It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life."
Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!
I’ve been thinking wistfully about the preschool classroom, remembering how children learned to listen to one another.
Why is my mind on preschool?
My heart is heavy from an acrimonious meeting with adults. Those who spoke first essentially determined the agenda. The most emphatic discussion was about whether Robert’s Rules were being followed. People were silenced in the interest of rule-following. So much good community feeling was whittled away, as folks tripped over small procedural details. A few people spoke up over and over and over again; the quiet folks stayed mute; everyone was exhausted by the meeting’s end.
Dare I say, this was a church meeting?
Just ugly.
Now, our congregation is working on healing.
Add my voice to the chorus of voices who say that Robert’s Rules are not very equitable. (Here’s one, if you’re interested.)
Preschoolers learn ‘coming together’ means listening to varied perspectives. We need to participate with open minds…and extend grace to one another.
deciding together preschool circle time all of us together teacher as mediator traffic light safety patrol guide alongside tears laughter squeals shrieks wiggles jumps ups d o w n s nonstop unpredictable movement someone can’t sit still another squirrels away there’s a twosome chatting rolling playing with each other oh, and you! so frustrated you weren’t called first oops! someone needs to go to the bathroom worst, they already did oh my how am I to introduce the ‘big idea’ of the day? how will we make decisions together? this is how the year begins this is the teaching three year olds learning how to be together and always at some imprecise point after circling up several times in a day every single school day this learning suddenly falls into place there is magic our community working together (hopefully, the calendar says October, not June) why do the children know why do the children show why do the children sow community better than adults? they greet one another look at one another give space to one another take turns talking wait their turn moderate one’s voice listen to and consider ideas of others build on a friend’s ideas make decisions together they trust community
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