Days fly when we are planning
and looking for ways of sharing ideas with children. I found out that I became an expert to find the perfect song,
tale, or scene to prepare my classes. With a frank smile, I have to admit this:
I am becoming a different person, since
I stopped thinking about how I understand or see the world and began to think how
children think and absorb the environment.
I can summarize years
and years of books in the magic of children's questions and the importance of parents
support of. I used to believe that money was the only important item for
education, but even the poorest people want their kids can be the best
citizens, and they can have an important place in life, and they trust on
schools as the way to achieve all of their dreams.
I think
somehow I began to feel part of that group of brilliant minds who believe that
all children can learn, with the right strategy and parents motivation.
However, Director is
still giving me ugly looks of confusion and anger when I share my class planning
or when she asks for ideas for school events. I still do not understand yet if she feel bad because my passion for
teaching or my straight ideas against traditional education, maybe that’s too much for her. Finally accepting the system
allows to anyone having a little bread on the table every day.
When the time came to
create a school green space to planting the product of our science projects,
Director almost eats her cell phone when I told her that children should be
part of all planning. Finally it was their work, effort and care that had kept
alive all the plants...
-How can you think
that children can participate in a school project?, She did ask me with a horrible look that if I
don't duck pretending that I had thrown something on the floor, I would be dead
right now.
I replied her quietly:
well, they have taken care of the
plants, they are the reason of existence for this school, and many of them come from
countries where caring plants and flowers is not a subject of art, it is a
constant in their living space... Those where three good reasons which nobody
could ignore, at least not in front of all of the Academic Board.
I called the children,
showed them the map and I explained them the project, I asked them to cook
their ideas during 6 minutes and when time is over they could share all their thoughts. Children watched the plane
and began to smile, with that look of emotion that they only get when have
something big between hands.
The rest of teachers
began totalk between them, I suppose that the idea of inviting children to our meeting
caused them so many hives as pain to Director, I undertsand they imaged
children screaming and causing disorder, but kids and I practiced so much staying
quiet during tests and they learned that
silence doesn’t mean fear to speak, but respect to each other ideas, so
children could behave as the best when the situation needed, without shouting.
When my watch began to
sound indicating that time had passed six minutes, one by one began to speak,
explained the type of dirt that we needed and then planned where to put each
plant.
-Tomatoes need lots of
sun and water, so this is the best place for them... pumpkins require a lot of space
as they are creeping... Roses survive to everything so they can be here, but
no, wait!, if we put them there, when they grow we can have accidents with their
thorns if we run around, so I think this place would be better for them... the
flowers for bees should be here, so we will not disturb them... this plant
attracts caterpillars, so it should not touch this other... this plant grows 10
inches per month, so we should put it it close to a wall so we can have pulleys
to hold it...
Everyone listened and
realized that they not only had learned about plants plants they had also learned expression, planning,
problem-solving skills... which book should have learned that in?, perhaps did
they learn all that in some application or talking to Siri from their Iphone?,
we were all perplexed!.
That afternoon I
realized that children are more than words in books, their minds are malleable
from the environment, and that is the work of the school, giving a good
atmosphere for learning, not the military system that many of us had, begging
to survive and move on.
If we leave our future
in children`s hands, it is better to give them the best tools, and without a
doubt they will surprise you!.
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