January 27, 2003
Building Bridges
I have just returned from a whirlwind tour of many cities across the US, including Phoenix, El Paso, Savannah, Mobile, Birmingham, New Orleans, San Jose... and spoke with nursery school teachers, parents, kindergarten teachers, elementary school teachers and family child care providers. Yet in and among the different cultures, dialects, foods, neighborhoods and locations I came to an amazing awareness that underneath superficial "differences," as educators we share the same desires and want the same things.
We want to be treated with respect. We want it to be understood that we are PROFESSIONALS and as such, know what we are talking about. We want to be able to implement research that supports what we KNOW to be right about children and their development, into our classrooms. We want the supervisors, superintendents, principals, directors, parents, colleagues and school board memebers who support us to speak to the other supervisors, superintendents, principals, directors, parents, colleagues and school board memebers who don't and assist us in creating stronger bridges of understanding.
I learned on this last trip that there are a great many people who are doing EVERYTHING THEY CAN in order to do what is right and best for our children. I met amazing teachers who have gone up to the WOLVES at their doors, invited them in and began TALKING with them.
Talking, educating, sharing, mentoring and guiding become our weapons. Did I just "make this stuff up?" No way! The information we share and tap into has been around for years waiting for us to blow off the dust and take it to heart. Bruno Bettelheim tells us that children learn through play. Maria Montessori reminds of of the importance of hands-on experiences. Jane Healy tells us that children need experiences to attach words to. Picasso reminds us that we do not stop playing when we get old, but rather we get old because we stop playing.
"But when does the playing stop!?" asks the woman in the back row. "When does the playing stop so that the 'real learning' can start?"
It's ALL real learning. Concepts attached to experiences is the ultimate definition of good teaching. Take a "concept," link it to an "experience" and facilitate the exploration of it within an open ended environment that celebrates hands-on learning.
We are taking childhood away from the children and stripping them of their right to play. By depriving them of this important phase in their lives we are taking away the time which has been set aside for them to learn about their world and how it works. Childhood is not the time nature set aside as the years to get ready to be a grown up. Childhood is its own magical time of exploration, wonder and discovery.
Play time is NOT wasted time.
No matter where you live, what grade you teach or how long you have been in the field, I know you are working hard at doing the best you can and creating places where childhood is celebrated - not hurried. Stay strong and true to what you believe in and what you know is right. Stay in touch with me. Read books and articles, then write your own! Get the message out. Stay on your journey and find others who believe... then assist each other and serve as support networks.
When we create strong bridges between ourselves, we will in turn create better places for our children. I'm so glad you are a part of the bridges we are out there building.
all my love,
lisa
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