper played along the cherry lane." The whole class sings together, while their magnificent teacher plays the guitar. My daughter's proud of that new ending. She talks about how this song is special to them, special to 1st grade and that they like to sing it together during snack time and when they take walks outside. They added to the magic and in doing so can participate in it in their own way. Knowing that this magic was encouraged and brought to life in part by the teacher leaves me with a feeling of such gratitude. And so, to my daughter's 1st grade teacher: Thank you for taking the time to hear their experiences of the story, Thank you for taking the time to help them retell it in a way that felt good to them. And thank you for taking up your guitar and making the music that carries the magic that they bring into the world.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Parent Teacher Conferences
The walls are a warm rainbow of pink fading up to orange and finally into light yellow. The soft glow of incandescent bulbs fills the room and I smell citrus, and lavender and maybe a bit of sandelwood. To the left I see water color paintings taped to the blackboard. Behind is an artful rendition of "Puss and Boots" drawn in chalk and filling the space on the left side of the classroom. There is a table draped with colorful silk upon which a wooden fairy house stands, surrounded by stones, shells, flowers and wooded animals. There is beauty all around. I can see it and smell it and feel it. It is peaceful, it feels like coming home. This is the beautiful place my 1st grader gets to spend the majority of her waking hours, and I'm so glad. I am here today for my parent teacher conference. I'm looking forward to hearing about how this lovely daughter of mine is branching out to be her own person. I love hearing about who she is when she is not with me. As I expected, she is doing well academically, socially and otherwise. Her teacher noted that she says "I messed up" often when doing her work. Her teacher asked that I help my daughter at home to rephrase, to say instead, perhaps, "That turned out differently than I planned." Her teacher wants her to say something different to herself on these occasions because "what comes out of our mouths, shapes our reality." Yes! Thank you, I too want to work on this. I love this attention to this part of herself, this small thing that doesn't cause a problem in the classroom but will soon be wonderful for her when she starts seeing her "mess-ups" as nothing of the sort. "Is this good?" is another question my daughter often poses to the teacher. Her teacher explains to us that she has started asking my daughter this same questions, inspiring in her an inner knowing that what she has accomplished is good. She doesn't need to look outside herself for affirmation. Inside she knows all is well. We as a parent teacher team will help her to re-frame these statements, not in an effort to change her, but in an effort to free her.
Monday, March 12, 2012
I'm so happy
I am so loving everything about the educational experience my girls are engaging in every day. Everyday I find some new, hidden jewel as they relay the happenings of their day. I decided I'm going to write about these small moments. These warm, delicious experiences that everyday reaffirm my decision to continue down this path. I am learning that this path is so much more than I could ever have imagined and so much more than I dared dream was possible. Did you know there is such a place where time seems to stand still? It's a place where the flow of the day resembles the journey a leaf might make when it lands gently upon the waters of a bubbling brook. Twisting and floating and mingling with stones and sticks it may pass on it's way to new lands. Never in a hurry to get there, rather moving along with the rhythm of the beauty that surrounds it.
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