day two of our return to school
we all find comfort in our own way
a donkey, a pillow, a bus, a dragon
each makes all the difference to someone.
—
“cure sometimes, treat often, comfort always.”
-hippocrates
Sep19
Category Archives: children
Sep18
the kinder came.
the kinder came
they masked
they played
they conquered.
—
“this is the short and long of it.”
– william shakespeare
—
first day of school – september 2020
Sep17
most unusual day.
today is the first day back at school
i imagine the kinder calmly gliding into nature with me
all possibilities are on the table
could be more like the picture below
most likely will fall somewhere in between.
“today is a most unusual day, because we have never lived it before; we will never live it again; it is the only day we have.”
-william arthur ward
—
photo credits: vintage pinterest, gamma-keystone london
Sep13
born.
“the six pack’- my grandies all kind of sitting still in one place at one time
—
on national grandparents day
i am reminded of this afternoon
5 years ago in the park
you always were
from the youngest age
each your very own person
i’m so happy to be ‘peaches’ to every one of you.
—
“when a child is born, so are grandmothers.”
judith levy
Sep2
dragonheart.
what did i find at the farmer’s market?
lots and lots of berries, zucchini, tomatoes, farmers, pies, flowers, herbs, honey, bread,
and one tiny dragon.
—
“one does not need the size of a dragon to have the soul of a dragon. “
– robin hobb
Sep1
piaget.
*Jean Piaget (1896-1980) in his office.
Shout out to all those who didn’t tidy their office before the start of the school year.
—
“simple solutions seldom are. it takes a very unusual mind to undertake analysis of the obvious.”
-alfred north whitehead
—
*Piaget’s (1936) theory of cognitive development explains how a child constructs a mental model of the world. He disagreed with the idea that intelligence was a fixed trait, and regarded cognitive development as a process which occurs due to biological maturation and interaction with the environment.
—
credit: modern language association
Jul28
secret forts.
grandie j heads out
mohawk helmet on
backpack filled
with pokemon cards, water, hope
off on his bike to meet friends
at their ‘secret fort’
in the neighborhood.
after he makes his grand exit
grandie b, left behind, shares –
“we all have the same secret fort, but no one knows it.”
—
“well i know the secret places. and the nests in hedge and tree;
at what doors are friendly faces, in what hearts are thoughts of me.”
-henry wadsworth longfellow
May28
keep the heart touchable.
doing virtual early childhood parent-teacher conferences online
did not feel natural
but i give parents so much credit
some went to elaborate lengths
to find a space and time
where their child wouldn’t find them
so we could openly talk
and share stories
about how their child
touched our hearts this year
we talked to parents
in a closet, in a basement, up in an attic room,
and those who sent their child off on an errand
some waited until their child was asleep at night
but one thing was the same
this was a wonderful group of supportive, think-on-their-feet parents
who kept our connection with their children going
even from a distance
as we all navigated our way through this uncharted territory
and we were so lucky to have them as our teaching and learning partners this year.
—
“in a world where the great technologies enable us to record, replay, cut and paste, zoom in, and delete –
listening is the crucial commitment to keep the heart touchable.”
-mark nepo
—
photo credit: bored panda
Apr10
thirty minutes.
each of our faculty members
were allowed to go into their room alone for 30 minutes
during that time we could take
whatever we imagined we might need
to teach school — for the rest of the year.
walking into my building, it was silent
i saw the ‘welcome back to the sun’ and ‘happy spring’ artwork
my class had created for the hall
expecting to be back soon after our spring break
walking into my classroom
it was sad
left as it was back in mid-march
memories, things undone, things i wish i could still do with my class
cards, and art, and notes, and pictures, and colors, and books
30 minutes to decide what to take
i filled my bags with toys and books and art and puppets
anything i thought might make my kinder feel a sense of comfort
as i teach them from afar and show them familiar things
it was hard to close the door on the year
knowing i will stay connected to each of them
but also knowing
something will be lost
in not spending my school days
sharing a room with them.
—
“time flies over us,
but leaves its shadow behind. “
-nathaniel hawthorne
Mar6
believe.
spring conferences
a time for
sharing stories
of children and family.
“behind every young child who believes in himself is a parent who believed first.”
-matthew jacobson
—
image credit: animalchannel.com
