one word: brilliant

 

Loved the idea of One Word as a guiding light for 2012.

Christie at Childhood 101 talked about her word: Balance.

Scott at Brick by Brick chose the word: Choose.

My word: Brilliant.

Personally.

I strive to live healthy, offer gestures of kindness, to assume goodwill. 

I value the support of those around me to help me build a brilliantly joyful 2012. 

In the classroom. 

I strive to see all children's efforts with a brilliant lens...a 'that child is offering their best today' lens. 

I want the brilliance of the children's work to be uplifted by my communicating, documenting and photography.

oh, to live a life that is brilliant.

no doubt fearless

Children just ARE who they are - absolutely - even at a very very young age. They already have that sense of self, somehow, that brings some attitude, some "of COURSE I can do that", some leadership and charisma.

It is one of my favorite parts of my role as an early childhood educator - to meet 4-year-olds who just "get it" already, can socialize, have opinions, have plans and questions and don't want to miss a second of school life.

Didn't matter to Ava that supplies were high - she always got what she needed!

Here is one such girl. I will call her Ava [yet I change all the names of students in my blog for their privacy].

Ava was a Go-Getter, a Do-It-My-Selfer, and a Nothing Is Too Hard For Me kind of girl.

However, I didn't know that Ava at first.

When her family first visited our school to consider applying, I met with them and with Ava. I loved the family, loved Ava and certainly thought they could be a match for our school.

My concern was that I was a teacher of young-fives at a school where we were the youngest and everything in our school was set for elementary-AGED children and, accordingly, elementary-SIZED students.
Ava was not petite - she was strong and a fast runner and capable - yet her height was far below a typical range for height for 4 or 5 year olds.

I was fearful she would not be able to participate in some things, that she wouldn't be able to climb on the big playground climber, that all the stairs and steps at our big school would wear her out everyday.

However, none of that was a concern for the family. Ava was talkative, busy and full of energy. She was a great match for a young-fives program and would be a great addition to our class culture. We discussed that time would allow us to see how Ava would adapt to school and that we would make adjustments on her behalf if necessary.

Nothing was needed. No changes were necessary. Ava embraced her school environment and it embraced her.

In the classroom, Ava had no issues that kept her from doing what she wanted to do, used materials as she needed, and navigated her way around independently.

Ava was NO DOUBT FEARLESS. 

Teachers and families often have concerns for their children that are grounded in the right ideals of wanting children to be safe, capable, successful. 

Yet, we often don't realize that we equally must give credit to the child that they can adapt and meet the challenges or expectations of whatever [school, a sports team, a transition]. 

Ava reminds me that each person is THEIR OWN PERSON. 

Ava has been herself HER WHOLE LIFE and never considers anything impossible.

Ava knew she could do school before her family or myself knew she could do school.

OF COURSE Ava could do school...of course.
 

How many NO DOUBT FEARLESS children have you met?

I SPY moments

balance, balance, balance.

Do you ever wonder what a child is thinking when they are in their own private world of playing or inventing?

1,2,3...7...numbers, bowls, space on the carpet.

I am amazed when the camera can freeze the experience and help me examine the intensity or quietness of a child's individual work.

how does this apple peeler work...?

watching the water pot fill with blue water...drip, drip, drip.

practice, practice...this cartwheel is tricky!

truck and shovel and wet sand...something might get buried?

the joy of big big shoes...!

a fresh drink for the alligator...pouring so carefully !

maybe a calendar? maybe a countdown? maybe a birthday coming?

starting with two very tall blocks...steady, steady hands.

quiet moment to water paint the outside play surface.

hmm...maybe I will go in here...

I think I would like to sit inside a hula hoop and swirl these twirlers around and around.

pink sparkle dress and straw hat...and a look in the mirror.

ready to have my own theater performance with my newly made puppet.

I hope you can uncover moments at school of children working, inventing, and re-inventing their day...in their own beautiful extraordinary way.

capturing friendship

the little girl on the right hands a pouring cup to her friend at the water table.

Kindness begins so early.

Friendship begins so early.

Sharing.

Patience.

Connecting.

Give and Take.

It can happen in a brief lovely moment, especially when you are living the very young life of a two-year-old. Sometimes, you are just enjoying a sunny day and you need some water...

The friend on the left has received the pouring cup from his friend in the hat.

Hmm...had the boy offered water? OR had the girl started with the motive of getting water?

Educators and cameras cannot always Capture Friendship in the exact moment it is happening.

This was a moment that really struck me because these two children only came to school a couple days a week, and this was taken early on in the school year. Perhaps they had a previous connection, yet I don't know that for certain.

The cognitive process for both children to engage in this exchange was quite lovely to witness: The girl intentionally gave the boy the measuring/pouring cup.

In the first photo, it was difficult to see that the girl was holding a watering can, so we could have thought the giving of the pouring cup was a sweet gesture.

The second photo, we see the boy holding the pouring cup and perhaps seeing that the girl had a watering can.

The third photo, could be read as the girl having had motive to have the watering can filled OR the boy having seen that the girl had a watering can and he decided to offer water to her.

The whole exchange had no words to document.

Between the two children, there must have been something else they were understanding together, only between them, in the language of two-year-olds that usually relies a lot on eyes and hands.

In YOUR classroom or outside at your school...

if you look close, daily, you will SEE friendship happening in many forms. It might SOUND like friendship, it might FEEL like friendship, it might MOVE like friendship. Get your camera ready, have it with you always. You never know where friendship will show up, yet when you are around children you can't help but to discover it.

Look for it. Capture it. Share it.

start with a sharpie

Many teachers have asked me over the years HOW to document children's work -  HOW did I "get" the children to say the things they have said.

My answer has always been this simple: Start with a sharpie in your hand - or in your pocket, or hooked on your shirt, or attached to your belt - start with a sharpie.
(Ideally, you'll have a camera, also, and will need to learn how to ask good questions but these will be for another blog post.)

Sharpie brand pens are The Pen - keep one with you at all times.

If you allow yourself to keep a pen with you at all times, you will start paying attention to what children say, what they do, how they do something. You will start hearing - more clearly - a child describe the process of their magnet experiment, the problem with the blocks falling over, their discovery of blue mixed with red. The pen will help you be accountable for connecting with children, for authentically representing the learning that occurs that day in the classroom or outside. It is a process to learn to document - you don't need to write down every word the child says, you don't write down every "ummm" or every rambling "and, and, and". Documenting takes some skill at both listening and editing to some degree, and confirmation from the child that what you are writing down is what they ARE saying, believing, meaning.

The pen will help you identify developmental differences in age groups - how a three-year-old's explanation of something might sound one way compared to how a five-year-old would explain the same thing. The pen will help you begin to communicate with the class as a group, with the guardians of the children, with the wider school community.

The pen will help you start on a journey that  - for me - is a privilege to continue to be on. Listening with and documenting for children is a surprise, a gift and an endless education.

Get yourself a pen. Keep it with you.

For further reading on Documenting you might enjoy:
Sophia's Train a documented art story 
or "I Need Dirty Water"  a 3yo makes friends using dirt and water